Question:
Assalam o alaikum, recently I was on gasht, we approached a non-muslim, who asked me why muslim pass wind they have to make wudu? Why they do not change the clothes bcs passing of gas, the smell still in may be on your clothes. Can you please explain, Jazak Allah khair.
Answer:
In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
As Muslims, we take the teachings of our Deen (religion) from the Quran and Hadith as expounded by our rightly guided scholars. Wudhu was taught to this Ummah by Rasulullah ﷺ and his knowledge is from Allah ﷻ.
Allah ﷻ says in the Quran:
وَمَا يَنْطِقُ عَنِ الْهَوَى (3) إِنْ هُوَ إِلَّا وَحْيٌ يُوحَى (4)
Translation: He does not speak out of his desires, it is but revelation given to him. (Surah An Najm: 3-4)
Allah ﷻ also says:
وَمَا آتَاكُمُ الرَّسُولُ فَخُذُوهُ وَمَا نَهَاكُمْ عَنْهُ فَانْتَهُوا وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ إِنَّ اللَّهَ شَدِيدُ الْعِقَابِ(7)…
Translation: Whatever the messenger gives you, take it and whatever he prohibits you from, say way from it. (Surah Al Hashr: 7)
No mention is made in the Quran or Hadith of removing the clothing after passing wind. Therefore, our duty as Muslims is to follow and comply with the orders of Allah ﷻ and His messenger ﷺ without necessarily knowing the true reason behind their obligation. Sometimes, the simplest answer the Sahabah Radiyallahu anhum would give when they were uncertain about a matter was to say Allah ﷺ and His messenger ﷻ knows best.
Abbaad ibn Tamim narrated that my uncle complained to Rasulullah ﷺ, about a man who suspects that he passed wind during prayer. Rasulullah ﷺ said, “He should not leave his prayer unless he hears a sound or finds a smell.” [i] In another Hadith it is narrated that Rasulullah ﷺ said, “When any of you breaks wind he should perform ablution…[ii]” As mentioned earlier, we do not have any record of Rasulullah ﷺ instructing his Sahabah Radiyallahu anhum to remove their clothes after passing wind. This should be sufficient for us to practice upon without having any reservations.
The great Sahabi Ali Radiyallahu anhu said: “If Deen was based only on logic, then the lower part of the leather socks would have been more suitable to wipe instead of the upper part. However, I saw Rasulullah ﷺ wiping the upper part of his leather socks[iii].”
The statement of Ali Radiyallahu anhu relates to your question. He, as a companion, cousin and son in law of Rasulullah ﷺ is showing us that sometimes our basic logic should be abandoned to follow the orders of Allah ﷻ and the Sunnah of His messenger ﷺ. A person’s logic says that the lower part of a sock or shoe will be dirtier than the upper part. However, Rasulullah ﷺ only wiped the upper portion of his leather sock to achieve ritual purity and we should therefore follow him and abandon our logic.
In conclusion, we should understand that our Imaan should drive us to obey the commands of Allah ﷻ and follow the Sunnah of Rasulullah ﷺ even without knowing the logical explanation behind it. Also, when we meet non-Muslims our focus should be inviting them to the oneness of Allah ﷻ and the beautiful life of Rasululah ﷺ and leave off unnecessary things which one is unaware of.
And Allah Ta’āla Knows Best
Mufti Mujahid Dan Lubrin
Darul Iftaa, Jaamia Madinatul Uloom (Trinidad)
www.fatwa-tt.com /www.jaamia.net
[i] صحيح البخاري – 1/ 39 – دار طوق النجاة
137 – حدثنا علي، قال: حدثنا سفيان، قال: حدثنا الزهري، عن سعيد بن المسيب، ح وعن عباد بن تميم، عن عمه، أنه شكا إلى رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم الرجل الذي يخيل إليه أنه يجد الشيء في الصلاة؟ فقال: «لا ينفتل – أو لا ينصرف – حتى يسمع صوتا أو يجد ريحا»
[ii] سنن الترمذي – 2/ 459 – دار الغرب الإسلامي – بيروت
1164 – حدثنا أحمد بن منيع، وهناد، قالا: حدثنا أبو معاوية، عن عاصم الأحول، عن عيسى بن حطان، عن مسلم بن سلام، عن علي بن طلق قال: أتى أعرابي النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم فقال: يا رسول الله، الرجل منا يكون في الفلاة فتكون منه الرويحة، ويكون في الماء قلة، فقال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم: إذا فسا أحدكم فليتوضأ، ولا تأتوا النساء في أعجازهن، فإن الله لا يستحيي من الحق.
وفي الباب عن عمر، وخزيمة بن ثابت، وابن عباس، وأبي هريرة.
حديث علي بن طلق حديث حسن. وسمعت محمدا يقول: لا أعرف لعلي بن طلق عن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم غير هذا الحديث الواحد، ولا أعرف هذا الحديث من حديث طلق بن علي السحيمي.
وكأنه رأى أن هذا رجل آخر من أصحاب النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم.
[iii]سنن أبي داود – 1/117 – دار الرسالة العالمية
162 – حدثنا محمد بن العلاء، حدثنا حفص -يعني ابن غياث-، عن الأعمش، عن أبي إسحاق، عن عبد خير
عن علي قال: لو كان الدين بالرأي لكان أسفل الخف أولى بالمسح من أعلاه، وقد رأيت رسول الله – صلى الله عليه وسلم – يمسح على ظاهر خفيه