What are the nullifiers of wudu, and is exposing the awrah above the knee a nullifier of wudu? And is taking a shower sufficient in place of wudu?
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The questioner : What are the nullifiers of wudu such that if one of them occurs for the person who has performed wudu, his wudu becomes invalid? And is exposing the awrah from above the knee a nullifier of wudu, meaning if a person’s awrah is exposed above his knees, is he required to repeat his wudu? And is taking a shower for the entire body sufficient in place of wudu, or is it not?
The Shaykh : This question actually contains three questions, and we will mention them not in order. First, he asks: Is taking a shower sufficient in place of wudu? If the shower is for janabah, then it is sufficient in place of wudu, by the saying of Allah the Exalted:[Al-Ma'idah 5:6] And it is better for the one who bathes from janabah to perform wudu first, as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to wash his private parts after washing his hands, then perform wudu as for prayer, then pour water over his head, and when he thought he had saturated his skin, he would pour it over him three times, then wash the rest of his body.
As for if the shower is for cleanliness or for cooling off, then it is not sufficient in place of wudu, because that is not from worship but rather from ordinary matters. And although the Shari'ah commands cleanliness, cleanliness is not in this specific manner, but rather cleanliness is absolute, achieved by whatever means cleaning is done. In any case, if the shower is for cooling off or for cleanliness, it does not suffice in place of wudu.
The second issue contained in the question is exposing the awrah: does it nullify wudu? The answer is that it does not nullify wudu, even if someone looks at it; his wudu does not become invalid, neither his nor the one looking. And although among the common people, or some of the common people, it is held that looking at the awrah is a nullifier of wudu, or that exposing it is a nullifier of wudu, this has no basis.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : As for the third issue, it is the nullifiers of wudu. The nullifiers of wudu are a matter in which there has been disagreement among the scholars, but we will mention what is a nullifier by virtue of the evidence. Among the nullifiers of wudu is what comes out from the two passages, meaning what comes out from the front private part or the back passage.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : So whatever comes out from the front private part or the back passage is a nullifier of wudu, whether it is urine, feces, pre-seminal fluid, semen, or wind. Anything that comes out from the back passage or the front private part is a nullifier of wudu, and you do not need to ask about it. But if it is semen and it comes out with desire, it is known that it necessitates the full ritual bath.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : And if it is pre-seminal fluid, it necessitates washing the penis and the testicles, along with performing wudu as well.
And among what nullifies wudu is also sleep, if it is much such that the sleeper would not be aware if he passed wind. But if the sleep is light and the sleeper is aware of himself if he passes wind, then it does not nullify wudu. There is no difference in this between being asleep lying down, or sitting leaning on something, or sitting without leaning. The important thing is the state of his heart’s presence. If he is in a state where if he passed wind he would feel it, then his wudu does not become invalid. And if he is in a state where if he passed wind he would not feel it, then he must perform wudu. This is because sleep itself is not a nullifier, but rather it is a place where the state of ritual impurity is likely to occur. So if the state of ritual impurity is absent because the person is aware of it if it happens to him, then the wudu does not become invalid. The evidence that sleep itself is not a nullifier is that light sleep does not nullify wudu, and if it were a nullifier, its light and heavy forms would nullify it, just as urine nullifies it in its light and heavy forms.
And among the nullifiers of wudu is also eating the meat of camels, meaning the she-camel or the male camel. If a person eats meat from the meat of camels, the she-camel or the male camel, then his wudu becomes invalid, whether it is raw or cooked. This is because it is established from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) in the hadith of Jabir ibn Samurah: So the fact that he makes wudu from the meat of sheep dependent on the person’s choice is evidence that wudu from the meat of camels is not dependent on his choice and that it is necessary. And on this basis, it is obligatory to perform wudu from the meat of camels if a person eats it, whether it is raw or cooked. There is no difference between red meat and non-red meat; eating the stomach, intestines, liver, heart, fat, and everything—anything that falls under the name of meat—nullifies wudu. All parts of the camel are nullifiers, because the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) did not specify, and he knew that people eat from this and that. If the ruling were different, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would have clarified it for people so that they would be clear about their matter. Then, we do not know in the Islamic Shari'ah an animal whose ruling differs regarding its parts; it is either lawful or forbidden, or it necessitates wudu or it does not. As for some of it having one ruling and some of it having another ruling, this is not known in the Islamic Shari'ah, although it is known in the Shari'ah of the Jews, as Allah the Exalted said: [Al-An'am 6:146] And for this reason, the scholars agreed that the fat of the pig is forbidden, even though Allah the Exalted did not mention in the Qur'an anything but the meat, saying: [Al-Ma'idah 5:3] And I do not know of a disagreement among the scholars that the fat, meaning the fat of the pig, is forbidden. And on this basis, we say that the meat mentioned in the hadith regarding camels includes the fat, and includes the intestines and the stomach. And because wudu from these parts is more cautious and more absolving of the conscience, if a person eats from these parts, from the liver or the intestines or the stomach, and he performs wudu and prays, his prayer is valid. But if he does not perform wudu and prays, his prayer is invalid according to many of the scholars. And on this basis, it is more cautious, and what is more cautious is more preferable because it is more absolving of the conscience. And the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Sunan an-Nasa'i 5711Sahih (Darussalam)
The questioner : May Allah bless you.
