Is there a hadith prohibiting speaking in the toilet?

The questioner : Another question, about the hadith regarding the toilet.

The Shaykh : How?

The questioner : Speaking in the toilet, is there a prohibition against speaking in the toilet?

The Shaykh : If you mean by the hadith...

The questioner : The prohibition in the toilet, whether one is relieving himself in the toilet or not, on the basis that today in our houses, the toilet contains other things, such as a washing area, a place for bathing, or even wider than that.

The Shaykh : But is it a problem if it is narrower, or is it not a problem if it is wider, right or not?

The questioner : Correct.

The questioner : The second point is whether the prohibition applies to any kind of speech, or is the prohibition regarding dhikr (remembrance of Allah), meaning ordinary speech, calling for family, asking for something, handing over something...

The Shaykh : No, there is no authentic hadith; rather, we say that no hadith has been reported at all prohibiting speaking in the toilet. And I do not say "reported" in the sense of "authentic," because "reported" can be used for what is authentic and what is weak. Everything that has been reported, even if it were authentic, does not indicate a prohibition against speaking while sitting to relieve oneself, except in a specific manner. Because the hadith came, and I repeat, it is not authentic, but rather has a weak chain of narration: . If this were authentic, it would prohibit speaking while they are exposing their private parts. So the prohibition is not focused on the speech, yes, but on the exposure. And exposure is not permissible, whether accompanied by speech or not. But your question reminds us of questions that are the topic of the day: these bathrooms found today in hotels, in hospitals, in buildings; they have a toilet, a shower, a washing area, and so on. So a man from here relieves himself, takes a step for the sake of wudu (ablution), and wants to say "Bismillah" (In the name of Allah). Is that permissible for him? The answer is yes. Because what is prohibited while one is in the toilet is the dhikr of Allah (Mighty and Majestic), not ordinary speech, as we detailed earlier. And what is called "toilet" in today's expression, this term was not known in the previous era in terms of Arabic style. It was called either al-kunf (the privy), and this came in some authentic hadiths, or by the word al-gha'it . And if we study the history of the early Companions, al-gha'it mentioned in the Noble Qur'an, its original meaning in the Arabic language is the low place, then it was called figuratively the place of defecation, i.e., the privy, i.e., the toilet, i.e., the toilet room, and similar names. If we study the biography of the first generation, we find that in their houses at that time there were no privies, so even if a woman wanted to relieve herself, she would go to the toilet, cover herself, and go... outside the house. She would aim for the lowest place, the lowest spot, which is al-gha'it, and relieve herself there.