Q: Is it Halal (lawful) or Haram (prohibited) to urinate while standing?

A: All Praise is due to Allah Alone and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger, his family and Companions. To commence: It is not Haram to urinate while standing, but it is a Sunnah to urinate while sitting, as `Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) said, "If anyone tells you that the Prophet (peace be upon him) used to urinate while standing up, do not believe him, for the Prophet always used to urinate while sitting''. Narrated by Al-Tirmidhy who commented that this Hadith is the most authentic one in this regard, as this entails modesty and caution of being soiled with urine.It was narrated from `Umar, `Aly, Ibn `Umar and Zayd ibn Thabit (may Allah be pleased with them all) that there is a Rukhsah (concession) in urinating while standing, as Al-Bukhari and Muslim narrated from Hudhayfah (may Allah be pleased with him), from the Prophet (peace be upon him) that He came to the dumping ground belonging to some tribe, and urinated while standing. This does not conflict with the Hadith of `Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her). The Prophet (peace be upon him) might have done this because he was in a place where he could not sit, or in order to show that urinating while standing is not Haram. However, the basic rule concerning this is what was mentioned by `Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her), that the Prophet (peace be upon him) used to urinate while sitting. It is a Sunnah (commendable act), not a Wajib (obligatory). (Part No. 5; Page No. 89) May Allah grant us success. May peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and Companions.