Is istinja' (cleaning oneself after relieving oneself) obligatory for every prayer?

Question:
Is istinja' (cleaning oneself after relieving oneself) required for every prayer?

Answer:
No, if a person performs istinja' (cleaning oneself after relieving oneself) once, that is sufficient, provided he does not repeat relieving himself. If he urinates or defecates, he performs istinja' (cleaning oneself after relieving oneself), and then he remains in that state of istinja' (cleaning oneself after relieving oneself) until another discharge occurs from him, other than wind. As for wind, it does not require istinja' (cleaning oneself after relieving oneself); istinja' (cleaning oneself after relieving oneself) is only for urine or feces. He performs istinja' (cleaning oneself after relieving oneself) with water, or he cleans himself with stones once, meaning for one period. If he cleans himself with stones, it is done with three stones or three strokes, and this is sufficient. If he then wants to perform wudu' (the ablution for prayer), he performs wudu' (the ablution for prayer) without istinja' (cleaning oneself after relieving oneself), if he had already performed istinja' (cleaning oneself after relieving oneself) previously. So, one performs it at the beginning of the day. Istinja' (cleaning oneself after relieving oneself) is not one of the rulings of wudu' (the ablution for prayer); rather, it is part of removing najasah (ritual impurity). It is required that it precede wudu' (the ablution for prayer) if a discharge of urine or feces has come from him; he performs istinja' (cleaning oneself after relieving oneself) before, or cleans himself before, performing wudu' (the ablution for prayer), based on the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) meaning, if something has come out from him. But if nothing has come out from him, he is content with just wudu' (the ablution for prayer). Praise be to Allah.