Fiqh Rulings and Issues in the Light of the Qur’an and Sunnah
Volume 01 – Page 55
Invalidators of Wuḍūʾ (Nawāqiḍ al-Wuḍūʾ)
وعليكم السلام ورحمة الله وبركاته!
All praise is for Allah, and peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah. To proceed:
In the previous pages, you have studied—based on authentic aḥādīth—the conditions, obligations, Sunnahs, and the detailed method of wuḍūʾ. Now it is necessary to inform you of those things and states that invalidate wuḍūʾ, so that it does not happen that wuḍūʾ has been nullified, yet out of ignorance one continues worship while assuming it is valid—such worship would neither be correct nor accepted.
My Muslim brother! There are certain things and conditions that nullify wuḍūʾ. If any one of them occurs, wuḍūʾ does not remain valid, and a new wuḍūʾ becomes obligatory for the act of worship for which wuḍūʾ was performed. These are known as “Nawāqiḍ al-Wuḍūʾ” (invalidators of wuḍūʾ).
The Lawgiver ﷺ has clearly explained these invalidators:
◈ Some invalidate wuḍūʾ with certainty, such as urination, defecation, or anything exiting from the front or rear private parts of a man or woman.
◈ Some are such states in which wuḍūʾ is most likely invalidated, such as loss of intellect, overpowering sleep, unconsciousness, insanity, etc. When intellect is absent, awareness of one’s condition is lost; therefore, these states are also considered signs of invalidation.
Now, see the details below:
✔ Urine
✔ Feces
✔ Semen (manī)
✔ Pre-ejaculatory fluid (madhī)
✔ Menstrual blood
✔ Istihāḍah (irregular bleeding)
✔ Passing wind
Regarding urine and feces, wuḍūʾ is invalidated according to clear Sharʿī proofs and the consensus of the Ummah. Allah Almighty says while mentioning causes requiring purification:
﴿ أَوْ جَاءَ أَحَدٌ مِّنكُم مِّنَ الْغَائِطِ ﴾
Translation:
“Or one of you comes after relieving himself (then perform wuḍūʾ).”
If semen or madhī is discharged, then according to authentic aḥādīth, wuḍūʾ is invalidated. Imām Ibn al-Mundhir رحمه الله and others have transmitted consensus on this.
Likewise, wuḍūʾ does not remain valid when istihāḍah blood flows. It should be noted that istihāḍah is bleeding due to illness and is different from menstrual blood. In this regard, it is reported that Sayyidah Fāṭimah bint Abī Ḥubaysh رضي الله عنها experienced istihāḍah. When she asked about it, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
«فَتَوَضَّئِي وَصَلِّي فَإِنَّمَا هُوَ عِرْقٌ»
“Perform wuḍūʾ and pray, for this is only a vein.”
Passing wind also invalidates wuḍūʾ, as proven by authentic aḥādīth and consensus. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
«لَا يَقْبَلُ اللَّهُ صَلَاةَ أَحَدِكُمْ إِذَا أَحْدَثَ حَتَّى يَتَوَضَّأَ»
“Allah does not accept the prayer of any one of you when he is in a state of ḥadath until he performs wuḍūʾ.”
If a person doubts whether wind has passed or not, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
«لَا يَنْصَرِفْ حَتَّى يَسْمَعَ صَوْتًا أَوْ يَجِدَ رِيحًا»
“He should not leave unless he hears a sound or perceives a smell.”
If something exits from a path other than the usual ones—such as blood, vomiting, or nosebleed—then the scholars differ regarding whether wuḍūʾ is invalidated. The stronger opinion appears to be that wuḍūʾ is not invalidated in these cases.
◈ Loss of intellect includes insanity and similar conditions.
◈ Covering of intellect includes overpowering sleep or unconsciousness.
All these states are among the invalidators of wuḍūʾ, because during them wuḍūʾ may be nullified without one realizing it.
However, light sleep while sitting does not invalidate wuḍūʾ, because it is reported that the Companions رضي الله عنهم used to doze while sitting and waiting for congregational prayer.
Reconciliation between the evidences shows that intentional and deep sleep invalidates wuḍūʾ.
Eating the meat of any other lawful animal does not invalidate wuḍūʾ.
① Touching the private parts
② Touching a woman with desire
③ Bathing a deceased person
④ Apostasy (ridda)
According to one group of scholars, wuḍūʾ is invalidated by these, while others do not consider any of them to invalidate wuḍūʾ. This is a matter of ijtihād. To avoid disagreement, performing wuḍūʾ in such cases is preferable.
