The ruling on one who is certain of his ablution and his state of ritual impurity but forgets which came first

The questioner : Now, this man said, "I was in a state of ablution until the sun rose, and I have no doubt about that. After the sun rose and until Dhuhr, I performed ablution and had a state of ritual impurity, and I do not know which came first. If the state of ritual impurity came first, he is now in a state of ablution. If the ablution came first, he is now in a state of ritual impurity. He does not know now. There is a possibility that your first ablution was one you were certain of."

The Shaykh : It is not from a state of ritual impurity such that we would say you remain in a state of ablution. It may have been a renewal, and you may now be in a state of ritual impurity. So if this possibility is present, a person is not taken out of certainty except by ablution. If he performs this ablution, if it was obligatory upon him, he has fulfilled it. If it was not obligatory upon him, it is a recommended practice. Even the jurists (may Allah have mercy on them) said that if doubt becomes strong, it is recommended to perform ablution in order to perform purity with certainty. Yes.

The presenter : The scholars are monitoring this issue. If he was in a state of purity, we now consider him in a state of purity. We consider him in a state of ritual impurity.

The Shaykh : In a state of ritual impurity. Yes.

The presenter : The opposite.

The Shaykh : And likewise the opposite: if he was in a state of ritual impurity before the sun rose and was certain of both matters, he says, "Now you are in a state of purity." There is a consideration for this, because we say that perhaps this man had a state of ritual impurity and then performed ablution, so he is now on his ablution. And perhaps the man renewed his ablution and then renewed his first ablution with which he prayed Fajr. May Allah will it. May Allah bless you. Yes. If he was in a state of ritual impurity until the sun rose, and from the sun rising until Dhuhr he was certain that an ablution and a state of ritual impurity occurred, but he does not know which came first, then according to the school of thought, he is now in a state of purity. He says there is a possibility that the man purified himself first and then had a state of ritual impurity. This is the closest view. This is the closest view because he was not clearly in a state of ritual impurity at first, and it appeared that he performed ablution and then had a state of ritual impurity. Therefore, the view that it is obligatory is a strong view: that if he is certain of both and ignorant of which came first, he must perform ablution absolutely, whether he was ignorant of his state before them or not.