a man from using his right hand for istinjāʾ, because the right hand is the seat of honor: one eats with it and drinks with it, and therefore it should be kept away from all impurities. Everything repulsive is to be dealt with by the left hand, whereas the right is reserved for whatever carries a sense of honor—or, at the very least, involves no dishonor. In short, the left is for removing filth, and the right for everything else.

Be aware that when wrist-watches first appeared, people took to wearing them on the left hand so that the right would remain free, unhampered by a watch that might cause discomfort during movement. The right hand moves more than the left and is used more often, so placing the watch on the left is easier. In addition, because most work is done with the right hand, a watch worn there is more likely to be damaged; for that reason they put it on the left.

Some people imagine that wearing the watch on the right is superior, arguing from the general principle of giving precedence to the right side. This notion, however, is baseless. Authentic reports show that the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—sometimes wore his signet ring on his right hand and sometimes on his left, and it may in fact have been better for him to wear it on the left so that he could remove it easily with his right hand.