Kissing One’s Wife or Children Does Not Invalidate Wudu

Hadith Reference:​

ʿAbd al-Karīm al-Jazarī narrated from ʿAṭāʾ, who narrated from ʿĀʾishah (رضي الله عنها):
"The Prophet (ﷺ) would kiss (his wife) and then perform prayer without renewing his wudu."

This hadith has been narrated by al-Dāraquṭnī and others and its chain of narrators includes those found in Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī and Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim.

Authenticity & References:
This hadith is authentic (ṣaḥīḥ) and recorded in:

• Musnad Imām Aḥmad bin Ḥanbal (6/201)
• Sunan Abū Dāwūd (179)
• Jāmiʿ al-Tirmidhī (85)
• Sunan al-Nasāʾī (1/101)
• Sunan Ibn Mājah (502)
• Al-Dāraquṭnī (1/137)

For further details, refer to Shaykh Aḥmad Muḥammad Shākir’s commentary in Sunan al-Tirmidhī (pp. 135-138).

Key Lessons Derived from the Hadith:​

➊ Kissing one’s wife or children does not invalidate wudu, and one may proceed to pray without renewing it. However, if the kiss is driven by lust, then wudu is nullified.

➋ It is permissible to kiss one’s wife and children. However, kissing a non-mahram (unlawful person) is strictly forbidden in Islam. A teacher, out of affection and encouragement, may kiss a student’s forehead to appreciate their good manners, provided it is done with pure intentions and without any inappropriate intent.

➌ Kissing small children or young relatives out of affection is allowed. There is no restriction in Islam against showing love and kindness to children in this manner.

Additional Hadith on Wudu & Purity:​

Abū Hurayrah (رضي الله عنه) reported that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said:
"If any of you feels movement in his stomach and is uncertain whether something has been released or not, he should not leave the mosque unless he hears a sound or smells an odor."
[Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim: 362]

Key Lessons from This Hadith:​

➊ The release of wind (gas) invalidates wudu. There are two signs of its occurrence:

• A sound is heard.
• An odor is smelled.
  If neither of these signs is apparent, one should not assume their wudu is broken.

➋ Laughing at someone who accidentally releases wind is inappropriate, as this is a natural occurrence that can happen to anyone. Similarly, a person should observe etiquette and avoid deliberately releasing gas in public gatherings to amuse others.

➌ If an Imam’s wudu breaks during prayer, he should step back and appoint someone else to lead the prayer. If the Imam knowingly continues leading without wudu, this is impermissible in Islam. A person without wudu cannot lead the congregation in prayer.

[This content has been taken from the book Ḍiyāʾ al-Islām fī Sharḥ al-Imām bi-Aḥādīth al-Aḥkām by Shaykh Taqī al-Dīn Abī al-Fatḥ, translated by Mawlānā Maḥmūd Aḥmad Ghaḍanfar.]