Fatwa ID: 08990
Answered by Alimah Emaan Amin
Question:
When istinja is finished, the anus area will be wet. If someone performs ablution but then he is sure that the wet water/moisture from istinja went in and out because of the movement of the anus muscles, is his ablution invalid even though he is sure that his anus and water are clean?
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
Answer:
Your wudu is not invalidated by this situation.
If the moisture is from clean water used in istinja, the area was properly cleaned, and nothing impure exited from the body afterwards, then the mere movement of moisture around the anus due to muscle movement does not break wudu.
The things that invalidate wudu are the actual exiting of impurities such as urine, faeces, wind, etc. [1]
Only new discharge that leaves the body and flows will nullify wudhu. [2]
A useful maxim in fiqh is certainty is not removed by doubt. [3]
If you are certain, you purified yourself and only suspect internal/external movement of moisture, you do not treat your wudu as broken.
People who experience recurring worries about purification are also advised not to investigate excessively or follow intrusive doubts, because that can lead to hardship and waswasa.
Only Allah ﷻ knows best.
Written by Alimah Emaan Amin
Checked and approved by Mufti Mohammed Tosir Miah
Darul Ifta Birmingham
References:
[1]
(وَيَنْقُضُهُ) خُرُوجُ مِنْهُ كُلِّ خَارِجٍ (نَجَسٍ) بِالْفَتْحِ وَيُكْسَرُ (مِنْهُ) أَيْ مِنْ الْمُتَوَضِّئِ الْحَيِّ مُعْتَادًا أَوْ لَا، مِنْ السَّبِيلَيْنِ أَوْ لَا (إلَى مَا يُطَهَّرُ) بِالْبِنَاءِ لِلْمَفْعُولِ: أَيْ يَلْحَقُهُ حُكْمُ التَّطْهِيرِ.
Raddul Muhtar, Halabi Edition, Vol 1, pg 135, Accessed 05/07/2026: https://shamela.ws/book/21613/129
[2]
ثُمَّ الْمُرَادُ بِالْخُرُوجِ مِنْ السَّبِيلَيْنِ مُجَرَّدُ الظُّهُورِ وَفِي غَيْرِهِمَا عَيْنُ السَّيَلَانِ وَلَوْ بِالْقُوَّةِ
Raddul Muhtar, Halabi Edition, Vol 1, pg 135, Accessed 05/07/2026: https://shamela.ws/book/21613/130#p1
[3]
الْيَقِينُ لَا يَزُولُ بِالشَّكِّ
Al-Ashbaah wa al-Nazaaʾir, pg 47, Accessed 05/07/2026: https://shamela.ws/book/1666/35