If a person performs wudu' while in a state of distraction and does not remember it until after leaving the restroom, is his wudu' valid?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner : May Allah guide you and protect you, O esteemed Shaykh. If a person goes to the restroom and performs wudu' while in a state of distraction, and does not remember it until after he has left the restroom, is his wudu' considered valid in this state?
The Shaykh : What is the obstacle?
The questioner : He is in a state of distraction and does not remember anything of his wudu' at all, and he does not remember when he turned on the water, nor...
The Shaykh : The important thing is that he went to the ablution area and performed wudu'.
The questioner : Perhaps the intention is not present.
The Shaykh : Yes
The questioner : I mean, he is in a state of distraction, thinking about a specific thing.
The Shaykh : Yes, if he is in a state of distraction, may Allah bless you, what took him to the ablution area, and he washed his hands, rinsed his mouth, inhaled water into his nose, washed his face, and finished, and said: I bear witness that there is no god but Allah and I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah? All of this while he is not aware of himself?
The questioner : No, he is thinking about a specific thing or some matter.
The Shaykh : Even if he is thinking, it does not contradict [the validity].
The questioner : I mean, is his wudu' considered valid?
The Shaykh : Yes, his wudu' is valid without a doubt.
The questioner : Even if he does not remember whether he intended to perform wudu' or not?
The Shaykh : He did not go except while intending [to do so].
The questioner : He might be in a state of distraction.
The Shaykh : The scholars (may Allah have mercy on them) say: If Allah obligated us to perform a deed without intention, it would be an obligation of what is not bearable. A man came to Ibn Aqil (an early scholar of the Hanbali school) and said to him: "O Abu Ali, peace be upon you." He said to him: "O my master, I go to bathe from major ritual impurity in the Tigris, the Tigris is a river, and then I come out while I believe that I am still in a state of major ritual impurity." Ibn Aqil (may Allah have mercy on him) said to him: "Do not pray! Do not pray." He said: "How can I not pray?" He said: "Yes, do not pray, because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:Sahih Ibn Hibban 4:18 And a man who goes to the Tigris to bathe and then comes out and says: I do not believe that I bathed, that is madness. Yes.
The Shaykh : What is the obstacle?
The questioner : He is in a state of distraction and does not remember anything of his wudu' at all, and he does not remember when he turned on the water, nor...
The Shaykh : The important thing is that he went to the ablution area and performed wudu'.
The questioner : Perhaps the intention is not present.
The Shaykh : Yes
The questioner : I mean, he is in a state of distraction, thinking about a specific thing.
The Shaykh : Yes, if he is in a state of distraction, may Allah bless you, what took him to the ablution area, and he washed his hands, rinsed his mouth, inhaled water into his nose, washed his face, and finished, and said: I bear witness that there is no god but Allah and I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah? All of this while he is not aware of himself?
The questioner : No, he is thinking about a specific thing or some matter.
The Shaykh : Even if he is thinking, it does not contradict [the validity].
The questioner : I mean, is his wudu' considered valid?
The Shaykh : Yes, his wudu' is valid without a doubt.
The questioner : Even if he does not remember whether he intended to perform wudu' or not?
The Shaykh : He did not go except while intending [to do so].
The questioner : He might be in a state of distraction.
The Shaykh : The scholars (may Allah have mercy on them) say: If Allah obligated us to perform a deed without intention, it would be an obligation of what is not bearable. A man came to Ibn Aqil (an early scholar of the Hanbali school) and said to him: "O Abu Ali, peace be upon you." He said to him: "O my master, I go to bathe from major ritual impurity in the Tigris, the Tigris is a river, and then I come out while I believe that I am still in a state of major ritual impurity." Ibn Aqil (may Allah have mercy on him) said to him: "Do not pray! Do not pray." He said: "How can I not pray?" He said: "Yes, do not pray, because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: