The Ruling on Passing Gas in the Mosque

The questioner : And his need to urinate or defecate, urinate or defecate, because this is a need, or rather a dire necessity, and passing gas.

The Shaykh : Yes, yes, yes, yes. If you say that he passes this, it contradicts the apparent meaning of the hadith. And if you say he does not pass it, this necessitates that he passes gas in the mosque, because sometimes a person suffering from excessive gas finds holding it in as difficult as holding in urine or feces. So some scholars say there is no harm in passing gas in the mosque. This is based on the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) regarding the one waiting for prayer that he did not pass gas or leave the mosque. In my view, there is a point to consider in using this hadith as evidence, because the fact that his state of prayer is interrupted, for the interruption of his prayer by passing gas indicates that this is a matter of punishment, and there is no punishment for a permissible act. Furthermore, passing gas in the mosque is something that harms the angels, because it harms people. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: The correct view is that passing gas from the rear in the mosque is between being disliked and being forbidden, and it is not permissible. Based on this, we say: go out of the mosque, yes, until the gas passes, then return.