Short answer
Istinja means cleaning the private parts after urinating or passing stool, with water or with toilet paper, stones and the like. In the Hanafi school it is a confirmed sunnah, and it becomes fard if the impurity spreads more than a dirham beyond the opening. The Shafi'i and Hanbali schools make istinja obligatory in all cases.
Istinja is sunnah mu'akkadah after urine or stool. Water is better than paper, and paper then water is best. If impurity spreads beyond the opening by more than the area of a dirham, washing it with water is fard. It is done with the left hand. It is not done after wind or sleep.
Other madhhabs
- Shafi'i
- Istinja is obligatory after urine or stool, with water or at least three wipes that clean the area.
- Hanbali
- Istinja is obligatory after anything that leaves the two passages, except wind and dry matter.
Explanation
Istinja comes from a root meaning to remove or be free of something. The Prophet ﷺ asked Abu Hurayrah to bring him stones so he could clean himself, and told him not to bring bones or dung. Allah praised the people of Quba as men who love to purify themselves, which the scholars link to their use of water after stones.
Related words you will hear:
- Istinja: cleaning the private parts after the toilet, the general term.
- Istijmar: cleaning with stones or things like them, today toilet paper or wipes.
- Istibra: making sure urine has stopped before you clean and stand: see urine drops.
- Istinqa: cleaning thoroughly until you are confident the area is clean.
How to do it, in short:
- Enter with the left foot, after the dua for entering.
- Do not face the qiblah or turn your back to it: see facing the qiblah.
- When finished, wipe with paper, then wash with water using the left hand, until the area feels clean. A bidet, shattaf or lota is ideal.
- Wash your hands, and leave with the right foot.
Paper alone is valid for a Hanafi if the impurity stayed around the opening: see is toilet paper enough. Istinja is separate from wudu (ablution): you do it only after using the toilet, not before every wudu. See istinja before wudu.
The evidence
Quran, Surah At-Tawba 9:108
لَا تَقُمْ فِيهِ أَبَدًۭا ۚ لَّمَسْجِدٌ أُسِّسَ عَلَى ٱلتَّقْوَىٰ مِنْ أَوَّلِ يَوْمٍ أَحَقُّ أَن تَقُومَ فِيهِ ۚ فِيهِ رِجَالٌۭ يُحِبُّونَ أَن يَتَطَهَّرُوا۟ ۚ وَٱللَّهُ يُحِبُّ ٱلْمُطَّهِّرِينَ ﴿١٠٨﴾
Do not stand [for prayer] within it - ever. A mosque founded on righteousness from the first day is more worthy for you to stand in. Within it are men who love to purify themselves; and Allah loves those who purify themselves.
Allah praises the people of Quba for their thorough cleaning after relieving themselves.
Sahih al-Bukhari 155
Sahih... ابغني احجارا استنفض بها ...
"Bring me some stones so that I can clean myself with them."
Shows the Prophet ﷺ cleaning himself after relieving himself, which is istinja.
Where the ruling is recorded
- al-Hidaya, Kitab al-Taharat, chapter on istinja. Istinja is sunnah; washing becomes obligatory when impurity spreads beyond a dirham.
- Nur al-Idah with Maraqi al-Falah, Kitab al-Taharah, chapter on istinja. Water is better, and stone then water is best.
- al-Mughni (Ibn Qudama), Kitab al-Taharah, chapter on istinja. The Hanbali view that istinja is obligatory.
Checked by our team. For a more accurate answer to your own situation, consult a scholar. Quran translation by Sahih International. Hadith Arabic from the standard editions of the six books and the Muwatta, with gradings as recorded there; the English is our own rendering. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.