Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,

As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh. (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)

One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

Dear brother,

? Second, due to pregnancy, its really difficult for me to keep my wudu. I normally end up doing my wudu 2-3 times for a single prayer. Isha is the most difficult prayer for me as its long and I end up having to do my wudu several times. Even after I am done with the prayer I am always in doubt as to whether or not I was in a state of wudu during the whole prayer. Probably because of the pregnancy, I have some problem or the other which gives me heartburn and gas and the problem is normally most severe in the evenings. I have heard that as long as there is no sound or smell, your wudu stays valid. However, in my case I am normally quite sure if the wudu is not valid any longer. Should I be doing the wudu again and again in order to perfom the salat or should I shorten the prayer? Please help me.

(There may be some grammatical and spelling errors in the above statement. The forum does not change anything from questions, comments and statements received from our readers for circulation in confidentiality.)

Answer:

Cannot keep wudu long

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is none worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 4 Surah Nisaa verses 101-102:

101 When ye travel through the earth there is no blame on you if ye shorten your prayers.

Dear and Beloved Sister in Islam, to make the observance of the deen easy, the Lord Most Merciful has permitted the believers, men and women, to shorten their prayers only when they are in the state of travel as stated in the above Verse of Surah Nisaa.

Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 3.272 Narrated by Abbas bin Tamim

that his uncle said: "The Prophet (saws) was asked: If a person feels something during his prayer; should one interrupt his prayer?" The Prophet (saws) said: No! You should not give it up unless you hear a sound or smell something."

If one is absolutely certain that one has nullified one’s state of ‘wudu’ through the release of wind, it would be obligatory upon them to redo the ‘wudu’ to enable them to continue their prayer.

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me alone. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

Your brother and well wisher in Islam,

Burhan