In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
The Senior Scholars Project in Kuwait is pleased,
in cooperation with the Sheikh Abdul-Aziz ibn Baz Foundation,
may Allah have mercy upon him,
to present to you:
The Juristical Choices
Regarding Issues of Worship and Transactions,
from the Fatwas of His Eminence, the Great Scholar, the Imam,
Abdul-Aziz ibn Abdullah ibn Baz,
may Allah have mercy upon him,
compiled and arranged by Sheikh
Khalid ibn Saud ibn Amir Al-Ajmi.
The Book of Purification.
Chapter on Cleansing (Istinja').
The Great Scholar, Imam Ibn Baz, may Allah have mercy upon him, said:
Zamzam water is permissible to use for ritual ablution (wudu) and cleansing after relieving oneself (istinja'),
as well as for bathing to remove major ritual impurity (ghusl) when necessary.
The view held by those jurists
who considered it disliked to perform ablution, ritual bathing,
or the removal of impurities using Zamzam water
is a weak and outweighed opinion.
"...an addition and a cure for illness."
Recorded by Abu Dawud with a good chain of transmission.
The hadith: "The water of Zamzam is for whatever it is drunk for,"
contains weakness in its chain of transmission,
yet it is supported by the authentic hadith that preceded it.
There is no harm in performing ablution inside the bathroom
if there is a need to do so.
When a person is out in the open desert
and intends to relieve himself,
he should say:
"I seek refuge in Allah from all evil and evil spirits."
When he finishes, it is recommended for him to say:
"I seek Your forgiveness."
It is disliked to enter the lavatory carrying anything that contains the remembrance of Allah.
However, if a secure place is unavailable
to leave the papers in
until he comes out of the lavatory,
then there is no harm in him entering with them,
as he is compelled to do so out of necessity.
Allah the Almighty said:
“How should ye not eat of that over which the name of Allah hath been mentioned, when He hath explained unto you that which is forbidden unto you unless ye are compelled thereto. But lo! many are led astray by their own lusts through ignorance. Lo! thy Lord, He is Best Aware of the transgressors.” (6:119)
"...except what you are compelled to."
Thus, if Allah permits what is forbidden out of necessity,
then permitting what is merely disliked applies all the more so.
Entering the bathroom with a copy of the Qur'an (Mus-haf) is not permissible,
except in cases of necessity—
such as if you fear it might be stolen;
in that case, there is no harm.
Remembering Allah in the heart is prescribed at all times and in all places,
in the bathroom or elsewhere.
If there is a need for a person to speak
inside the bathroom, there is no harm in doing so;
but if there is no need,
refraining from it is preferable.
What is disliked in the bathroom and similar places
is remembering Allah verbally with the tongue.
Performing istinja' is not a requirement—
that is, performing istinja' for every ablution—
rather, it is only obligatory after passing urine, stool,
and what is connected to them.
As for other nullifiers of ablution,
such as passing gas, touching the private parts,
eating camel meat, or sleeping,
performing istinja' for them is not prescribed;
rather, the standard prescribed ritual ablution (wudu) is sufficient.
The standard prescribed ablution
is what some of the common people call "wiping."
The clear or whitish fluid that comes out after urination
is prostatic fluid (madhy) or wady,
both of which carry the same ruling as urine
and require cleansing (istinja').
That which exits due to sexual desire,
when it is aroused—
this is prostatic fluid (madhy), along with which the penis must be washed,
as well as both testicles together,
as established in the Sunnah.
There is no harm in urinating while standing,
especially when there is a need for it,
provided the place is screened from view,
so that no one sees the private parts of the person urinating,
and no splashes of urine reach him.
However, it is preferable to urinate sitting down,
as this was the general practice of the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
It is not permissible to face the Qiblah
or turn one's back to it while relieving oneself
through urination or defecation,
if one is out in the open desert.
As for inside built structures,
there is no harm in that.
What is better for the believer
is to avoid facing the Qiblah,
whether in the open desert or inside a building,
and to avoid turning his back to it.
However, inside buildings it is lighter and more permissible,
especially when avoiding it is difficult
due to the presence of many toilets directed toward the Qiblah.
If only urine exits from him,
it is sufficient for him to wash the tip of the penis to remove the urine,
and it is not prescribed for him to wash the anus
if nothing has exited from it.
Dry cleansing (istijmar) is permissible
using anything that achieves
the removal of impurity from clean, pure materials,
such as pebbles, dried clay bricks,
coarse, pure tissues,
and pure papers that do not contain
any remembrance of Allah or His names,
or other things that accomplish the intended purpose—
except for bones and animal dung.
Dry cleansing (istijmar) is sufficient,
and ritual purity is attained by it,
if one performs istijmar three or more times
and cleanses the area thoroughly,
as established in authentic hadiths
from the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
even if water is available.
Afterwards, he must perform ablution with water.
Cleansing (istinja' or istijmar) is not valid
using fewer than three stones.
If three stones do not cleanse the area, it is obligatory
for the person to add a fourth or more
until the area is thoroughly cleaned.
A person has the choice between
cleansing with water (istinja'),
dry cleansing with stones and the like (istijmar),
or combining both.
It is not permissible to perform dry cleansing (istijmar) with the right hand.
If one combines dry cleansing (istijmar)
and cleansing with water (istinja'),
that is superior and more complete.
It is permissible to cleanse with water (istinja')
and then perform dry ablution (tayammum).
However, if it is easy to perform dry cleansing (istijmar)—
if soil or dried clay is available to him—
he should perform istijmar and reserve the water for ablution,
as this would be preferable,
provided he knows how to perform dry cleansing properly.
The hadith: "When one of you urinates,
let him flick his penis three times,"
was reported by Ibn Majah
with a weak chain of transmission,
as stated by Al-Hafiz in *Bulugh al-Maram*.
I say:
It was also recorded by Ahmad,
and it is weak as Al-Hafiz stated,
because 'Isa and his father are unknown narrators,
as noted by Ibn Ma'in
and affirmed by Al-Hafiz in *Taqrib al-Tahdhib*.
Among the indications of its weakness
is that this action causes obsessive doubts (waswasah)
and leads to urinary incontinence;
therefore, it is obligatory to abandon it.
The Juristical Choices.