«إِذَا وَجَدَ أَحَدُكُمْ فِي بَطْنِهِ شَيْئًا فَأَشْكَلَ عَلَيْهِ أَخَرَجَ مِنْهُ شَيْءٌ أَمْ لَا، فَلَا يَخْرُجَنَّ مِنَ الْمَسْجِدِ حَتَّى يَسْمَعَ صَوْتًا أَوْ يَجِدَ رِيحًا»
“When one of you feels something in his abdomen and becomes doubtful whether something has exited or not, he should not leave the mosque until he hears a sound or finds a smell.”
From these narrations, the following principle is established:
✔ If purity is certain and ḥadath is doubtful, purity remains.
✔ Certainty is not removed by doubt.
✔ Everything remains upon its original state unless there is certainty otherwise.
Conversely, if a person is certain of ḥadath and doubtful about purity, then performing wuḍūʾ is obligatory, because here ḥadath is definite.
◈ Take special care regarding purity for prayer, for prayer is not valid without it.
◈ Try to avoid satanic whispers, as Shayṭān repeatedly casts doubts about invalidation of purity.
◈ Seek Allah’s protection from his evil and do not pay attention to such whispers.
◈ Continue learning the rulings of purification from the people of knowledge to gain insight.
◈ Keep your clothes clean so that prayer and worship are valid.
Allah Almighty says:
﴿ إِنَّ اللَّهَ يُحِبُّ التَّوَّابِينَ وَيُحِبُّ الْمُتَطَهِّرِينَ ﴾
Translation:
“Indeed, Allah loves those who repent and loves those who purify themselves.”
May Allah grant us beneficial knowledge and righteous deeds. Āmīn.
ھذا ما عندي واللہ أعلم بالصواب
Volume 01 – Page 55
Question
السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاتهInvalidators of Wuḍūʾ (Nawāqiḍ al-Wuḍūʾ)
Answer
With the help of al-Wahhāb, subject to the validity of the questionوعليكم السلام ورحمة الله وبركاته!
All praise is for Allah, and peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah. To proceed:
In the previous pages, you have studied—based on authentic aḥādīth—the conditions, obligations, Sunnahs, and the detailed method of wuḍūʾ. Now it is necessary to inform you of those things and states that invalidate wuḍūʾ, so that it does not happen that wuḍūʾ has been nullified, yet out of ignorance one continues worship while assuming it is valid—such worship would neither be correct nor accepted.
My Muslim brother! There are certain things and conditions that nullify wuḍūʾ. If any one of them occurs, wuḍūʾ does not remain valid, and a new wuḍūʾ becomes obligatory for the act of worship for which wuḍūʾ was performed. These are known as “Nawāqiḍ al-Wuḍūʾ” (invalidators of wuḍūʾ).
The Lawgiver ﷺ has clearly explained these invalidators:
◈ Some invalidate wuḍūʾ with certainty, such as urination, defecation, or anything exiting from the front or rear private parts of a man or woman.
◈ Some are such states in which wuḍūʾ is most likely invalidated, such as loss of intellect, overpowering sleep, unconsciousness, insanity, etc. When intellect is absent, awareness of one’s condition is lost; therefore, these states are also considered signs of invalidation.
Now, see the details below:
① Anything Exiting From the Front or Rear Private Parts
Anything that exits from the front or rear private parts of a man or woman invalidates wuḍūʾ, such as:✔ Urine
✔ Feces
✔ Semen (manī)
✔ Pre-ejaculatory fluid (madhī)
✔ Menstrual blood
✔ Istihāḍah (irregular bleeding)
✔ Passing wind
Regarding urine and feces, wuḍūʾ is invalidated according to clear Sharʿī proofs and the consensus of the Ummah. Allah Almighty says while mentioning causes requiring purification:
﴿ أَوْ جَاءَ أَحَدٌ مِّنكُم مِّنَ الْغَائِطِ ﴾
Reference: al-Māʾidah 5:6
Translation:
“Or one of you comes after relieving himself (then perform wuḍūʾ).”
If semen or madhī is discharged, then according to authentic aḥādīth, wuḍūʾ is invalidated. Imām Ibn al-Mundhir رحمه الله and others have transmitted consensus on this.
Likewise, wuḍūʾ does not remain valid when istihāḍah blood flows. It should be noted that istihāḍah is bleeding due to illness and is different from menstrual blood. In this regard, it is reported that Sayyidah Fāṭimah bint Abī Ḥubaysh رضي الله عنها experienced istihāḍah. When she asked about it, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
«فَتَوَضَّئِي وَصَلِّي فَإِنَّمَا هُوَ عِرْقٌ»
“Perform wuḍūʾ and pray, for this is only a vein.”
