Cleansing oneself after passing wind is an innovation

7-11-2010 | IslamWeb

Question:

Assalamu Alaikum, i have a question about wind, when it comes out hard enough it leaves a smell on my trousers and sometimes also my backside feels a little bit greasy like i used the bathroom but did'nt properly wash myself, can i still pray under these conditions, particularly because i'm a student and i'm in school mostly and don't have access to facilities to wash any of these when the obligatory prayer time comes

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Answer:

All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger.

We have already issued Fatwa 86250 clarifying that it is not an obligation to cleanse oneself after passing wind according to the consensus of the scholars and that some scholars are of the view that cleansing oneself after passing wind is an innovation.

As regards the wetness that you feel, if you are sure that it is a result of other than wind, then you are obligated to cleanse yourself of it as your ritual purity and prayer are not valid if you did not cleanse yourself of it. Indeed, the jurists stated that ablution or Tayammum (dry ablution) are not valid before cleansing oneself of urine or feces. Also, the prayer is not valid in this case because among the conditions for the validity of the prayer is being free from both minor and major impurities (that necessitate Ghusl or Wudu) and removing any impurities from the body as well.

However, if your feeling is just a whisper or doubt, then in principle the place is clean and you are not obligated to cleanse yourself. Also, if there is wetness and you doubt whether it is a sweat or a discharge from the rear, then in principle it is a sweat and not a discharge from the rear. The jurists stated that ‘if someone has wetness and he doubts whether it is from outside his body or from inside it, then it does not invalidate [his Wudu]’.

Allaah Knows best.