Is It Enough to Wipe Urine in Order to Perform a Valid Wudu and Pray?
Hanafi Fiqh
Answered by Ustadh Sufyan Qufi
Question
Sometimes when I want to perform Wudu, I go to the toilet, see if there are any apparent urine drops on the tip of my penis, and then simply wipe them away with toilet paper before performing Wudu. Was I supposed to wash my private parts with water again?
I’m worried about the validity of my Wudu and previous prayers.
Answer
In the name of Allah, Most Compassionate, Most Merciful,
I pray this finds you in the best of states.
Your wudu and prayer are valid because you have ensured that no urine was manifest at the tip of the organ and because you carry an excessive amount of filth on your body. [Shurunbulali, Nur al-Idah]
Nonetheless, the way you are dealing with this issue is far from following the Sunna because it is not proper for you to be used to have urine leaking throughout the day and because you didn’t use water to remove the filth from your body before prayer. Not doing so is disliked when the filth is in small quantity, i.e., when it does not reach the surface of a circle of 5 cm in diameter. [Ibid]
Istibra
In order for a man to perform a valid wudu, it is obligatory for him to remove any traces of urine from the tip of his organ while being confident that no leakage will come back.
This can be achieved in multiple ways. Coughing, walking a little, and pressing gently are all reasonable ways to achieve this goal. To each person his own.
When this is done, istibra is completed by washing the private part with water to remove filth over it. At this point, one can start to perform wudu. This is what is meant by istibra. [Shurunbulali, Maraqi al-Falah; ‘Ala al-Din ‘Abidin, al-Hadiyya al-‘Ala’iyya]
After Using the Toilet: Balance
Once you have rid yourself of remaining urine (istibra)—without exaggeration or excessive examination—you assume no further urine will be coming out. [Tahtawi/Shurunbulali, Hashiyat Maraqi al-Falah]
If you have doubts after this, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) instructed us to sprinkle a little water in one’s undergarments. After this, any sensation or doubt is ignored. [ِAbu Dawud; others] This sprinkling is established from his own practice. [Abu Dawud]
Note that it is not from the sunna to check and investigate. Rather, one assumes validity and soundness and ignores doubts and possibilities. [Nablusi, Nihaya al-Murad Sharh Hadiyya Ibn Imad; Birgivi, al-Tariqa al-Muhammadiyya]
And Allah knows best.
Wassalam
[Ustadh] Sufyan Qufi
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
Ustadh Sufyan Qufi is an advanced seeker of knowledge, originally from Algeria, who grew up in France. He began searching far and wide for answers to the fundamental questions of life and was disappointed at the answers he found. Then he connected with various traditional teachers and gradually connected with SeekersGuidance. He embarked on his journey of learning through the various teachers at SeekersGuidance, including his mentor Shaykh Faraz Rabbani. He studied numerous texts in Islamic Law, Theology, Hadith, and other areas with Shaykh Faraz Rabbani and other teachers, including Shaykh Abdurrahman al-Sha‘ar, Shaykh Ali Hani, and others. He is an active instructor at SeekersGuidance and answers questions through the SeekersGuidance Answers Service.
