Does Eye Fluid Break Wudu If It Does Not Flow?

Answered by Shaykh Yusuf Weltch

Question

If diseased fluid builds up in the eye but does not overflow, is what touches the hand impure? If I am unsure whether the other eye has a disease or if fluid has leaked, am I required to check?

Also, if both eyes fill to the brim but do not flow, is it considered impure?

Answer

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

If fluid builds up in your eye due to some sickness or ailment, it only invalidates the ablution and is considered impure if it flows outside of the eye.

The fluid building up in the eye does not invalidate the ablution and is therefore not impure. This is based on the principle that “only those bodily substances that cause the invalidation of the ablution by exiting are considered impure.” [Ibn ‘Abidin, Radd al-Muhtar]

Hope this helps
Allah knows best
[Shaykh] Yusuf Weltch
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Shaykh Yusuf Weltch is a teacher of Arabic, Islamic law, and spirituality. After accepting Islam in 2008, he went on to study at Darul Uloom Seminary in New York and completed his studies at Darul Mustafa in Tarim, Yemen.

There, he completed the memorization of the Quran and his study of Islamic Sciences. Throughout his years of study, he was blessed to learn from many great scholars: Habib Umar bin Hafiz, Habib Kazhim al-Saqqaf, Shaykh ‘Umar bin Husayn al-Khatib, and others.

Upon returning, he joined the SeekersGuidance faculty in the summer of 2019.