Reference: Sunan Abī Dāwūd: 286; Sunan al-Dāraquṭnī 1/206
Passing wind also invalidates wuḍūʾ, as proven by authentic aḥādīth and consensus. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
«لَا يَقْبَلُ اللَّهُ صَلَاةَ أَحَدِكُمْ إِذَا أَحْدَثَ حَتَّى يَتَوَضَّأَ»
“Allah does not accept the prayer of any one of you when he is in a state of ḥadath until he performs wuḍūʾ.”
Reference: Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī: 6954; Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim: 225
If a person doubts whether wind has passed or not, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
«لَا يَنْصَرِفْ حَتَّى يَسْمَعَ صَوْتًا أَوْ يَجِدَ رِيحًا»
“He should not leave unless he hears a sound or perceives a smell.”
Reference: Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī: 137; Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim: 361
If something exits from a path other than the usual ones—such as blood, vomiting, or nosebleed—then the scholars differ regarding whether wuḍūʾ is invalidated. The stronger opinion appears to be that wuḍūʾ is not invalidated in these cases.
② Loss of Intellect
Loss of intellect invalidates wuḍūʾ.◈ Loss of intellect includes insanity and similar conditions.
◈ Covering of intellect includes overpowering sleep or unconsciousness.
All these states are among the invalidators of wuḍūʾ, because during them wuḍūʾ may be nullified without one realizing it.
However, light sleep while sitting does not invalidate wuḍūʾ, because it is reported that the Companions رضي الله عنهم used to doze while sitting and waiting for congregational prayer.
Reference: Sunan Abī Dāwūd: 200; Jāmiʿ al-Tirmidhī: 78; Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim: 376
Reconciliation between the evidences shows that intentional and deep sleep invalidates wuḍūʾ.
③ Eating Camel Meat
Eating camel meat—whether little or much—invalidates wuḍūʾ. According to Imām Aḥmad رحمه الله, there are two authentic and explicit narrations from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ regarding this.
Reference: Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim: 360; Sunan Abī Dāwūd: 184
Eating the meat of any other lawful animal does not invalidate wuḍūʾ.
④ Matters of Scholarly Disagreement
There are some issues regarding which scholars differ as to whether wuḍūʾ is invalidated or not, such as:① Touching the private parts
② Touching a woman with desire
③ Bathing a deceased person
④ Apostasy (ridda)
According to one group of scholars, wuḍūʾ is invalidated by these, while others do not consider any of them to invalidate wuḍūʾ. This is a matter of ijtihād. To avoid disagreement, performing wuḍūʾ in such cases is preferable.
⑤ The Principle of Certainty and Doubt
If a person is certain that he has attained purity, and later doubts whether wuḍūʾ remains or not, then Sayyidunā Abū Hurayrah رضي الله عنه narrated that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:«إِذَا وَجَدَ أَحَدُكُمْ فِي بَطْنِهِ شَيْئًا فَأَشْكَلَ عَلَيْهِ أَخَرَجَ مِنْهُ شَيْءٌ أَمْ لَا، فَلَا يَخْرُجَنَّ مِنَ الْمَسْجِدِ حَتَّى يَسْمَعَ صَوْتًا أَوْ يَجِدَ رِيحًا»
“When one of you feels something in his abdomen and becomes doubtful whether something has exited or not, he should not leave the mosque until he hears a sound or finds a smell.”
Reference: Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim: 362
From these narrations, the following principle is established:
✔ If purity is certain and ḥadath is doubtful, purity remains.
✔ Certainty is not removed by doubt.
✔ Everything remains upon its original state unless there is certainty otherwise.
Conversely, if a person is certain of ḥadath and doubtful about purity, then performing wuḍūʾ is obligatory, because here ḥadath is definite.
⑥ Advice and Reminder
My Muslim brother!◈ Take special care regarding purity for prayer, for prayer is not valid without it.
◈ Try to avoid satanic whispers, as Shayṭān repeatedly casts doubts about invalidation of purity.
◈ Seek Allah’s protection from his evil and do not pay attention to such whispers.
◈ Continue learning the rulings of purification from the people of knowledge to gain insight.
◈ Keep your clothes clean so that prayer and worship are valid.
Allah Almighty says:
﴿ إِنَّ اللَّهَ يُحِبُّ التَّوَّابِينَ وَيُحِبُّ الْمُتَطَهِّرِينَ ﴾
Reference: al-Baqarah 2:222
Translation:
“Indeed, Allah loves those who repent and loves those who purify themselves.”
May Allah grant us beneficial knowledge and righteous deeds. Āmīn.
ھذا ما عندي واللہ أعلم بالصواب
