Ibn Khuzaymah

Benefits:

➊ These ahadith are evidence that during prayer, one should not abandon the prayer unless one is certain that wind has exited, and when one hears the sound of wind or perceives its odor, then one should break the prayer and perform a new ablution (wudu). In these ahadith, it is not stated that the only nullifier of ablution is the mere exit of wind; rather, the intent here is that, generally, during prayer, one encounters the exit of wind. However, it is only the definite exit of wind during prayer that breaks the ablution.

➋ Abdullah ibn Mubarak says: When a person feels doubt about having lost ablution (during prayer), ablution is not obligatory upon him until he has such complete certainty (of having lost ablution) that he could swear an oath upon it. And when wind exits from a woman’s front (private part), then ablution becomes obligatory upon her. This is also the position of Shafi’i and Ishaq ibn Rahwayh. [ترمذي، تحت حديث: 75]

➌ Imam Baghawi writes in "Sharh al-Sunnah": The meaning of the ahadith of this chapter is that unless one has complete certainty of having lost ablution, the worshipper should not abandon the prayer. The intent is not that hearing the sound of wind or perceiving its odor is a condition for having lost ablution during prayer, because some people are deaf and cannot hear the sound, and some people are deprived of the sense of smell and cannot perceive the odor of the wind. For such people, their ablution will be nullified when they have definite certainty that their ablution has been broken. [تحفة الاحوذي: 180/1]

It is narrated from Abu Hurairah radi Allahu anhu that the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said:

«إِذَا كَانَ أَحَدُكُمْ فِى الْمَسْجِدِ فَوَجَدَ رِيحًا بَيْنَ البَتَيْهِ، فَلا يَخْرُجْ حَتَّى يَسْمَعَ صَوْتًا أَوْ يَجِدَ رِيحًا»

“When any one of you is in the mosque and feels something between his buttocks, he should not leave the mosque until he hears a sound or perceives an odor.” [ترمذي: 75]

➍ Imam Nawawi rahimahullah states: This hadith is one of the foundational principles of Islam and a great rule of jurisprudence (fiqh), that the ruling of things remains upon their original state until there is definite certainty of the contrary, and the doubt that occurs regarding them is not significantly harmful. And this hadith, mentioned in the present chapter, is of the same category: that whoever is certain of purity and doubts about having lost ablution, he remains upon purity, whether this doubt occurs inside or outside of prayer. This is the madhhab of the Shafi’is and the majority of the early and later scholars. [نووي: 48/4]

It is narrated from Abu Hurairah radi Allahu anhu that the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said:

«إِذَا كَانَ أَحَدُكُمْ فِي الصَّلَاةِ فَوَجَدَ حَرَكَةً . فِي دُبُرِهِ أَحْدَثَ أَوْ لَمْ يُحْدِثُ فَأَشْكَلَ عَلَيْهِ فَلَا يَنْصَرِفَ حَتَّى يَسْمَعَ صَوْتًا أَوْ يَجِدَ ريحا»

“When any one of you is in prayer and feels movement in his back passage, and does not know whether he has lost ablution or not, and it becomes difficult for him to decide, then until he hears a sound or perceives an odor, he should not leave the prayer.”

[ابو داؤد: 177، صحيح ابو داؤد: 169، صحيحه]