Fri 16 جمادى الأولى 1447 (07 Nov 2025)
In drying the trace of urine
Mufti:
The honorable scholar Muhammad bin Abdullah Awad Al-Muayyadi
Fatwa number: 14011
Number of views: 16
In drying the trace of urine
Fatwa number: 14011
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Question: Is there a basis for the practice of people today of drying off urine in regular bathrooms, in a narration from the Prophet (peace be upon him) or from one of the Imams of the Household of the Prophet (peace be upon him)? Or is it a bad habit? Is it sufficient for a person to wipe his penis with dirt in the bathroom until the trace of urine is removed, and is the wetness that comes out after standing up excused? If it is not excused, then why does a person not need to go to such an effort in the bathroom, even though it is possible that what comes out after standing up from the regular bathroom will come back to him, but the water does not allow the person to see the wetness because the organ is not dry? What is meant by the report that the Companions used to sprinkle water on their clothes after urinating, or what does that mean? How did scholars determine that urine is a major impurity and a small amount is not excused? Although what comes out of excessive wiping in the bathroom, which occurs seconds after standing up, may be natural for every human being and something that can only be avoided by taking the trouble to hold the penis, which was not reported from the Prophet (peace be upon him) or any of the Imams, can we rule that it is a necessity, like urinary incontinence or a woman suffering from istihadah? What is most appropriate with the ease of Islam and its teachings?
Answer: - The habit people are accustomed to of holding their penis in their left hand, accompanied by a tampon or a stone when leaving the place of relieving themselves. There is no report of this from the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, nor from any of the righteous predecessors.
It is an undesirable habit, because it is possible for the urine to dry up while the person is sitting while relieving himself. If his urine dries up, it will come out without the need to hold his penis.
-Know that no amount of urine is excused, and it is the duty of the person performing the ritual ablution to investigate thoroughly and stop the urine.
The Sunnah has mentioned this in many authentic hadiths.
Al-Hadi said: Water stops urine, meaning that if a man urinates and then washes his private parts with water, the urine will stop coming out completely. Therefore, drying urine cannot be compared to washing it, because washing it stops its effect and prevents it from coming out, while drying it does not prevent it from coming out.
If a man performs ablution and wants to stop the obsessive thoughts, and sprinkles a handful of water between his legs, the obsessive thoughts will stop. This is because it is not possible for a man to know that any urine has come out of him due to the great wetness. The basic principle is that no urine has come out, and this principle cannot be broken except with certainty, and certainty is not possible with a great deal of wetness between the legs.
Scholars, despite their different schools of thought, agree that urine and feces are among the most serious impurities that cannot be excused. They agreed that the ruling on their impurity is definitive.
The Sunnah commands that one should wipe three times, which is: that after finishing urinating, the man should place his private parts between his middle fingers and thumb, then wipe with his middle finger from the lower part of his private parts, then continue wiping to the upper part of his private parts, then continue wiping the inside of his private parts until he reaches the head of his private parts. This wiping should be accompanied by strong squeezing. The urinator should do this three times.
“The person performing the ritual ablution can ensure that nothing comes out of him after leaving the bathroom, by thoroughly extracting the rest of the urine by wiping it first, then wiping it three times or more. If a small amount comes out of him after leaving the bathroom, then this indicates that he did not thoroughly extract the rest of the urine, and I have experienced this myself.”
If a man urinates extensively as we have mentioned and does as much as he can in urinating, then it comes out after he leaves the bathroom, if it is something that does not stop throughout the time of prayer, then it is urinary incontinence and he is treated according to its rulings. If it stops, then the worshipper must wash it from his body and his clothing, because it is known that purity is a condition for prayer: purity of the body, clothing and place.
Source: The Fruits of Knowledge and Wisdom: Fatwas and Benefits (1/44)