It is well known that one of the nullifiers of wudu' is minor ritual impurity. If a man becomes ritually impure, is he required to perform only wudu', or both wudu' and istinja'?
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The questioner : From al-Dhahran, a listener sent a set of questions. In the first question, he says: It is well known that one of the nullifiers of wudu' is minor ritual impurity. The question is: If a man becomes ritually impure, is he required to perform only wudu', or both wudu' and istinja'? And if he wants to pray or read the Qur'an, what is the ruling in that case? We ask for guidance. He also asks: What is the ruling for one who suffers from these gases, as they affect him during every prayer?
The Shaykh : Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds. And I send prayers and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad, the Seal of the Prophets and the Imam of the righteous, and upon his family and his Companions, and those who follow them with excellence until the Day of Judgment.
The questioner : O Allah, send blessings and peace upon him.
The Shaykh : Minor ritual impurity is anything that necessitates wudu'. It is divided into categories. If the impurity is due to urine or feces, then istinja' and wudu' are obligatory. If it is due to anything else, istinja' is not obligatory, because istinja' is only obligatory for the removal of ritual impurity, and there is no ritual impurity except in urine and feces. Accordingly, if wind passes from a person who is in a state of wudu', he is only required to perform wudu', which is washing the face and hands, wiping the head, and washing the feet. He is not required to perform istinja' because there is no cause that necessitates it.
As for what some of the common people believe regarding the obligation of istinja' with every wudu', this has no basis. As for the gases mentioned by the questioner that occur to him during his prayer, these gases have no effect if they do not pass out, because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was asked about a man who feels something during his prayer, and he (peace and blessings be upon him) said:Sahih Muslim 361 meaning until he is certain of it with a tangible certainty, either by hearing the sound or smelling the odor. As for mere suspicion that arises from gases in the stomach, that has no effect. This is from the mercy of Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) toward His servants, that certainty is not lifted except by certainty. The certain state of purity is not lifted except by a certain occurrence of ritual impurity, certain in its establishment as ritual impurity by the Shari'ah, and certain in its actual occurrence for the person obligated. If there are texts that are not explicit in the obligation of wudu' and the occurrence of ritual impurity, then wudu' is not obligatory and ritual impurity does not occur due to them. This is because the existence of wudu' is certain, and only certainty can lift it. Likewise, if a person doubts the occurrence of a ritual impurity indicated by the texts and is not certain that it occurred with him, then he is not required to perform wudu'.
In summary, the answer is that we say: If a person's wudu' is nullified by urine or feces, he is required to perform istinja' and wudu'. If his wudu' is nullified by a ritual impurity other than urine and feces, he is only required to perform wudu'. And if a person doubts, while in prayer or outside of prayer, that his wudu' has been nullified due to the presence of gases in his stomach, then he owes nothing and is not required to perform wudu' until he is certain. Yes.
The questioner : May Allah bless you.
The Shaykh : Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds. And I send prayers and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad, the Seal of the Prophets and the Imam of the righteous, and upon his family and his Companions, and those who follow them with excellence until the Day of Judgment.
The questioner : O Allah, send blessings and peace upon him.
The Shaykh : Minor ritual impurity is anything that necessitates wudu'. It is divided into categories. If the impurity is due to urine or feces, then istinja' and wudu' are obligatory. If it is due to anything else, istinja' is not obligatory, because istinja' is only obligatory for the removal of ritual impurity, and there is no ritual impurity except in urine and feces. Accordingly, if wind passes from a person who is in a state of wudu', he is only required to perform wudu', which is washing the face and hands, wiping the head, and washing the feet. He is not required to perform istinja' because there is no cause that necessitates it.
As for what some of the common people believe regarding the obligation of istinja' with every wudu', this has no basis. As for the gases mentioned by the questioner that occur to him during his prayer, these gases have no effect if they do not pass out, because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was asked about a man who feels something during his prayer, and he (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
He should not return (from prayer) unless he hears a sound or perceives a smell (of passing wind).
لا ينصرف حتى يسمع صوتا أو يجد ريحاIn summary, the answer is that we say: If a person's wudu' is nullified by urine or feces, he is required to perform istinja' and wudu'. If his wudu' is nullified by a ritual impurity other than urine and feces, he is only required to perform wudu'. And if a person doubts, while in prayer or outside of prayer, that his wudu' has been nullified due to the presence of gases in his stomach, then he owes nothing and is not required to perform wudu' until he is certain. Yes.
The questioner : May Allah bless you.