Is It Permissible to Enter the Bathroom with Items Bearing Allah’s Name?
Answered by Shaykh Muhammad Fayez Awad
Question
Is it permissible to enter the bathroom while carrying something with the name of Allah written on it?
Answer
Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and peace and blessings be upon His noble messenger, his family, and all his companions.
The majority of scholars express disfavor (Makruh) towards entering the bathroom, a place for relieving oneself, with anything that bears the remembrance of Allah or anything from the Quran. This view is shared by the Hanafi, Shafi‘i, and Maliki schools: if the items are not covered, it is disliked. However, if they are covered, the disfavor is removed.
It is disliked to carry something written with Quranic verses or the name of Allah (Most High), the name of a prophet, or anything held in high esteem while relieving oneself. [Ansari, Asna al-Matalib]
This is because the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) used to remove his ring when entering the lavatory. [Hakim, Abu Dawud, Tirmidhi]
‘Abd al-Razzaq reported in Musannaf from Ikrima: Ibn Abbas would hand me his ring when he entered the lavatory.
It is known that the engraving on the Prophet’s ring (Allah bless him and give him peace) was “Muhammad, Messenger of Allah.” [Bukhari, Ibn Hibban, Tirmidhi, Tabarani]
A remedy for this is to cover the name of Allah, as narrated by Ibn Abi Shayba from Ikrima, who said: When a man enters the lavatory with a ring bearing the remembrance of Allah (Most High), he should turn the ring towards the palm of his hand and then clench it with his finger. [Ibn Abi Shayba]
Therefore, out of caution to avoid what is prohibited, it is advisable for those relieving themselves and entering places for such purposes to set aside anything bearing the name of Allah, be it a Quran, a book, or anything generally inscribed with the name of Allah.
May Allah make us among those who hold His symbols in high esteem and preserve them; indeed, He is Hearing, Responsive.
[Shaykh] Dr. Muhammad Fayez Awad.
Shaykh Dr. Muhammad Fayez Awad, born in Damascus, Syria, in 1965, pursued his Islamic studies in the mosques and institutes of Damascus. A graduate of the Islamic University of Medina in 1985, he holds a Ph.D. in Islamic Studies from Bahauddin Zakariya University in Pakistan.
He has extensive experience developing curricula and enhancing the teaching of various academic courses, including conducting intensive courses. Shaykh Awad has taught Fiqh, Usul al-Fiqh, Quranic sciences, the history of legislation, inheritance laws, and more at several institutes and universities such as Al-Furqan Institute for Islamic Sciences and Majma‘ al-Fath al-Islami in Damascus.
He is a lecturer at the Sultan Muhammad al-Fatih Waqf University in Istanbul, teaching various Arabic and Islamic subjects, and teaches at numerous Islamic institutes in Istanbul. Shaykh Awad is a member of the Association of Syrian Scholars, a founding member of the Zayd bin Thabit Foundation, a member of the Syrian Scholars Association, and a member of the Academic Council at the Iman Center for Teaching the Sunna and Quran.
Among his teachers from whom he received Ijazat are his father, Shaykh Muhammad Muhiyiddin Awad, Shaykh Muhiyiddin al-Kurdi, Shaykh Muhammad Karim Rajih, Shaykh Usama al-Rifai, Shaykh Ayman Suwaid, Shaykh Ahmad al-Qalash, Shaykh Muhammad Awwama, and Shaykh Mamduh Junayd.
