The Meaning of the Hammam in the Time of Ibn Taymiyyah

Question:
And regarding the Shaykh’s view, the Shaykh of Islam (may Allah have mercy on him) transmitted in his opinion on praying in the hammams, the chapter on the hammam in the time of Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him), there is no doubt.

Answer:
The hammam in their time, and what is known, is the hammam for bathing, which is the place for swimming, where there is hot water and they bathe in it for the sake of health and seeking cure through it, by way of treatment.
It is not a place for relieving oneself, neither urination nor defecation, but rather it is a place for bathing, meaning bathing in hot water, by way of removing dirt and by way of seeking cure from it for joint pain and the like. This is the hammam. As for what they call the hammam now, this is called a hash, it is not called a hammam. The place for relieving oneself is called a hammam, but it is called a hash or a khala. Calling it a hammam is not correct.