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Difficulty Keeping Wudhu

Q: I need your help to resolve a personal problem that has made my life very difficult for many years. My problem is that when I intend to pray a lot of gas starts to build up in my bowels. I make Wudhu with difficulty by stopping it and pray in the same way. This problem always occurs whenever I decide to pray.

I need your help to resolve a personal problem that has made my life very difficult for many years. My problem is that when I intend to pray a lot of gas starts to build up in my bowels. I make Wudhu with difficulty by stopping it and pray in the same way. This problem always occurs whenever I decide to pray.

At other times I have gas problem comparable to a normal person. Following is an account of hardships that I have been facing because of it.

1. I live in Canada where to make Wudhu and pray on time requires a lot of effort in an office environment. I would like to pray multiple Salah especially in winter with one Wudhu but I cannot.

2. Praying Salah with Jama’ah is extremely hard. I want to go to mosque more frequently but it is simply not possible for me.

3. I cannot concentrate during Salah because I am more focused on stopping the gas than on the prayer itself. Even then most of the times I am not sure if I were able to keep my Wudhu or not.

4. I cannot offer Nafl Salah because doing even Fard is very hard for me.

5. Sometimes people force me to lead the Salah which I try to avoid but at times I have to do it. This makes me feel guilty that I am responsible for invalidating the other people’s Salah due to my condition.

In my opinion I should be excused from breaking the Wudhu by passing of the gas only because I have no control over it. As long as I have the Wudhu the gas keeps bothering me until the Wudhu is broken.

Please advise keeping in mind the above difficulties and also the fact that I live in a western country where practicing Shariah is quite difficult.

 

A: Respected Brother/Sister in Islam

The following are a few points that may assist you:

1. Remember that your Wudhu will only be deemed to be broken if you have absolute certainty. Having a doubt that one's Wudhu is broken does not cause Wudhu to break.
Rasulullah (Salallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam) said that one should not leave the Masjid out of a doubt of passing wind until one hears the sound thereof or gets the smell thereof. In other words, one must be absolutely certain that one's Wudhu has broken and not rely on mere doubts.
Some Ulama have mentioned that one should be able to take an oath by Allah to say that one's Wudu is broken, for the Wudhu to be regarded as broken. If one is unable to take such an oath, one's Wudhu will be deemed to be unbroken and hence, valid.
This treatment will initially require dedication from yourself and may not be easy. However, if you implement it religiously it should solve your problem to a great extent.

2. You may seek medical treatment regarding your condition and this could help to some extent.

3. Manage your diet by avoiding things that cause excessive gas.

4. If you are genuinely unable to control the gas, you may monitor your condition for the duration of one Salah time. If you are unable to maintain your Wudhu for the length of time in which you are able to make your Wudhu and complete your Salah during the entire Salah time, then you would be regarded as Ma'zur (excused) in the Shariah and one Wudhu for each Salah time will suffice you.

Once this is established, you will remain a ma’zur for an entire Salah time during which you do not pass wind. As long as one is deemed a Shari Ma’zur, one may pray any amount of Salah, Fardh or Nafl during that Salah time with a single Wudhu and the passing of wind (in your case) will not cause one's Wudhu to break. However, if the Wudhu breaks due to some other reason, e.g. passing urine, stool etc., then the Wudhu will be deemed to have broken. The Wudhu of a Shari Ma’zur will become invalid once the Salah time exits. Raddul Muhtaar, Vol 1, Page 14

We pray that Allah assist you and cure you of this difficulty.

Darul Ihsan Media Desk
And Allah Knows Best

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