Question

Assalamualaikum

Hope you are well. When a woman's water breaks, is that water Napaak? If it is, then will she have to change her clothes if it gets onto her clothes? Also what about the situation in which the water continuously flows for a whole Salah time and she doesn't have enough time to change her clothes, do wudu and pray her Salah? In this situation, will she just do Wudu and pray in those clothes?

Jazakallahu Khayr

بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمنِ الرَّحِيْم

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

Answer:

During pregnancy, the baby is surrounded and cushioned by a fluid-filled membranous sac called the amniotic sac. Typically, at the beginning of or during labour, the membranes will rupture — also known as your water breaking.

In light of Shariah, this fluid will be considered impure, therefore nullifying any prior ablution as well as requiring purification of any surface that has been contaminated by the amniotic fluid.

The basic rule is that any fluid that exits from the private part is considered impure and any impurity that has exited the body will nullify wudu and should be cleaned if it has spread on any pure surface, including but not limited to skin and cloth.

When impurity spoils clothing, it should either be washed or changed as soon as one is capable of doing so. If one is stuck in labour, then she may delay until a suitable time.

As for praying in pure clothing, this is an essential condition for the validity of prayer. Allah says “And purify your clothes.” (Al-Mudathhir)

However, if there is no pure clothing available and one is not able to find clothing then it is permissible to pray with the current clothing despite being impure. Nevertheless, it's problematic to consider a mere time restraint as an obstacle to change clothing since that would only require moments of time. With that being said if it somehow were not possible, then one can pray with the current clothing despite being impure.

Written by Maulana Nabil Khan

Checked and approved by Mufti Mohammed Tosir Miah

Darul Ifta Birmingham