Is Performing Wudu in the Bathroom Disliked? [Shafi’i]
Shafi'i Fiqh
Answered by Shaykh Shuaib Ally
Question: Assalam alaikum,
In my parents home we have two bathrooms. One of these has a British toilet and the other has both a British and Pakistani style toilet.
Some of my family members have stated that it is disliked to do wudu in the bathroom in this scenario.
Is there any validity to this opinion?
Answer: Assalāmu ʿalaykum,
I pray that you are well.
It has been considered disliked to perform wudu in the same place that one relieves themselves because it is recommended to start the wudu with the name of Allah, which itself is disliked in a place where filth remains. To fulfil this aspect of the wudu, it has been considered better to perform it in another place.
Another possible reason is that if one makes wudu in the place they have relieved themselves, there is the possibility that water will splash and cause impurities to land on their body or clothes.
However, in many modern bathrooms, one’s bodily waste does not remain, but is flushed away. Moreover, bathrooms are themselves often held up to high standards of hygiene, and one is not performing wudu in precisely the same place where they have relieved themselves. In such scenarios, there is no dislike in performing the wudu there or reciting the basmalah aloud.
wassalam,
Shuaib Ally
