to relieve himself to keep out of sight—either by going some distance away, by closing the door of the place where he relieves himself, or by setting up something that screens him from people.

3 – The ḥadīth also shows that the Prophet ﷺ would perform this in the open and not inside houses, for a short spear and a small water-skin are generally needed only when one is out in the wilderness.

4 – It is permissible to limit oneself to water alone for istinjāʾ.

5 – Istinjāʾ has three levels:
(a) The best is to combine stones and water, using the stones—or anything that serves the same purpose—first and then following with water, so that cleansing and purification are complete. Al-Nawawī said: “The position held by the vast majority of the early and later scholars, and unanimously adopted by the jurists of the major centres, is that it is preferable to combine water and stones: one begins with a stone so that the impurity is lightened and the hand contacts less of it, and then follows with water. If one chooses to use only one of the two, that is permissible, whether or not the other is available; and if he does so, water is superior to stone.”
(b) Next in virtue is to rely on water alone without stones.
(c) The third level is to rely on stones or the like alone. This is sufficient, though the first two are superior.

6 – A Muslim should prepare the means of purification before relieving himself, so that he is not forced to rise again and risk soiling himself with impurity.

7 – Some scholars disliked limiting istinjāʾ to water, arguing that it entails touching impurity. This view, however, is weak and its reasoning unsound, for the following reasons:
First: it contradicts and opposes this authentic ḥadīth.