Fatwa ID: 08721

Answered by: Maulana Yusuf Badshah

Question:

Ten years ago, I started feeling “popping” from the backside. I never used to have this problem. Then it started one day and never went away. These “popping” don’t smell, but they often make a 1 second audible noise. They happen between my buttocks and around the anus. I don’t know if it’s happening because of haemorrhoids, if I’m sucking and leaking air, or because of muscle ticking. I know that all the previous doubts would sound like I should ignore them, but they’re often so real that I leave my prayer and make wudu again.

I really can’t decide what’s what, and I hate that I’m still stuck without confidence in my decision since I can’t move on from this issue when it’s impacting my sense of peace in prayer. Because what if I am farting? Then my prayer would be null. I feel sure sometimes that I have passed wind. It feels like bubbles passing, but this is not like ordinary flatulence that one has control over, so I don’t really know what it is to a degree of certainity. Excuse me for this weird question, but it’s the truth.

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

Answer:

It is up to you to determine what your predominant opinion is. If your predominant opinion is that you have passed wind, then you should redo your Wudhu. If your predominant opinion is that this is your stomach rumbling or some other form of internal noise rather than gas leaving the body, then you should disregard such thoughts and continue as you were. If you have no predominant opinion, then it is better to err on the side of caution and repeat your Wudhu [1]. However, if such an issue persists then it would be best to see a doctor to see if they can attempt to determine the cause.

References:

[1] Raddul Muhtar, vol. 2, pg. 93, Darul Fikr:

(وَإِنْ كَثُرَ) شَكُّهُ (عَمِلَ بِغَالِبِ ظَنِّهِ إنْ كَانَ) لَهُ ظَنٌّ

Bada’ius Sana’i, vol. 1, pg. 65, Darul Kutubul Ilmiyyah:

أَنَّ الْحَدَثَ كَانَ ثَابِتًا بِيَقِينٍ فَلَا تَحْصُلُ الطَّهَارَةُ بِالشَّكِّ، وَالْعُضْوُ وَالثَّوْبُ كُلُّ وَاحِدٍ مِنْهُمَا كَانَ طَاهِرًا بِيَقِينٍ فَلَا يَتَنَجَّسُ بِالشَّكِّ

Only Allah s.w.t knows best.

Written by Maulana Yusuf Badshah

Checked and approved by Mufti Mohammed Tosir Miah

Darul Ifta Birmingham