What Should I Do After Finding Mucus Upon Urinating?

Answered by Ustadh Sufyan Qufi

Question

When upon waking and then going to the toilet and urinating, and finding yellow secretions after wiping, can that just be related to urine instead of mani? Is it safe to assume it is urine? bare in mind, nothing, no wetness is seen on any garments, nor any dream of such nature. I also suffer from really extreme waswasa upon this. JazakAllah Khair.

Answer

In the name of Allah, the Most Compassionate, Most Merciful,

I pray this finds you in the best of states.

Mucus or secretion found right after urinating is Islamically called “wadi.”

There is consensus amongst Hanafi scholars that someone finding “wadi” doesn’t need to perform a ritual bath (ghusl) for the validity of his prayer. [Shurunbulali, Maraqi al-Falah]

Medical Perspective

This mucus is naturally created by the urethra and bladder. It is typically thin, fluid, and transparent, or it may be cloudy white. While these colors usually represent normal discharge, yellowish mucus can signal a health problem.

Thus, you may want to seek medical treatment.

Ritual Bath

In any case, not all discharges found upon waking up entail a ritual bath to be performed when it comes to women. [Ibn ‘Abidin, Radd al-Muhtar]

“Madhi” when it comes to women is the wetness found while being aroused before reaching an orgasm. It is only after an orgasm, that the wetness is called “mani.” [Ibid]

Thus, because you didn’t experience any orgasm or erotic dreams, you can rest assured that you don’t have to perform a ritual bath (ghusl) upon waking up for the validity of your prayers because the discharges you have found can only be “Madhi” or “wadi” or urine. [Ibid]

Reason for This Ruling

Allah (Most High) says: “O believers! When you rise up for prayer, wash your faces and your hands up to the elbows, wipe your heads, and wash your feet to the ankles. And if you are in a state of ˹full˺ impurity (Janaba), then take a full bath.” [Quran, 5:6]

Upon finding “wadi”, the state of Janaba (full impurity, literally the state reached by a human being after fully fulfilling his sexual needs) has not been reached. Thus no ritual bath is needed. [Marghinani, Hidaya]

Linguistically the word “janaba” conveys the meaning of abstaining from doing something. As a legal term, the word “janaba” refers to the duty to avoid praying, touching the Quran, reciting it, or entering a mosque as long as one has not performed a ritual bath. As long as one is prevented from doing these things, one is called “junub.” Janaba is reached when there is orgasm or penetration. [Jassas, Ahkam al-Quran]

And Allah knows best.
Wassalam
[Ustadh] Sufyan Qufi
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Abdul-Rahim Reasat

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.