Prohibition of Urinating in Stagnant Water

Sheikh Muhammad Shiddiq Al Minsyawi, in his book Rajin Shalat tapi Keliru, writes that Islam forbids people from urinating in bath water (water used for bathing) and in still water. According to Sheikh Shiddiq, this is a mistake made by most people.

Urinating in water used for bathing is very dangerous if it is a bathtub or something similar, because the water is stagnant there.

In a hadith:

Ahmad bin Yunus narrated to us, Za’idah narrated to us in the hadith of Hisham, from Muhammad, from Abu Hurairah, from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), who said: “None of you should urinate in stagnant water and then bathe from it.” (Narrated by Abu Dawud)

Imam Al Khattabi said, “It is forbidden to do that if the place is not hard, dry, and solid, or if there is no outlet for the urine and no flowing water. Likewise, it is not permissible to urinate in still water because it causes harm and damage.”

From Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him): The Prophet forbade urinating in still water. (Narrated by Muslim)

Imam Nawawi said, “If the still water is large in volume, my school of thought holds that the ruling is makruh, not haram. If it is said to be haram, there is some truth to that as well, because the prohibition indicates unlawfulness according to the preferred opinion of meticulous scholars and the majority of scholars of usul fiqh. However, if the still water is small in volume, the correct opinion is that urinating in it is haram.”