How Should I Clean Myself After Urinating?

Answered by Shaykh Abdul-Rahim Reasat

Question: Assalamu alaykum

When doing istinja after urination, is it sufficient to wipe the urine with the toilet paper and then pour water over the tip of the penis? Or must ? rub the penis tip while washing it? If I do not use toilet paper, is simply pouring over the tip acceptable in this case or must rubbing be done as well?

Answer: Wa ‘alaykum as-salam wa rahmatullah wa barakatuh

Thank you for your question.

After urinating one should take steps to prevent excess urine from leaking after one has finished, The means of attaining this vary from person to person. If simply pouring water suffices then that is fine, and if one needs to gentle squeeze, use toilet paper, gently cough etc, then all these are acceptable too( Shurunbulali, Maraqi al-Falah).

From Purification to Gratitude

The basis of matters of purification is ease, so it opens one’s heart up to gratitude to Allah. We are told in sura al-Maʾida that ‘Allah does not wish to place any hardship on you; rather He wants to purify you and complete His favour on you so that you may prove thankful’ (5:6). Simply reflecting on the blessing of a toilet which flushes away and disposes the waste should lead us to much gratitude.

May Allah bless you with the best of both worlds.

Wassalam,
[Shaykh] Abdul-Rahim Reasat

Shaykh Abdul-Rahim Reasat began his studies in Arabic Grammar and Morphology in 2005. After graduating with a degree in English and History he moved to Damascus in 2007 to study and sit at the feet of some of the most erudite scholars of our time.

Over the following eighteen months he studied a traditional curriculum, studying with scholars such as Shaykh Adnan Darwish, Shaykh Abdurrahman Arjan, Shaykh Hussain Darwish and Shaykh Muhammad Darwish.

In late 2008 he moved to Amman, Jordan, where he continued his studies for the next six years, in Fiqh, Usul al-Fiqh, Theology, Hadith Methodology and Commentary, Shama’il, and Logic with teachers such as Dr Ashraf Muneeb, Dr Salah Abu’l-Hajj, Dr Hamza al-Bakri, Shaykh Ahmad Hasanat, Dr Mansur Abu Zina amongst others. He was also given two licences of mastery in the science of Qur’anic recital by Shakh Samir Jabr and Shaykh Yahya Qandil.

His true passion, however, arose in the presence of Shaykh Ali Hani, considered by many to be one of the foremost tafsir scholars of our time who provided him with the keys to the vast knowledge of the Quran. With Shaykh Ali, he was able to study an extensive curriculum of Qur’anic Sciences, Tafsir, Arabic Grammar, and Rhetoric.

When he finally left Jordan for the UK in 2014, Shaykh Ali gave him his distinct blessing and still recommends students in the UK to seek out Shaykh Abdul-Rahim for Quranic studies. Since his return he has trained as a therapist and has helped a number of people overcome emotional and psychosomatic issues. He is a keen promoter of emotional and mental health.