Back to search

Is it permissible to hold the penis with the left hand and the tissues with the right hand when cleaning oneself with paper tissues (istijmar), or must the tissues be held with the left hand for wiping?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

Scholars have agreed on the prohibition of cleansing oneself (istinja') with the right hand, but they differed on whether it is for the purpose of tahrim (prohibition) or karaha (dislike), with the majority holding the view of karaha. A difficulty arises regarding how to perform istinja' with the left hand and not touch the private parts with the right hand. Some scholars have answered this difficulty by stating that what is required is that the right hand does not directly touch the impurity. Thus, it is permissible to hold something with the right hand and wipe with the left. Others have mentioned that it is permissible to use the right hand for water, and there is no harm in performing istijmar (cleansing with stones) with the right hand, because the prohibition is on direct contact with the hand, not with the stone.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

Read the full answer on Ftawy