Do Internal Sensations and Noises Invalidate One’s Wudu?

Answered by Mawlana Ilyas Patel

Question

I suffer from waswas, which are derogatory thoughts that taunt me. As a teen without access to a madrasa or a teacher, I deal with flatulence issues. Sometimes I hear clicks and groans near my backside, but no gas is released.

Moving sometimes decreases internal pressure, making me think gas passes, but with no sound or smell, I dismiss it as waswas. It feels so real and scary.

I’m worried about how many salahs I’ve invalidated doing this and the qadha I need to make up. My gas sometimes passes quietly, sometimes loudly. What should I do?

Answer

In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate.

Your question and writing suggest you often doubted the validity of your prayers because of these sensations. If these were doubts, your prayers were valid, and no makeups (qadas) are needed.

If you were certain that wind existed during certain prayers, you would need to do makeups, which you can estimate in total without going into worry.

The Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) said that if someone feels something during prayer, they shouldn’t leave unless they hear a sound or smell.

Abbas ibn Tamim (Allah be pleased with him) reported: My uncle asked the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) about a man who suspects that he passed wind during prayer.

The Prophet said, “He should not leave his prayer unless he hears a sound or finds a smell.” [Bukhari; Muslim]

Based on the important fiqh principle, “Certainty is not lifted by a doubt.” [Ibn Nujaym, al-Ashbah wa’l Nadha’ir; Majallat al-Ahkam al-‘Adiliyya]

Try to continue finding local circles of knowledge to deepen your knowledge, and any circles of remembrance to help your heart practice what you learn.

A Practical Step

Make wudu before prayer, and while in prayer, ignore sensations, clicks, pressures, or movements unless you’re sure the wind has exited. Don’t investigate, clench, check, or replay in your mind afterward. Just finish your prayer.

Allah Most High facilitates the ease of seeking knowledge and opens inspiring paths in your life in the future, amin.

And Allah knows best

[Mawlana] Ilyas Patel
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Related Answers

Dealing With the Constant Feeling that Gas Exits After Wudu –Perform wudu, and then ignore any feelings and sensations that you get. Unless you hear or smell something, assume nothing happened. The basis is that you have wudu. And certainty is not lifted by subsequent doubts.

Do Air Bubbles Invalidate Wudu? – This is a principle in fiqh. Once you perform wudu, the only thing that would remove you from this state is the certainty of breaking it. Feeling bubbles of air does not break wudu. Only the exiting of air would.

Mawlana Ilyas Patel has received traditional education in various countries. He started his schooling in the UK and completed his hifz of the Quran in India. After that, he joined an Islamic seminary in the UK, where he studied secular and Aalimiyya sciences. Later, he traveled to Karachi, Pakistan, and other Middle Eastern countries to further his education. Mawlana has served as an Imam in the Republic of Ireland for several years and taught the Quran and other Islamic sciences to both children and adults. He also worked as a teacher and librarian at a local Islamic seminary in the UK for 12 years. Presently, he lives in the UK with his wife and is interested in books and gardening.