Chapter: The Etiquette of Relieving Oneself

Introduction

The verb adabtu-hu adaban means: “I disciplined him, training his soul and instilling virtuous conduct.”

Abū Zayd al-Anṣārī said, “Adab applies to every praiseworthy form of self-training through which a person acquires a particular virtue.”

The plural of adab is ādāb, just as sabab becomes asbāb.

The phrase qaḍāʾ al-ḥājah (relieving one’s need) is a polite circumlocution for matters that are unbecoming to state explicitly.

The etiquette of relieving oneself includes a set of words and actions that a Muslim is encouraged to observe: distancing oneself from people, shielding oneself from their view, selecting a secure spot where one is safe from splashing urine, reciting the prescribed remembrance when entering and when leaving the lavatory, adopting the correct sitting posture, preparing the means of purification—such as stones and the like, along with water—avoiding cleansing with impure substances, with bones, or with items that are forbidden, keeping away from places where people gather, from their public paths, and from beneath fruit-bearing trees, neither facing nor turning one’s back to the qiblah, remaining silent during the act, waiting until what must exit has finished, cleansing oneself thoroughly, guarding against any impurity touching one’s person or clothes, and other manners detailed in this chapter. The noble Sharia has truly taught us everything and has guided the Muslims in all their actions and dealings. All praise is due to Allah.