Restroom Etiquettes and Disliked Acts

Read the bilingual lesson for Restroom Etiquettes and Disliked Acts and test your understanding with a focused quiz.

Lesson

1. Entering the Restroom

وَيَدْخُلُ الْخَلَاءَ بِرِجْلِهِ الْيُسْرَى، وَيَسْتَعِيذُ بِاللَّهِ مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ الرَّجِيمِ قَبْلَ دُخُولِهِ

• Enter with the left foot.
• Seek Allah's protection from Satan before entering.
• The remembrance is done before entering, not after one is already inside.

2. Sitting and Avoiding Unnecessary Speech

وَيَجْلِسُ مُعْتَمِدًا عَلَى يَسَارِهِ، وَلَا يَتَكَلَّمُ إِلَّا لِضَرُورَةٍ

• Sit while leaning the body's weight toward the left side.
• Avoid ordinary conversation while relieving oneself, except for a genuine necessity.

3. Facing or Turning the Back to the Qiblah

وَيُكْرَهُ تَحْرِيمًا اسْتِقْبَالُ الْقِبْلَةِ وَاسْتِدْبَارُهَا وَلَوْ فِي الْبُنْيَانِ

• Facing the Qiblah or turning one's back directly toward it while relieving oneself is Makruh Tahrimi.
• The text applies this even inside a building.

4. Sun, Moon, and Wind Direction

وَيُكْرَهُ اسْتِقْبَالُ عَيْنِ الشَّمْسِ وَالْقَمَرِ وَمَهَبِّ الرِّيحِ

• The text lists directly facing the visible sun, the moon, and the direction from which the wind is blowing among the disliked orientations.
• The wind rule helps avoid impurity being blown back onto the body or clothing.

5. Places to Avoid

وَيُكْرَهُ أَنْ يَبُولَ أَوْ يَتَغَوَّطَ فِي الْمَاءِ، وَالظِّلِّ، وَالْجُحْرِ، وَالطَّرِيقِ، وَتَحْتَ شَجَرَةٍ مُثْمِرَةٍ

Avoid relieving oneself in water, a useful shaded place, a hole, a public path, or beneath a fruit-bearing tree.

6. Standing Urination and Leaving

وَالْبَوْلُ قَائِمًا إِلَّا مِنْ عُذْرٍ، وَيَخْرُجُ مِنَ الْخَلَاءِ بِرِجْلِهِ الْيُمْنَى، ثُمَّ يَقُولُ: الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ الَّذِي أَذْهَبَ عَنِّي الْأَذَى وَعَافَانِي

• Standing urination is disliked without an excuse.
• Exit with the right foot.
• After leaving, recite the supplication stated above.

Practice questions

Question 1

What is the ruling in the Hanafi school regarding facing or turning one's back to the Qiblah while inside a closed restroom building?

It is completely permissible because there are walls separating the person from the Ka'bah.
It is Makruh Tahrimi (prohibitively disliked), just like in an open desert.
It is highly recommended.
It is only disliked for women, not for men.

Question 2

When entering the restroom, a worshipper must step in with their right foot first.

Question 3

Why is it disliked to urinate in the direction of the wind (Mahabb al-Rīh)?

Because the wind carries the smell of urine to other places.
Because the wind pressure blows the urine droplets back onto the body and clothes.
Because it makes the wind dusty.
Because the sun will not be visible.

Question 4

Standing urination without an excuse is listed as disliked in the text.

Question 5

Which of the following is NOT one of the disliked locations for urinating listed in the text?

Stagnant water
Paths walked by people
Under a fruitful tree
Inside a private bathroom stall

Question 6

Speaking or talking while relieving oneself is disliked unless done out of necessity or to warn of danger.

Question 7

Match the restroom actions with their correct Sunnah or disliked rulings:

Question 8

Which supplication is stated here for after leaving the restroom?

الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ الَّذِي أَذْهَبَ عَنِّي الْأَذَى وَعَافَانِي
الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ عَلَى كُلِّ حَالٍ
رَبِّ زِدْنِي عِلْمًا
سُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ وَبِحَمْدِهِ

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