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Refutations

The Prophet ﷺ Urinating While Sitting — The Wisdom, the Evidence, and the Modern Scientific Confirmation

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The Noble Messenger ﷺ Used to Urinate While Sitting — Is There Anyone Who Objects?

Table of Contents

The Doubt Raised

The Objection A Christian claims: “The Messenger of Islam used to urinate while sitting, just like women do.”

He cites the following hadith as his supposed evidence:

“Whoever tells you that the Messenger of God used to urinate while standing, do not believe him. He used to urinate only while sitting.”

Narrator: Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) | Source: Sahih Al-Nasa’i, no. 29 | Ruling: Authentic

The Hadith in Question

Sahih Al-Nasa’i — No. 29 — Authentic “Whoever tells you that the Messenger of God used to urinate while standing, do not believe him. He used to urinate only while sitting.”

Narrated by Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her). Authenticated by Al-Albani.

The Wisdom — Why Sitting Is Better

The Islamic Reason Our noble Messenger ﷺ used to urinate while sitting because it was:
  • More concealing — better protection of one’s private parts
  • More protective — guards against the spray of urine reaching the body or clothing
  • Cleaner — keeps one free from impurity

This is not a point of mockery — it is a point of honor and wisdom.

Modern Science Confirms It — Sweden’s Proposed Law

Belgian Newspaper 7sur7 — April 2017 The Belgian newspaper 7/7 reported that Sweden was about to enact a law that would force Swedes to urinate while sitting down.

the noble messenger used to urinate while sitting is there anyone who objects
the noble messenger used to urinate while sitting is there anyone who objects

the noble messenger used to urinate while sitting is there anyone who objects 1
the noble messenger used to urinate while sitting is there anyone who objects 1

Translation — The Health Benefits “Forcing men to urinate while sitting helps keep toilets clean.” — Internal regulation proposal studied by the General Council of the Sörmland region in central Sweden.

“Others believe that sitting down to urinate is a very healthy act, as it helps reduce prostate disorders.” — Viggo Hansen, member of the Left Party, speaking to local television.

“The proposed law forcing men to urinate while sitting would lead to a healthy and long sex life.” — Source: 7sur7.be

After More Than 1,400 Years After more than 1,400 years, modern Europe wants to legislate what the Prophet ﷺ already practiced and recommended. This is not a weakness — it is a prophetic precedent confirmed by modern medicine.

Is There a Contradiction — What About the Hadith of Hudhayfah?

The Hadith of Hudhayfah

Sahih Al-Bukhari — No. 2471 — Authentic “I was with the Prophet ﷺ, and he reached a people’s courtyard and urinated while standing.”

Narrator: Hudhayfah ibn al-Yaman | Source: Sahih Al-Bukhari and Muslim | Chapter: Chapter on Standing and Urinating at the Courtyard of a People

What is “the Courtyard of a People”? The garbage dump or sweeping place in the courtyard of the house — where people would relieve themselves. Perhaps our noble Messenger ﷺ found the place unclean and could not sit, so he was forced to urinate while standing — taking great care to avoid the spray of urine and to protect his private parts.

The Scholarly Explanation — No Contradiction

Al-Nawawi’s Explanation “As for the reason for him ﷺ urinating while standing, the scholars mentioned aspects of it, as narrated by Al-Khattabi, Al-Bayhaqi and other imams. One of them is that they said — and it was narrated from Al-Shafi’i — that the Arabs used to seek healing for back pain by urinating while standing. So it is seen that he ﷺ had back pain.”
Ibn Battal’s Statement “The text of the hadith permits urinating while standing. As for urinating while sitting, it is from the evidence of the hadith — because if urinating while standing is permissible, then sitting is certainly permissible.”

The Scholarly Positions on Standing

Those Who Permitted Urinating While Standing Among the Companions who urinated while standing: Umar ibn al-Khattab, Ali ibn Abi Talib, Zayd ibn Thabit, Ibn Umar, Sahl ibn Sa’d, Anas ibn Malik, Abu Hurairah, and Sa’d ibn Ubadah. The same was narrated from Ibn al-Musayyab, Ibn Sirin, and Urwah ibn al-Zubayr.
Those Who Disliked Urinating While Standing
  • Ibn Abi Shaybah mentioned in his Musannaf that Aishah denied the Messenger ﷺ ever urinated while standing
  • Umar ibn al-Khattab said: “I have never urinated while standing since I converted to Islam.”
  • Mujahid said: “The Messenger of Allah ﷺ never urinated while standing except once on a sand dune that he liked.”
  • Ibn Mas’ud said: “It is rude to urinate while standing.”
  • Al-Sha’bi held the same view. Al-Hasan disliked it. Sa’d ibn Ibrahim did not accept the testimony of someone who urinated while standing.
The Third Opinion — Malik’s Position If urinating in a place where nothing from it will fly onto the person, there is no problem. But if it is in a place where spray will fly onto him, then it is disliked.

This is the statement of Imam Malik — and it is supported by the evidence of the hadith, because the Prophet ﷺ generally disliked urinating while standing for fear of urine spray — yet permitted it in the exceptional case narrated by Hudhayfah.

Umar ibn al-Khattab “Urinating while standing is safer for the one who is reclining.” (i.e., in certain circumstances where sitting poses difficulty)

Reconciling the Two Positions — No Contradiction

The Resolution There is no contradiction between the hadith of Aishah and the hadith of Hudhayfah. Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) was absolutely right — and the principle is confirmed by the Qur’anic rule:

“But whoever is forced by necessity, neither desiring nor transgressing, there is no sin upon him. Indeed, God is Forgiving and Merciful.”

The Prophet ﷺ normally urinated while sitting — this was his established practice and the default for Muslims. He exceptionally urinated while standing when the circumstances required it, such as:

1. When the place was unclean and sitting was not possible without contamination

2. For a medical reason — back pain treatment, as Al-Shafi’i narrated

3. Because a Muslim who holds urine for a long period — due to the lack of a suitable place — may ultimately be unable to control the urge, leading to urinating on himself with greater harm and greater exposure

The Supporting Hadith on Holding Urine

Sahih Al-Jami — No. 7509 — Authentic “There is no prayer in the presence of food, nor while holding back the two most evil ones.”

Narrator: Aishah | Authenticated by: Al-Albani

The Point A Muslim who holds urine to the point of distress misses the full concentration and validity of his prayer. Urinating while standing — while ensuring no spray flies and private parts are not exposed — is better than holding back urine when no suitable sitting place is available.

This is not a contradiction in the Prophet’s ﷺ practice — it is mercy, flexibility, and wisdom built into Islamic guidance.