Benefits of the Hadith: (If one of you passes gas during the prayer...)
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The Shaykh : This hadith contains several benefits. One of them, which the author cited as his primary purpose, is that a condition for the validity of the prayer is that a person be in a state of ablution, based on his saying: Bulugh al-Maram 2:68 Consequently, if a person prays while in a state of ritual impurity, and he did so intentionally, he has committed a great sin, to the extent that some scholars declared him a disbeliever, stating that if he prays while in a state of ritual impurity and is aware of it, he is a disbeliever. They reasoned this by saying that he is mocking the verses of Allah the Exalted. However, the majority of scholars hold that he is not declared a disbeliever, but that he has committed a great sin. If he did so out of forgetfulness or ignorance, he bears no sin, but he must repeat the prayer. For example, a man prays Maghrib in a state of ablution, then breaks his ablution and does not perform ablution again, and then prays 'Isha' while forgetting that he had broken his ablution after Maghrib. In this case, his 'Isha' prayer is invalid because he prayed without ablution. Another example: a man prays Maghrib in a state of ablution, then eats camel meat for dinner without knowing it was camel meat, and then prays 'Isha'. He learns about the meat after the 'Isha' prayer. In this case, he must perform ablution and repeat the 'Isha' prayer because he prayed without ablution. Now, if he was in a state of major ritual impurity, is his case the same or different? Yes, it is the same, or even more severe, because he treats the minor state of ritual impurity with the same disregard as the major state of ritual impurity. If a man gets up at night and prays Fajr, and then sees traces of major ritual impurity on his garment, he must perform the full ritual bath and repeat the prayer because he prayed without ritual purity. Another benefit of this hadith is the permissibility of explicitly stating what one is shy to mention when there is a need, as indicated by the phrase "What is it?" The one who speaks of this is the most severe among people, and all such things break the ablution because they come out from the rear passage. Another benefit of this hadith is the obligation to leave the prayer if a person breaks his ablution, and that it is not permissible for him to continue, based on his saying: If someone asks: "If this happens to me while I am in the row, should I leave or stay and continue without intention?"
The answer is: Leave until you perform ablution and catch up with the remaining part of the prayer. If he says: "I am shy to leave the row while people are watching," we say: First, there is no shame in such matters because they happen to everyone. Second, if you fear this, place your hand over your nose, like this, place your hand over your nose, so that when people see you, they say: "This man has a runny nose." Having a runny nose happens to everyone and there is no shame in it. The important thing is that you do not continue. Some people have told me that they continue if they are the imam, saying: "It is difficult if I leave while I am the imam; people will say, 'What is our imam doing?'" This is a problem. We say: Praise be to Allah, the truth is more deserving of being followed. Leave and instruct one of the worshippers to complete the prayer for them. If you do not instruct anyone, the worshippers
may appoint one of them to complete the prayer for them. If they do not do so, they pray individually. The matter is broad, and praise be to Allah. Another benefit of this hadith is the great status of the prayer. The great status of the prayer, and how worthy it is of being honored, because if a person truly prays, my brothers, he detaches himself from the world and turns to Allah the Exalted. It is fitting for one who detaches himself to stand before Allah the Exalted to be in the best possible state. In fact, some of the Salaf decided that doctors must amputate [a limb]. They decided this and agreed, but he said: "Let me pray. When I enter the prayer, then amputate it." Why? Because when he enters the prayer, he forgets everything, and the amputation does not cause him pain or suffering because he is occupied, occupied with being before Allah the Exalted. So the important point is that the obligation of ritual purity for the prayer is evidence of its great status and that it is worthy of that. Another benefit of the hadith is that if a person breaks his ablution during his prayer, he does not build upon what has passed. He does not build upon what has passed, but he restarts the prayer. A corollary of this is that if a person breaks his ablution during the circumambulation, and we say that ablution is a condition for the validity of the circumambulation, he must leave the circumambulation, perform ablution, and then build upon what preceded or restart the circumambulation? He restarts the circumambulation. He restarts the circumambulation. How great is the hardship of this during the peak seasons! A man breaks his ablution in the seventh lap and, with great difficulty, reaches the seventh lap. We tell him: "Go out and perform ablution." It is known that he will find it difficult to exit the courtyard of the Tawaf, and then to find a place to perform ablution, because the ablution areas will be crowded. He may have to walk kilometers to find a place to perform ablution. Then, when he returns, we say: "Start over from the beginning." For this reason, the opinion that people should be given as a ruling, especially during the peak seasons, is the opinion of Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him) that ablution in the circumambulation is not a condition, but it is part of its perfection. As for it being a condition for its validity, as is required in the prayer, there is no evidence for it in the Qur'an or the Sunnah. Shaykh al-Islam (may Allah have mercy on him) investigated this issue extensively in his *Fatwas* and in his *Minhaj*, in a manner that, if a person reads it, he will know that the correct opinion is the opinion of Shaykh al-Islam (may Allah have mercy on him) that ablution is not a condition for the circumambulation, but it is part of its perfection, especially during the peak seasons and heavy crowds, because a person finds it difficult to burden Allah's servants with ablution and repeating the circumambulation without evidence that serves as a proof before Allah the Exalted. So, a condition for the validity of the prayer is purity from what? From the state of ritual impurity, so that he performs ablution. If he forgot or was ignorant, he repeats the prayer. Is it the same if he forgot or was ignorant of impurity in his garment? No. If he prayed and there was impurity in his garment, forgetting to wash it, his prayer is valid. If he did not know about the impurity in his garment? No. If he prayed and there was impurity in his garment, forgetting to wash it, his prayer is valid. If he did not know about the impurity in his garment until after the prayer, he is not required to repeat it. If he knew about this spot but was not certain it was impurity until after the prayer, he is not required to repeat it. The difference is that avoiding impurity falls under the category of what? It falls under the category of leaving what is prohibited, while not performing ablution falls under the category of leaving what is commanded, and the difference between them is clear.
