آداب قضاء الحاجة
Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "If anyone applies kohl, then he should apply it an odd number of times. If he does so, then he has done well; and if he hasn’t, then there is no harm in that. If anyone cleanses himself with stones, then he should do so an odd number. If he does so then he has done well; but if not, then there is no harm. If anyone eats, he should spit out what he has removed with a toothpick, and swallow what sticks to his tongue. If he does so, he has done well; and if not, then there is no harm. If anyone goes to relieve himself, then he should conceal himself from others, and if all he can do is to collect a heap of sand, then he should sit with his back to it, for the devil plays with the backside of the children of Adam. If he does so, he has done well; but if not, there is no harm."
عن أبي هريرة -رضي الله عنه-، عن النبي -صلى الله عليه وسلم- قال: «من اكْتَحَل فلْيُوتِر، من فعل فقد أحْسَن، ومن لا فلا حَرج، ومن اسْتَجَمَر فلْيُوتِر، من فعل فقد أحْسَن، ومن لا فلا حَرج، ومن أكَل فَما تَخَلَّل فَلْيَلْفِظْ، وما لَاَك بِلِسَانِه فَلْيَبْتَلِعْ، مَنْ فعَل فَقَد أحْسَن ومن لا فلا حَرَج، وَمَن أَتَى الغَائِطَ فَلْيَسْتَتِر، فإِنْ لَمْ يَجِد إِلَّا أَن يَجْمَع كَثِيبَا من رَمْلٍ فَلْيَسْتَدْبِرْه، فإنَّ الشَّيطان يَلعَب بِمَقَاعِدِ بَنِي آدَمَ، مَن فعَل فَقَد أحْسَن وَمَنْ لَا فَلَا حَرَجَ».
شرح الحديث :
The Hadīth reported by Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) contains a set of Shariah-approved etiquette addressing various aspects of life. These are: 1. Using kohl. The Messenger (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) instructed his followers when applying kohl to their eyes to do so an odd number of times. This is done by applying it one time, three times, or five times to every eye. Applying kohl in this way is recommended because the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Verily, Allah is Odd (He is one, and it is an odd number) and He loves odd number." Therefore, if the Muslim applies kohl an odd number of times, he has done well; and if he does not, there will be no sin on him. This is because doing so is only recommended, not obligatory. 2. Purification with stones: a person is to use an odd number of stones: one, three, or five, when purifying oneself. If cleaning is achieved with two stones, it is recommended to use a third one. Therefore, if the Muslim purifies oneself with an odd number of stones, he has done well; and if he does not, there will be no sin on him. This is because doing so is only recommended, and the obligation is to achieve purification. However, purifying oneself with three stones is required according to other Hadīths; thus, it is recommended to do so an odd number of times more than three. 3. Picking one’s teeth after eating: If anyone picks the bits of food from between the teeth using a stick or the like, let him spit out what is removed and not swallow it, because it is unclean. At-Tabarāni narrated that Ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "The food that remains between the teeth weakens them." The food that sticks to the gums and mouth roof and comes out by movement of the tongue, however, can be swallowed, since it is not unclean. Unlike the food removed from between the teeth; this should be spit out whether removed by a toothpick or the tongue, because the food condition changes in most cases. Again, if a Muslim removes and spits out the food remaining between the teeth, he has done well; if he does not, there is no harm. This instruction, however, may not be applied because the Hadīth is weak; the rest of instructions are supported by other authentic Hadīths. 4. Answering the call of nature: The Messenger (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) instructed the Muslims, when relieving themselves in an open land, to hide themselves behind a wall, a tree, or the like. It does not matter what he uses so long as others cannot see him. Relieving oneself in front of people is against the Islamic etiquette, and the Muslim is required to cover one’s private parts. However, if one fails to find anything to hide oneself with from others, then one should collect a heap of sand and relieve oneself behind it so that people cannot see him. The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) explained the wisdom behind this instruction, saying that devils may cause harm and evil to the person relieving oneself. Devils target the places where people relieve themselves by harm and evil since they are place where the Name of Allah is not mentioned and the private parts are exposed. The Messenger (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "These privies are frequented by the Jinns and devils." It seems that covering serves as a shield against the evil and harm. Again, if one conceals oneself behind a heap of sand or the like, he has done well; otherwise, there will be no sin. This is because a Muslim does not leave off this instruction except when it is beyond one's capacity. In normal cases, a Muslim is undoubtedly required to cover one's private parts from people. Therefore, the ruling in this Hadīth addresses a case of necessity in which a Muslim is not able to do so, and the juristic principle states that "necessities overrule the prohibitions."