I entered upon ʿAli bin Abi Talib along with two other men, one man from among my people and another from Banu Asad - I think and he sent us on an errand and said: You are strong people, so use your strength to serve your religion. Then he went to the outhouse and relieved himself. Then he came out and took a handful of water and washed himself with it. Then he started reciting Qurʿan. Then it was as if he realised that we found that strange, so he said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ used to relieve himself, then come out and recite Qurʿan and eat meat with us. Nothing came between him and the Qurʿan except janabah. (Using translation from Aḥmad 840)
عَنْ دِينِكُمَا ثُمَّ دَخَلَ الْمَخْرَجَ ثُمَّ خَرَجَ فَأَخَذَ حَفْنَةً مِنْ مَاءٍ فَتَمَسَّحَ بِهَا ثُمَّ جَاءَ فَقَرَأَ الْقُرْآنَ فَرَآنَا أَنْكَرْنَا ذَلِكَ فَقَالَ عَلِيٌّ كَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ يَأْتِي الْخَلَاءَ فَيَقْضِي الْحَاجَةَ ثُمَّ يَخْرُجُ فَيَأْكُلُ مَعَنَا الْخُبْزَ وَاللَّحْمَ وَيَقْرَأُ الْقُرْآنَ وَلَا يَحْجُبُهُ وَرُبَّمَا قَالَ وَلَا يَحْجِزُهُ عَنْ قِرَاءَةِ الْقُرْآنِ شَيْءٌ سِوَى الْجَنَابَةِ أَوِ إِلَّا الْجَنَابَةَ