he should break the Salat (prayer) then perform ablution and repeat the prayer
فلينصرف وليتوضأ وليعد الصلاةIf one of you passes gas
إذا فسا أحدكمlet him turn away
فلينصرفThe answer is: Leave until you perform ablution and catch up with the remaining part of the prayer. If he says: "I am shy to leave the row while people are watching," we say: First, there is no shame in such matters because they happen to everyone. Second, if you fear this, place your hand over your nose, like this, place your hand over your nose, so that when people see you, they say: "This man has a runny nose." Having a runny nose happens to everyone and there is no shame in it. The important thing is that you do not continue. Some people have told me that they continue if they are the imam, saying: "It is difficult if I leave while I am the imam; people will say, 'What is our imam doing?'" This is a problem. We say: Praise be to Allah, the truth is more deserving of being followed. Leave and instruct one of the worshippers to complete the prayer for them. If you do not instruct anyone, the worshippers
may appoint one of them to complete the prayer for them. If they do not do so, they pray individually. The matter is broad, and praise be to Allah. Another benefit of this hadith is the great status of the prayer. The great status of the prayer, and how worthy it is of being honored, because if a person truly prays, my brothers, he detaches himself from the world and turns to Allah the Exalted. It is fitting for one who detaches himself to stand before Allah the Exalted to be in the best possible state. In fact, some of the Salaf decided that doctors must amputate [a limb]. They decided this and agreed, but he said: "Let me pray. When I enter the prayer, then amputate it." Why? Because when he enters the prayer, he forgets everything, and the amputation does not cause him pain or suffering because he is occupied, occupied with being before Allah the Exalted. So the important point is that the obligation of ritual purity for the prayer is evidence of its great status and that it is worthy of that. Another benefit of the hadith is that if a person breaks his ablution during his prayer, he does not build upon what has passed. He does not build upon what has passed, but he restarts the prayer. A corollary of this is that if a person breaks his ablution during the circumambulation, and we say that ablution is a condition for the validity of the circumambulation, he must leave the circumambulation, perform ablution, and then build upon what preceded or restart the circumambulation? He restarts the circumambulation. He restarts the circumambulation. How great is the hardship of this during the peak seasons! A man breaks his ablution in the seventh lap and, with great difficulty, reaches the seventh lap. We tell him: "Go out and perform ablution." It is known that he will find it difficult to exit the courtyard of the Tawaf, and then to find a place to perform ablution, because the ablution areas will be crowded. He may have to walk kilometers to find a place to perform ablution. Then, when he returns, we say: "Start over from the beginning." For this reason, the opinion that people should be given as a ruling, especially during the peak seasons, is the opinion of Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him) that ablution in the circumambulation is not a condition, but it is part of its perfection. As for it being a condition for its validity, as is required in the prayer, there is no evidence for it in the Qur'an or the Sunnah. Shaykh al-Islam (may Allah have mercy on him) investigated this issue extensively in his *Fatwas* and in his *Minhaj*, in a manner that, if a person reads it, he will know that the correct opinion is the opinion of Shaykh al-Islam (may Allah have mercy on him) that ablution is not a condition for the circumambulation, but it is part of its perfection, especially during the peak seasons and heavy crowds, because a person finds it difficult to burden Allah's servants with ablution and repeating the circumambulation without evidence that serves as a proof before Allah the Exalted. So, a condition for the validity of the prayer is purity from what? From the state of ritual impurity, so that he performs ablution. If he forgot or was ignorant, he repeats the prayer. Is it the same if he forgot or was ignorant of impurity in his garment? No. If he prayed and there was impurity in his garment, forgetting to wash it, his prayer is valid. If he did not know about the impurity in his garment? No. If he prayed and there was impurity in his garment, forgetting to wash it, his prayer is valid. If he did not know about the impurity in his garment until after the prayer, he is not required to repeat it. If he knew about this spot but was not certain it was impurity until after the prayer, he is not required to repeat it. The difference is that avoiding impurity falls under the category of what? It falls under the category of leaving what is prohibited, while not performing ablution falls under the category of leaving what is commanded, and the difference between them is clear.