The Shaykh : This question actually contains three questions, and we will mention them not in order. First, he asks: Is taking a shower sufficient in place of wudu? If the shower is for janabah, then it is sufficient in place of wudu, by the saying of Allah the Exalted:
And if you are in a state of janabah, then purify yourselves
وإن كنتم جنباً فاطهرواAs for if the shower is for cleanliness or for cooling off, then it is not sufficient in place of wudu, because that is not from worship but rather from ordinary matters. And although the Shari'ah commands cleanliness, cleanliness is not in this specific manner, but rather cleanliness is absolute, achieved by whatever means cleaning is done. In any case, if the shower is for cooling off or for cleanliness, it does not suffice in place of wudu.
The second issue contained in the question is exposing the awrah: does it nullify wudu? The answer is that it does not nullify wudu, even if someone looks at it; his wudu does not become invalid, neither his nor the one looking. And although among the common people, or some of the common people, it is held that looking at the awrah is a nullifier of wudu, or that exposing it is a nullifier of wudu, this has no basis.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : As for the third issue, it is the nullifiers of wudu. The nullifiers of wudu are a matter in which there has been disagreement among the scholars, but we will mention what is a nullifier by virtue of the evidence. Among the nullifiers of wudu is what comes out from the two passages, meaning what comes out from the front private part or the back passage.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : So whatever comes out from the front private part or the back passage is a nullifier of wudu, whether it is urine, feces, pre-seminal fluid, semen, or wind. Anything that comes out from the back passage or the front private part is a nullifier of wudu, and you do not need to ask about it. But if it is semen and it comes out with desire, it is known that it necessitates the full ritual bath.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : And if it is pre-seminal fluid, it necessitates washing the penis and the testicles, along with performing wudu as well.
And among what nullifies wudu is also sleep, if it is much such that the sleeper would not be aware if he passed wind. But if the sleep is light and the sleeper is aware of himself if he passes wind, then it does not nullify wudu. There is no difference in this between being asleep lying down, or sitting leaning on something, or sitting without leaning. The important thing is the state of his heart’s presence. If he is in a state where if he passed wind he would feel it, then his wudu does not become invalid. And if he is in a state where if he passed wind he would not feel it, then he must perform wudu. This is because sleep itself is not a nullifier, but rather it is a place where the state of ritual impurity is likely to occur. So if the state of ritual impurity is absent because the person is aware of it if it happens to him, then the wudu does not become invalid. The evidence that sleep itself is not a nullifier is that light sleep does not nullify wudu, and if it were a nullifier, its light and heavy forms would nullify it, just as urine nullifies it in its light and heavy forms.
And among the nullifiers of wudu is also eating the meat of camels, meaning the she-camel or the male camel. If a person eats meat from the meat of camels, the she-camel or the male camel, then his wudu becomes invalid, whether it is raw or cooked. This is because it is established from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) in the hadith of Jabir ibn Samurah:
He was asked, (peace and blessings be upon him): Do we perform wudu from the meat of sheep? He said: If you wish. He said: Do we perform wudu from the meat of camels? He said: Yes.
أنه سئل عليه الصلاة والسلام أنتوضأ من لحوم الغنم قال إن شئت فقال أنتوضأ من لحم الإبل قال نعمAnd to those who are Jews We prohibited every animal of uncloven hoof; and of the cattle and the sheep We prohibited to them their fat, except what adheres to their backs or the entrails or what is joined with bone
وعلى الذين هادوا حرمنا كل ذي ظفر ومن البقر والغنم حرّمنا عليهم شحومهما إلا ما حملت ظهورهما أو الحوايا أو ما اختلط بعظمProhibited to you are dead animals, blood, the flesh of swine, and that which has been dedicated to other than Allah
حرمت عليكم الميتة والدم ولحم الخنزير وما أهِل لغير الله بهLeave that which makes you doubt for that which does not make you doubt.
دع ما يريبك إلى ما لا يريبكThe questioner : May Allah bless you.