Abu Huraira reported God's messenger as saying, "Guard against the two things which produce cursing.” He was asked what they were and said, "Relieving oneself where people walk, or where they sit in the shade.”
Ibn ‘Abbas told that the Prophet came upon two graves and said, "Their occupants are being punished, but not for a great sin. One of them did not keep himself from being defiled by urine. (A version by Muslim has "did not keep himself undefiled by urine”.) The other went about spreading slander.” He then took a fresh palm branch, split it in two parts, and planted one on each grave. On being asked why he did this, he said, "Perhaps their punishment may be mitigated as long as they remain fresh.”
Abu Qatada reported God’s messenger as saying, "When one of you drinks he must not breathe into the vessel, and when he goes to relieve himself he must not touch his penis with his right hand, or wipe himself with his right hand.”
Anas reported that when God’s messenger entered the privy he used to say, "O God, I seek refuge in Thee from male and female devils.”*
*One might be inclined to translate this phrase as "from infidelity and act of disobedience,”
but the tradition from Zaid b. Arqam (p. 76) is very explicit, and so the translation above is probably the correct one.
PT-2 (12-71.)
