What is the purpose of covering the penis with a piece of cloth for someone afflicted with urinary incontinence? And if the underwear becomes soiled but the urine does not escape to the trousers, is there no harm in praying? And is it permissible to perform istinja' (ritual cleansing) at the university without covering the penis due to difficult circumstances?
The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, commanded the woman experiencing abnormal vaginal bleeding (mustahadah) to wear a protective covering (tillajum) and to tie herself up (istithfar) to prevent impurity from soiling her clothes. This ruling also applies to someone suffering from urinary incontinence, who must take precautions by tying a cloth around the private parts. The wisdom behind this is to prevent the spread of impurity onto clothes, and the worshipper is commanded to be pure, as Allah Almighty says: "And your garments purify."
A woman experiencing abnormal vaginal bleeding, someone suffering from urinary incontinence or prostatic discharge (madhi), and anyone unable to maintain their purity, must perform ablution for each prayer after washing and securing the affected area and taking precautions against the discharge of impurities.
If the worshipper is unable to take precautions, either due to the unavailability of protective measures or because it would cause harm, their prayer is valid, as Allah Almighty says: "So fear Allah as much as you are able."
However, if urine soils the inner garments due to negligence in taking precautions, your prayer is invalid. But if you are unable to take precautions due to harm or fear of the prayer time expiring, your prayer is valid, and the impurity reaching the clothes does not matter.
Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026
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