Istinja (cleaning yourself after the toilet) is one of the first things the Prophet ﷺ taught his Companions about cleanliness. Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) said that when the Prophet ﷺ went to relieve himself, he and another boy would carry a container of water for him (Sahih al-Bukhari, 150; Sahih Muslim, 271). In the Hanafi school istinja is a strongly recommended practice (stressed sunnah). It becomes obligatory when the dirt spreads beyond the exit by more than the hollow of your palm. Water is the best way, and you use your left hand.
What is istinja, and is it required?
Istinja means removing urine or stool from the private parts after you have relieved yourself. You can use water, or a dry clean material such as tissue, a stone or a cloth (this dry way is called istijmar). Allah praises people who keep themselves clean: "Allah loves those who purify themselves" (Surah At-Tawbah, 9:108). Many commentators say this verse was revealed about the people of Quba, who used water after stones.
- Strongly recommended. If the dirt stays at the exit, istinja is a stressed sunnah. Leaving it without a reason is blameworthy, but the prayer is valid if the spread is less than a palm.
- Obligatory. If the dirt has spread past the exit by more than the hollow of the palm, you must wash it off with water, and tissue alone is not enough.
- Not needed. After passing wind there is no istinja. Only wudu (ablution) is needed.
Water is better than tissue because it removes the dirt completely. Tissue first and then water is best of all.
What should you do before you enter the toilet?
- Take off anything with Allah's name or Qur'an on it, such as a ring, a pendant or a small booklet. If you cannot, keep it covered in a pocket. Carrying it uncovered is disliked.
- Enter with the left foot. On leaving, step out with the right foot.
- Say the dua before you enter, or as you start in an open place: "Bismillah. Allahumma inni a'udhu bika minal-khubuthi wal-khaba'ith", meaning "In the name of Allah. O Allah, I seek refuge in You from the male and female evil ones" (Sahih al-Bukhari, 142; Sahih Muslim, 375).
- Have your water and tissue ready before you start.
What are the manners inside the toilet or in an open place?
- Do not face the qiblah (the direction of prayer) or turn your back to it. The Prophet ﷺ said that when you relieve yourself, do not face the qiblah or turn your back to it (Sahih al-Bukhari, 144; Sahih Muslim, 264). In the Hanafi school this is strongly disliked even inside a building. Turn the seat sideways if it points to the qiblah.
- Sit down if you can. In the Hanafi school it is disliked to urinate standing unless there is a need and you can avoid splashes. A sitting position keeps your clothes clean.
- Do not speak, do not recite the Qur'an and do not remember Allah aloud (dhikr). If you sneeze, say "Alhamdulillah" in your heart.
- Do not hold your private part, or clean yourself, with the right hand. The Prophet ﷺ forbade this (Sahih Muslim, 267). Use the left hand.
- Do not relieve yourself in a path people use, in shade where people sit, in still water, under a fruit tree, or in a hole. The Prophet ﷺ told us to avoid the "two things that bring a curse": relieving in people's path or in their shade (Sahih Muslim, 269), and he forbade urinating in still water (Sahih al-Bukhari, 239; Sahih Muslim, 282).
How do you clean yourself step by step?
- 1. Use tissue first, if you like. The Prophet ﷺ said that whoever uses stones should use an odd number (Sahih al-Bukhari, 162; Sahih Muslim, 237). In the Hanafi school the count is not a condition.
- 2. Pour water with the right hand and clean with the left. Pour water over the place and rub it with your left hand until you are sure it is clean.
- 3. Wipe dry with tissue or a clean cloth, so your clothes do not get wet.
- 4. Wash your hands with soap or rub them on clean ground and then wash them.
What not to use. Do not use bones, dung, food, paper with writing or Allah's name on it, or anything that belongs to someone else. Salman al-Farisi (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet ﷺ forbade cleaning with the right hand, with fewer than three stones, or with dung or bone (Sahih Muslim, 262).
Showers, bidets and wet wipes
A bidet, a hand shower, a small jug (lota) and plain wet wipes are all fine, as long as the dirt itself is removed. If you rely on dry tissue only, make sure the dirt has not spread beyond the exit.
What are the exact Hanafi rulings for water, tissue and stones?
- When it applies. Istinja is for anything impure that comes out of the front or back exit: urine, stool, pre-seminal fluid (madhi) and the thick white discharge after urine (wadi). It is not for wind or sleep.
- The exit and the palm size. The "exit" is the opening itself and the skin right around it. If the dirt stays there, istinja is a stressed sunnah. If it spreads past the exit, the books measure the spread against the hollow of your palm (the books use the size of a dirham coin, and for thick matter such as stool the weight of a mithqal, a little over four grams).
- More than a palm. If the spread is bigger than that, washing with water is obligatory. Tissue alone is not enough.
- Less than a palm. Wiping is enough for the prayer to be valid, but water is still better.
- What counts as clean with water. The dirt is gone and your heart is at rest that the place is clean. There is no fixed number of washes.
- What counts as clean with tissue or stones. Wipe until nothing is left to remove. An odd number is better but not a condition. A faint trace that will not wipe off is excused.
- What you may wipe with. Anything clean, dry, solid and not valuable, such as tissue, a stone, a lump of earth or a piece of cloth. Not wet things, bones, dung, food or paper with writing on it.
Which is better, water, tissue or both?
All three ways are accepted when the conditions above are met, but they do not achieve the same thing.
| Way | What it achieves | Is it enough? | Best used |
|---|---|---|---|
| Water only | Removes the dirt completely | Always | At home and wherever water is available |
| Tissue or stone only | Wipes the dirt off, but a faint trace may remain | Yes, if the dirt did not spread by more than a palm | When there is no water, or while travelling |
| Tissue first, then water | Tissue takes off the bulk, water finishes the job | Always | The best way when you have both |
| Dry wipe after washing | Keeps your clothes dry | Not required | Every time |
Because the people of Quba were praised for using water after stones, the scholars say the best way is to wipe first and then wash.
