Doubting that he has undergone ritual impurity


Question :

Does doubt count for anything in case of a person having Wudu’ (ablution) yet is not sure whether or not he passed urine, feces or broke wind due to the long period he stayed ritually pure? Or should he overlook doubts, since the original state is purity unless he is certain of having invalidated his Wudu’ and vice versa?

Answer:

If a person performs Wudu’ and then doubts whether or not he had invalidated Wudu’, his doubts count for nothing and his Wudu’ is still valid. If a person is ritually impure and then doubts whether or not he performed Wudu’, he is still impure and the doubt is of no effect, because certainty cannot be removed by doubt and the ruling principle is that the original state remains in effect until the occurrence of that which overrules it is established. It is reported that a man complained to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) that he imagined that he felt something during Salah (prayer), so the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “He should not leave (prayer) unless he hears a sound or smells an odor.” (Related by the compilers of Sunan except Al-Tirmidhi) 1.

It is also reported that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “If any one of you feels something in his stomach, and is not sure whether something came out of him or not, he should not leave the Masjid (to renew his ablution) unless he hears a sound or smells an odor.” (Related by Muslim and Al-Tirmidhi) 2

  1. Al-Bukhari, Sahih, Book on Wudu’, no. 177; and Abu Dawud, Sunan, Book on purification, no. 176. ↩

  2. Muslim, Sahih, Book on menstruation, no. 362. ↩

May Allah grant us success. May peace and blessings be upon our Prophet, his family and Companions