“No prayer should be performed when food is served or when one is resisting the urge to urinate or defecate.” (Sahih Muslim 560)

By Abdullahi Yusuf

In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful. All perfect praise is due to Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, the Lord of the Worlds. We bear witness that there is none worthy of worship but Allah, and Muhammad (pbuh), is His slave and final Messenger.

Introduction
“Taharah” means purity. “Najasa” means impurity. “Istinja” is the act of cleansing oneself after using the toilet. These are not minor issues in Islam, they are the foundation of worship. Without purity, there is no valid salah. Yet today, many neglect them: urinating while standing, letting urine splash on their clothes, skipping proper cleaning, and praying in a state that is spiritually unacceptable. The Prophet (peace be upon him) warned us clearly, this negligence can lead to punishment in the grave. This episode is a wake-up call.

The Prophet (pbuh) the model of cleanliness and spiritual discipline once passed by two graves and said, “They are being punished, but not for something that was difficult to avoid. One of them used not to shield himself from urine.” (Sahih al-Bukhari 218, Sahih Muslim 292)

This alone should stir the soul. As a Muslim, if not circumstantial why should you stand why relieving yourself? The seemingly harmless act of urinating carelessly, especially while standing without checking for splashes or stains, can leave traces of impurity on one’s clothes, which then invalidates their prayer. The Prophet mostly sat to urinate.

Aisha (RA) said: “Whoever says that the Prophet used to urinate standing, do not believe him. He always used to urinate sitting.” (Sunan al-Tirmidhi 12, graded Hasan; Musnad Ahmad 24701; Ibn Majah 308)

But there’s another form of neglect we often ignore: praying while holding in urine or stool, just to “meet the prayer time.” This too, is warned against. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “No prayer should be performed when food is served or when one is resisting the urge to urinate or defecate.” (Sahih Muslim 560)

Why? Because such a prayer lacks focus and humility (khushū’). Even if technically valid, it is spiritually weak or in some opinions, not accepted at all. It is better to purify oneself fully, then stand before Allah with a clean body and a present heart.

On Istinja and Purification

Istinja (cleaning oneself after relieving) is a clear command in the Sunnah. The Prophet (pbuh) instructed the use of water or three stones (or anything pure) to clean oneself after using the toilet. Neglecting this is not just unhygienic, it makes one’s salah invalid if impurities remain on the body or clothes.

Furthermore, purity is a condition for prayer to be accepted. The Prophet (pbuh) said: “Allah does not accept the prayer of anyone who becomes impure until he performs wudu (ablution).” (Sahih al-Bukhari)

So imagine standing in salah, reciting Qur’an, raising your hands before Allah while impurity remains on your garment or body because of carelessness. How many prayers are nullified due to this neglect?

Islam is a religion of both inward and outward purity. We are called to stand before Allah in a state of both physical cleanliness and spiritual humility. Let’s return to the forgotten etiquettes of cleanliness, starting from the bathroom and remember that even the smallest acts, like protecting ourselves from urine, are deeply spiritual.

And Allah knows best.