257. Can I Continue My Prayer If I Pass Gas But I Don’t Hear Something Or Smell Something?

By Asma Bint Shameem

QUESTION

Can I continue my prayer if I pass gas but I don’t hear something or smell something?

ANSWER

That’s a common misconception among people. 

They think that the wudhu is not broken even if they pass gas unless they hear or smell something. 

But that’s NOT correct. 

If a person is praying and he is SURE that he has passed gas, then his Wudhu is invalidated and so is his Salaah, even if he didn’t hear or smell anything. 

The hadeeth that people refer to regarding this issue, is talking about a man who only “THINKS” that he MIGHT have passed gas. 

Meaning he’s *NOT sure*. 

The Prophet sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam said:

‘If any one of you feels something in his stomach, and he is NOT SURE whether anything came out of him or not, let him not leave the masjid unless he hears a sound or detects an odor.’” (Muslim, 362)

And Abd-Allaah ibn Zayd said: 

“The Prophet Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam was told about a man who IMAGINED that he felt something whilst he was praying. 

He said, ‘Let him  not stop [praying] unless he hears a sound or detects an odor.’” (Agreed upon). 

In other words, if he’s CERTAIN that he’s passed gas, then he MUST STOP praying and renew his wudhu and repeat his prayer, EVEN IF, he didn’t hear any sound or smell anything. 

Imaam al-Nawawi said:

“This hadeeth forms one of the basic principles of Islaam and an important principle of fiqh. 

Things are judged to remain as they are until there is CERTAINTY that a change has occurred, and having doubts does not alter the fact.

It is not considered to be najaasah until it emerges. 

Sounds may come from a person’s stomach as the result of food being moved (along the digestive tract). 

If the worshipper hears a sound inside his stomach but nothing comes out of him that would break his wudoo’, and he does not note anything that would indicate that, such as hearing a sound or smelling an odor, then he should not pay any attention to it, because the basic principle is that he remains taahir (pure). 

So his wudoo’ is not broken and he should not stop praying UNLESS he is CERTAIN that something has come out of him, because what is certain is not overruled by what is doubtful.”

(Sharh Muslim, 4/49)

So just because you didn’t ‘hear’ or ‘smell’ anything, although you KNOW you’ve passed gas, does NOT mean that your wudhu is intact. 

Rather, if you know you’ve passed gas, you MUST renew your wudhu if you want to offer your prayers. 

Otherwise your prayers will NOT be VALID. 

And Allaah knows best