Beware of (smearing yourselves with) urine, because it is the main cause of punishment in the grave

Explanation

In this Hadīth, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) draws our attention to one of the most common causes of punishment in the grave. It is the habit of not keeping away or purifying oneself from urine.

Benefits

• We should beware of urine and distance ourselves from it, lest it may touch our bodies or clothes.
• It is better to wash off urine and purify ourselves of it if it touches us, so as to avoid impurity. But it is obligatory to remove it prior to prayer.
• Urine is impure. So, if it touches a part of the body, clothing, or a spot, it makes it impure, rendering prayer invalid in this state. One of the requirements of the prayer is the removal of impurity.
• Failure to guard against urine is one of the major sins.
• It establishes the existence of the torment in the grave, which is proved by the Qur’an, the Sunnah, and the consensus.
• It establishes the existence of the recompense in the Hereafter, as the stages of the Hereafter begin with the grave, which is either a garden of Paradise or a pit of Hellfire.