Is it permissible to hold in wind during prayer?

The questioner : The questioner asks: Is it permissible to hold in wind or gases exiting the human body during prayer?

The Shaykh : Yes, it is permissible to hold in the gases or wind that are in one’s stomach if one is praying. However, if it exits from him without his intention in this state, he must leave the prayer, and it is not permissible for him to continue in prayer after his state of ritual impurity. If he is a ma’mum (one praying behind the imam), he leaves and no problem arises. It is recommended that if he fears people will criticize him for leaving, he should place his hand on his nose, as if he is sneezing, so that people do not mock him for leaving the prayer. As for the imam, if he becomes ritually impure during the prayer, it is better for him to tell one of those behind him to step forward and complete the prayer with them until the prayer is finished. If the imam does not do so and leaves when he becomes impure, it is permissible for the ma’mums to pray individually, each completing his own prayer, or they may appoint one of them to lead them in completing the prayer. Likewise, if a person remembers that he is in a state of ritual impurity while in the middle of the prayer, he must leave. If he is a ma’mum, he leaves, performs wudu’ (ablution), and comes back to pray with the people if possible. If he is the imam and remembers while praying that he is in a state of ritual impurity and that his wudu’ has been broken and he has not performed wudu’, he leaves his prayer and appoints someone to complete the prayer with the ma’mums, and the ma’mums complete their prayer with this imam appointed by the first imam. If he does not do so, it is permissible for the ma’mums to complete the prayer individually or with an imam they appoint. There is no evidence that the ma’mum’s prayer is invalidated by the invalidation of the imam’s prayer, because what invalidates the ma’mum’s prayer? He has performed it in the prescribed manner and in the manner he was commanded to. Did he become ritually impure? No. Did he do something that contradicts the prayer? No. He followed an imam whose prayer was found to be invalid. If the imam’s prayer is invalid, there is nothing upon the ma’mum. And this is indicated by the fact that if it were assumed that the imam was in a state of ritual impurity and did not remember his impurity, meaning he forgot and prayed while in a state of ritual impurity and did not remember until after his taslim (closing salam), then his prayer is invalid, and he must perform wudu’ and repeat the prayer, while the ma’mums’ prayer is valid, even according to the opinion of those who say that the ma’mum’s prayer is invalidated by the invalidation of the imam’s prayer. It is asked: What is the difference between the imam remembering his impurity during the prayer and remembering it after the completion of the prayer? In both cases, the ma’mums followed a man whose prayer is not valid, so what is the difference between this and that? Therefore, the correct view, without doubt, is that the ma’mum’s prayer is not invalidated by the invalidation of the imam’s prayer. As for holding in wind before prayer and a person praying while it is pressing him or he is pressing it, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade this and said: “There is no prayer in the presence of food, nor while one is pressing the two worst things (urine and feces).” The gases in the stomach are sometimes more difficult to hold in than holding in urine and feces. If the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade a person from praying while holding in urine and feces, what about this, if it is more distracting? Therefore, it is obligatory for a person, or rather it is strongly recommended for him, if he has gases, even if the prayer is called while he is in the mosque, even in the Sacred Mosque, to leave, release these gases, perform wudu’, and come back to pray. Even if he misses the prayer, its full reward is recorded for him because he left it for a legitimate religious excuse.