How can you be sure the urine has stopped?
For men especially, a few drops can come after you think you are finished. The Hanafi scholars call the care taken to stop this istibra'. It is needed until you are reasonably sure no more will come.
- Wait a moment after you finish, or walk a few steps, clear your throat lightly, or press gently.
- Do not overdo it. Checking again and again leads to needless doubt (waswasa).
- If a drop comes after wudu (ablution), the wudu is broken. Wash the place and make wudu again. If you often get drops, you may count as someone excused because of a constant medical condition (ma'dhur), and the rules for that are different.
What should you do in everyday situations?
- Public toilets. Check for wet patches before you sit and keep your clothes off the floor. If the seat faces the qiblah and you cannot change it, turn slightly away from it as far as you can.
- Travelling and the outdoors. Go to a private place away from paths, shade and water, on soft ground so nothing splashes. Do not face the qiblah or turn your back to it. Carry a small bottle of water and tissue, or use clean stones or lumps of earth. For prayer and wudu on a journey, see what to do when you travel.
- Hospitals and catheters. Use a commode or bedpan if you cannot reach a toilet, and let a nurse or relative help only as much as you need. A catheter bag is not a problem in itself. Wash your hands after handling it. If urine keeps leaking and does not stop for a whole prayer time, you may count as a person with a constant medical discharge. See the guide for constant urine or bleeding.
- When water is not available. Tissue or a clean stone is enough if the dirt has not spread by more than a palm, so save your little water for wudu. If there is no water for wudu either, read what to do when you cannot find water.
- When you are fasting. Istinja is allowed. Wash the outside only and do not push water or a finger deep inside, as that can break the fast.
- Small children and nappies. The urine and stool of a baby, boy or girl, breastfed or not, are impure in the Hanafi school. Wash your hands after every change. If a leak spreads on your clothes by more than a palm, wash them or change before you pray.
- After a long illness. Clean with water if you can, gently, and check your clothes and bedding for stains. If you cannot change them and nobody can help, pray as you are, in the position you are able to, and do not give up the prayer.
How does istinja differ for brothers and sisters?
The rules are the same. These points matter most for each.
Urinals and standing. Using a urinal is disliked unless the splashes are kept off your clothes, and a divider or space between users is needed so that no one sees your private parts. Where a seat or squat toilet is available, use it.
Splashes. Wipe the tip with tissue before you pull up your trousers. A splash as small as a needle-point is excused, but anything larger must be washed.
Direction of wiping. Wipe and wash from front to back, so that stool or dirt is never carried to the front.
Urine and tissue. After you urinate, blot the area with tissue. A woman does not usually need istibra', but she should wait a moment and make sure she is dry before she stands.
Pads and period. During the period or after childbirth, the same manners apply. Wash and change the pad as needed, and fold the used pad in paper before you put it in a bin. For the rules of the period itself, see our guide on what to do when your period starts.
How do you clean your clothes and body after a splash?
Urine and stool are heavy impurities (najasah). Our guide on impurities in the Hanafi school has the full details.
- Less than a palm. A smaller stain does not stop the prayer, but it is better to wash it off.
- More than a palm. You must wash it off before praying, or the prayer is not valid.
- How to wash. Remove the dirt, pour water over it and rub or squeeze it out. For cloth, wring and rinse until you are sure it is clean. Three rinses with wringing is a safe habit. A faint colour that will not come out is excused.
- The body. Wash the skin until the dirt is gone, without scrubbing it raw, and wash your hands as well.
- If you are not sure. If you only doubt that a splash touched you and saw nothing, do not worry. Clothes are clean unless you know they are impure.
- Wudu. A splash does not break wudu on its own. See what breaks wudu and when you doubt your wudu.
What should you do after you leave?
- Say "Ghufranaka", meaning "I ask for Your forgiveness". Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) reported that the Prophet ﷺ said this on leaving the toilet (Sunan Abi Dawud, 30; Jami' al-Tirmidhi, 7).
- Step out with the right foot, flush, and leave the toilet clean for the next person.
- Wash your hands. You do not need to make wudu again unless you need it for prayer.
If you would like a teacher to go through the rules of cleanliness and prayer with you, see our courses.
Sources
- Sahih al-Bukhari, hadith 150, and Sahih Muslim, hadith 271: Anas carrying water for the Prophet ﷺ.
- Sahih al-Bukhari, hadith 142, and Sahih Muslim, hadith 375: the dua before entering the toilet.
- Sahih al-Bukhari, hadith 144, and Sahih Muslim, hadith 264: not facing the qiblah or turning one's back to it.
- Sahih Muslim, hadith 262 (Salman al-Farisi), hadith 267 (the right hand) and hadith 269 (the two things that bring a curse).
- Sahih al-Bukhari, hadith 162, and Sahih Muslim, hadith 237: using an odd number of stones. Sahih al-Bukhari, hadith 239, and Sahih Muslim, hadith 282: still water.
- Sunan Abi Dawud, hadith 30, and Jami' al-Tirmidhi, hadith 7: "Ghufranaka".
- Mukhtasar al-Quduri and al-Hidayah, Kitab al-Taharah: chapter on istinja.
- Maraqi al-Falah, Kitab al-Taharah: the measure of the palm and the rules of wiping and washing.
- Qur'an, Surah At-Tawbah 9:108.
- Ibn 'Abidin, Radd al-Muhtar, Kitab al-Taharah, Bab al-Istinja; Bahishti Zewar, Part 1.