Bidet showers are used by Muslims in Muslim countries and all parts of the Arab world as well as in Asia in order to cleanse themselves with water after using the toilet. Here, water is commonly used instead of, or together with, toilet paper for cleaning after defecation.
It is universal. To a certain extent, he's right — it's a problem if toilet paper is not available everywhere at all times. If you're Muslim, however, there's an additional bathroom need that has to be met: There must always be a small vessel, to be filled with water, with which to wash your nether regions.
After defecating, the anus must be washed with water using the left hand, or if water is unavailable, with an odd number of smooth stones or pebbles called jamrah or hijaarah (Sahih Al-Bukhari 161, Book 4, Hadith 27). It is now more common to wipe with tissues and water.
Bidets are important in Islam because they allow for water-based ablution, or cleaning, which is called for prior to prayers. Muslims are required to clean themselves before prayers because, according to the Quran, the cleanliness of the body affects the condition of their spirit.
As far as historians can tell, the bidet is a French invention. Spearheaded by French furniture makers around the late 17th century, the bidet is a grown-up version of the chamber pot or bourdaloue, which was a small, portable chamber pot classy ladies would take along with them on extended trips.
Alternatively, bidet spray nozzles and hoses are attached to the sides of the commodes. The lota, according to Islamic rules, is held with the right hand, while the left helps pass water over the anus. The objective behind this practice, Muslims believe, is the emphasis of Islam on keeping the body adequately clean.
A bidet is an essential part of a washroom in Muslim countries as Muslims are obligated to wash their genitalia, perineum, inner buttocks, and anus. While on the toilet, a Muslim must remain silent. Talking, initiating, or answering greetings are strongly discouraged. Eating any food while on the toilet is forbidden.
France, Portugal, Italy, Japan, Argentina, Venezuela, and Spain: Instead of toilet paper, people from these countries (most of them from Europe) usually have a bidet in their washrooms. A bidet like a toilet, but also includes a spout that streams water like a water fountain to rinse you clean.
Society and culture
The bidet is common in Catholic countries, especially those influenced by French culture. It is also found in some traditionally Orthodox and Protestant countries such as Greece and Finland respectively, where bidet showers are common.
Bidets haven't ever been widely embraced in American culture. A common origin story for this reluctance is that bidets were seen as lascivious because they were used in brothels as a form of emergency contraception.
Self-grooming. Aside from being as clean (purified) as they are for prayer, male Muslims are expected to cut their nails, and trim their hair and beards. They must also not wear any scent, including deodorant.
One of the pillars of Islam is that Muslims pray five times a day. Before those prayers, they are expected to perform a purification ritual called Wudu, requiring that they wash their faces, hands, arms, and feet.
Hygiene. In Morocco it is very common to find squat toilets, which are flushed with a bucket of water. Moroccan toilets almost always do not contain toilet paper and it is a necessity to carry toilet paper and/or hygiene wipes if you will be away from the hotel for an extended period of time.
To purify oneself after such an impurity, a Muslim is required to take a shower, called “ghusl.” A person needs to wash their entire body, from head to toe, including their hair.
غُفْرَانَكَ الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ الَّذِي أَذْهَبَ عَنِّي الْأَذٰى وَعَافَانِي
Arnold Cohen (a.k.a. “Mr. Bidet”) invented the first bidet toilet seat and founded the American Bidet Company in the 1960s. Motivated by his father's medical condition, Mr. Bidet's new device placed a spraying nozzle into a toilet seat to help his father clean himself.
There are few reasons why most Australians do not use a bidet in their bathroom. The first reason is their geographic location. Australia does not get a lot of rainy days so water preservation is a must for everyone and so using a bidet could be seen as wasteful in times of drought.
They make all the sense in the world - the bidet shooting a stream of water at our private bits to wash them after we relieve ourselves. But, like in the US and UK, bidets aren't commonly used here in Australia. We've never developed a culture of using them, instead opting for multi-ply toilet paper instead.
Bidets can arguably be considered more sanitary than traditional bottom-cleaning methods. Quite simply, a bidet can provide a better hygiene experience compared to toilet paper. It starts with the basic fact that water can top a few squares of dry TP in removing trace amounts of fecal matter after you poop.
Wiping after using a bidet is simple. Gently wipe or blot the wet areas to soak up the excess water. Remember that the area is already clean; one gentle wipe or dab should do the trick. We recommend using toilet paper, as most people already have it in their bathrooms, or a towel.
In Europe, the country that uses the bidet the most is Italy. There is even a law in Italy that says that every home has to have a bidet in it. There are a few other countries where they have become popular.
Cleaning the anus after defecation using the bidets contributes to hand hygiene and local comfort, and it may be effective against constipation. However, excessive bidet use potentially causes anal pruritus and anal incontinence (AI).
Unlike many other forms of livestock, pigs are omnivorous scavengers, eating virtually anything they come across, including carrion and refuse, which was deemed unclean. Furthermore, a Middle Eastern society keeping large stocks of pigs could destroy their ecosystem.
The Prophet Muhammad is believed to have had a beard and those who insist that devout Muslims grow beards argue that they are doing no more than asking the faithful to emulate the Prophet's actions.
For Muslim women, the hijab serves as an identity that reflects their modesty and strong beliefs or what is called the 'Imaan'. Hijab or a veil or headscarf is a piece of clothing worn by Muslim women to cover themselves from head to feet.