Where Should You Never Relieve Yourself?
Etiquette of Relieving Oneself: Islamic Rules on Avoiding Harm to Others
Summary
This lecture discusses Islamic rulings on proper etiquette when relieving oneself, specifically from the book of purification in Islamic jurisprudence. Sh. Ali Mashhour explains a hadith from Sahih Muslim prohibiting relieving oneself in places frequented by people, such as paths and shaded areas. The core principle is broader than these specific examples: one should not relieve oneself in any location that causes harm or annoyance to others, whether through contact, smell, or sight. Sh. Ali Mashhour elaborates on how Islamic scholars have extrapolated from this narration to cover various scenarios and emphasizes that this prohibition is based on the principle of avoiding harm and annoyance to other people.
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Continuing in the book of purification, the chapter regarding endeavors, the etiquets of relieving oneself and the etiquets of the area or place which we would call the restroom. of relieving oneself. He says, "And it is impermissible for an individual to relieve himself either in a path that is used or under people's shade." In people's shade. What does this mean? Meaning where people go to sit. There's a tree there. They go to sit down. There's shade there. Person uses the restroom there. Or a place where people walk. Person uses the restroom there. Relieves himself in the path or in a place where people sit. Now the author mentions these two things. the path or the shape of people. But that is because the author's methodology in writing this book is to stick to exactly what the narration usually says exactly. But if we were to extrapolate the true extent of this narration that we are about to read, is it only in these two places? Meaning in a place where people seek shade or in a place where people used to walk. What about say a place where people seek warmth a bus a bus stop right in in in cold places or let's say a place where people seek comfort a park bench or let's say all of this is intended. What's intended is relieving oneself in a place that harms other people. This is what's intended by the narration. And the two most common places that will harm people is either in a path that is used by people or in sh in shade that is used by people place where people sit. Right? This is the true spirit of the narration. So whilst the prophet sallall.aii wasallam does mention the path and the shade the true spirit of the narration is much more broad than that.
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Muslim.
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He says, that the prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam said, "Beware of the two oursed acts or the two oursed places, the two things that will garner the curse of Allah." So they said, "Oh messenger of Allah," they companions, they said, "Oh messenger of Allah, and what are the two accursed acts?" He said, "The one who relieves himself in a people's path or in their shade." Meaning he relieves himself in a path that they use or in the place where they seek shade under a nice tree. See a place where people usually sit. I think this is common as human beings. We have canopies. We have things that we create in order to give us shade or a nice opportune tree that we might sit under a place where people will commonly go to relieve themselves. The scholars of Phil have extrapolated from this narration that it is not permissible to relieve oneself under a tree that bears fruit even if people don't use it for shade or to relieve oneself under a tree that is used for some utility etc. Why? because this will inadvertently harm other people. And it's called the two occursed places because when a person walks by and steps in something, they will say, right? And so a person garers the curse and the dua of other people upon himself. Hence the point is is that it is not permissible for a person to relieve himself in any place that will harm other people whether by touch, by smell, by sight. Because al is not just that which harms. No, al is that which annoys. This is referred to as we know the narration of the prophet Muslim. Right. That one of the branches of faith is removing the annoyance from the path. The ever is an annoyance. And so it's not that which harms, it is that which annoys. And an annoyance can be what? Smell, sight, touch. you know something that is an eyesore. This is considered to be what? Ana. So when a person relieves himself, if they relieve themsel at the expense of others at the expense of others harm or at the expense of others annoyance, this is considered to be a this is considered to be one of the prohibitions in the etiquets of relieving oneself. cover.
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Alhamdulillah.