Sunnats and Aadaab of Relieving Oneself – Part 4

1. Exit the toilet with the right foot and thank Allah Ta’ala for allowing the waste to leave your body and for blessing you with good health. The manner of thanking Allah Ta’ala is to recite the following dua upon leaving the toilet after relieving yourself:

غُفْرَانَكَ اَلْحَمْدُ لِلّٰهِ الَّذِيْ أَذْهَبَ عَنِّيْ الْأَذٰى وَعَافَانِيْ

O Allah Ta’ala, I seek Your forgiveness. All praise is due to Allah Ta’ala who has removed from me impurity and filth (that would have been harmful if it remained in my body) and granted me relief and ease.

One may also recite the following duas:

اَلْحَمْدُ لِلّٰهِ الَّذِيْ أَذْهَبَ عَنِّيْ مَا يُؤْذِيْنِيْ وَأَمْسَكَ عَلَيَّ مَا يَنْفَعُنِيْ

All praise is due to Allah Ta’ala who has removed from me that which harms me and kept within me that which benefits me.

اَلْحَمْدُ لِلّٰهِ الَّذِيْ أَذَاقَنِيْ لَذَّتَهُ وَأَبْقٰى فِيَّ قُوَّتَهُ وَأَذْهَبَ عَنِّيْ أَذَاهُ

All praise is due to Allah Ta’ala who allowed me to enjoy the taste (of the food), and retained within me its nourishment (and energy), and removed from me its harm (i.e. the harm of the food after it was transformed into waste).

2. After relieving yourself, wait for the remaining droplets of urine to come out before making wudhu.
3. When using the toilet, do not leave it in a dirty condition e.g. by messing around the pan or on the floor, by not flushing, etc. If you are using a toilet that is shared with other people then you should be extra particular in this regard so that inconvenience is not caused to them.
4. After relieving yourself, clean your hands by rubbing them on sand or through using soap to remove any bad odour.

عن أبي هريرة رضي الله عنه قال كان النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم إذا أتى الخلاء أتيته بماء في تور أو ركوة فاستنجى ثم مسح يده على الأرض ثم أتيته بإناء آخر فتوضأ (سنن أبي داود، الرقم: 45)

Hazrat Abu Hurairah (radhiyallahu anhu) reports, “When Rasulullah (sallallahu alaihi wasallam) would go to relieve himself, I would present water in a utensil to him (for making istinjaa). After he made istinjaa, he would rub his mubaarak hand on the ground (though there was no bad odour emanating from the mubaarak hand of Rasulullah (sallallahu alaihi wasallam), he did this to teach the Ummah how they should remove the bad odour from their hands after relieving themselves). I would then bring another utensil of water to him from which he would make wudhu.”

5. If a person is terminally ill or hospitalised and is unable to go to the toilet, it will be permissible for him to pass urine in a bottle. The urine should thereafter be disposed of.

عن حكيمة بنت أميمة بنت رقيقة عن أمها رضي الله عنها أنها قالت كان للنبي صلى الله عليه وسلم قدح من عيدان تحت سريره يبول فيه بالليل (سنن أبي داود، الرقم: 24)

Hazrat Hukaimah bintu Umaimah (rahimahumullah) reports that her mother, Hazrat Umaimah bintu Ruqaiqah (radhiyallahu anha), said, “Rasulullah (sallallahu alaihi wasallam) had a wooden utensil kept beneath his bed (while he was ill) in which he would pass water during the night.”