Can You Say Dua After Wudu in the Bathroom? The Explanation You're Looking For

Hi again! In several previous articles, I have explained many things about dua after wudu. I highly recommend that you read these articles so that you have a good understanding of dua after wudu. Now, in this article, I will explain one topic of discussion about dua after wudu (and two other things about it) that you should understand well: can you say dua after wudu in the bathroom?

Whatever your reason for reading this article, I am very sure you are looking for an explanation about the legality of saying dua after wudu in the bathroom. Trust me! I will not disappoint you on this day. That's what I'm going to explain now. You just need to read the explanation below very well.

Dua After Wudu: Is It Recommendation or Obligation?

Hi! First of all, I will explain the answer to one basic question about prayer after wudu: is prayer after wudu recommended or obligation? There are some Muslims who don't understand that well. I think you don't want to be like them, right? So, you should read the below explanation very well.

By the way, have you read the article about “Forgetting to Say Dua After Wudu” that I published a few days ago? In the article, I have explained many reasons why dua after wudu is recommended, not obligation. I highly recommend that you read the article so that you have a good understanding of what we are discussing now.

In general, what I have explained in the article is an argument that dua after wudu is a recommendation, not an obligation. What this means is that Muslims are strongly encouraged to say dua after wudu because it has many benefits for them: the eight doors of Heaven will open for those who have performed wudu perfectly and said dua after wudu. So, they would not be sinning if they did not say that.

The basis for the argument that dua after wudu is recommended is the hadith below:

عَنْ عُمَرَ رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُ قَالَ : قَالَ رَسُوْلُ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ :مَا مِنْكُمْ مِنْ أَحَدٍ  يَتَوَضَّأُ فَيُسْبِغُ الْوُضُوْءَ ثُمَّ يَقُوْلُ : أَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللهُ وَحْدَهُ لَا شَرِيْكَ لَهُ وَأَشْهَدُ أَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا عَبْدُهُ وَرَسُوْلُهُ , إِلَّا فُتِحَتْ لَهُ أَبْوَابُ الْجَنَّةِ الثَّمَانِيَّةِ يَدْخُلُ مِنْ أَيِّهَا شَاءَ . أَخْرَجَهُ مُسْلِمٌ وَالتِّرْمِذِيُّ وَزَادَ : اَللَّهُمَّ اجْعَلْنِيْ مِنَ التَّوَّابِيْنَ وَاجْعَلْنِيْ مِنَ الْمُتَطَهِّرِيْنَ

From Umar radliyallahu anhu, he said, "The Messenger of Allah alaihi wa sallam said, "It is not one of you who performs wudu then perfects it, then says, "I testify that there is no god but Allah who has no partner, and I testify that Muhammad is His servant and His Messenger, "except the eight doors of Heaven have been opened for him. He can enter any door he wants." The hadith is narrated by Muslim and at-Tirmidhi. He (at-Tirmidhi) added another editor, "O Allah, make me among those who repent and make me including those who are cleansed."

In the hadith above there is no explanation that dua after wudu is obligatory. So, the conclusion is that dua after wudu is recommended for Muslims.

Places That Cannot Be Used to Say Dua

Are you still with me? Now I will explain the places that cannot be used to say dua. You should understand that well because it will help you understand the main topic in this discussion.

In general, if you read some Islamic legal literature, you will not find an explanation of the places where dua cannot be used. In other words, you can say dua anywhere. You can say it at home, at the mosque, at work, in the bathroom, and so on.

But one important thing that you must understand is that in Islamic legal literacy there is an etiquette for saying dua. The ethics I mean is that Muslims are better off not saying dua in dirty places. One of them is the bathroom. The reason is because that is where we urinate and defecate. Muslims are strongly advised not to say any sacred sentences there. What I mean by holy sentences are sentences that contain the names of Allah.

Below is one of Ibn Abidin's opinions about saying holy sentences in the bathroom that you should understand:

قَالَ اِبْنُ عَابِدِيْنَ : لَوْ تَوَضَّأَ فِي الْخَلَاءِ فَهَلْ يَأْتَيْ بِالْبَسْمَلَةِ وَغَيْرِهَا مِنْ أَدْعِيَةِ الْوُضُوْءِ مُرَاعَاةً لِسُنَّتِهِ ؟ أَوْ يَتْرُكُهَا مُرَاعَاةً لِلْمَحَلِّ ؟ قَالَ : الَّذِيْ يَظْهَرُ الثَّانِيُّ لِتَصْرِيْحِهِمْ بِتَقْدِيِمِ النَّهْيِ عَلَى الْأَمرِ وَهُوَ مُقْتَضَى مَا عِنْدَ الْحَنَابِلَةِ مِنْ أَنَّ التَّسْمِيَّةَ فِي الْوُضُوْءِ وَاجِبَةٌ ، وَأَنَّ الذِّكْرَ بِالْقَلْبِ لَا يُكْرَهُ ، وَذَهَبَ الْمَالِكِيَّةُ إِلَى يُكْرَهُ الذِّكْرُ فِيْ الْخَلَاءِ 

Ibn Abidin said, "If someone does wudu in the bathroom, is he advised to recite Bismillah and other sunnahs of reciting the wudu prayer in order to maintain the sunnah or leave it because of the place?" Ibn Abidin said, "The clear opinion is to abandon the sunnah because the majority of Islamic legal experts prioritize prohibitions over commands. This is in accordance with the opinion of Islamic law experts from the Hanbali Madzhab who say that Bismillah is obligatory in wudu. "But saying dhikr in the heart is not considered makruh and according to Islamic law experts from the Maliki Madzhab, dhikr in the bathroom is makruh."

Can You Say Dua After Wudu in the Bathroom?

Now I will explain the answer to the question that is the main topic in this discussion: can you say dua after wudu in the bathroom? You should read the explanation below very well so that there are no more questions about it. Of course, if you still have questions about it, you can write them in the comment column. I would love to have a dialogue with you.

Actually, if you have understood everything, I have explained in all the paragraphs above, you already know the answer to the question which is the main topic in this discussion. But if you don't know it yet, or you are hesitant to say it, pay attention to the answer to this question below:

You can say dua after wudu in the bathroom, but you should not say them in a voice that can be heard. But it's better if you don't say it there.

Do you have any questions? Please write it in the comment column!