What Types of Farts Break Wudu? Essential Insights for Muslims

In Islam, there is much discussion about farting and wudu, particularly regarding the types of farts that break wudu. This is an important topic because if a Muslim's wudu is broken, they cannot perform certain acts that require a state of purity or wudu, such as praying, holding the Quran, and performing Tawaf.

Whatever your reason for opening this article, I am confident you are looking for an explanation of the types of farts that break wudu. This will be the main topic discussed in this article, so please keep reading!

The Meaning of Wudu You Must Understand

First, I will explain the meaning of wudu. It's essential for you to understand this, as a proper understanding of wudu is crucial to grasping the main topic of this discussion. Additionally, some Muslims may not fully comprehend the meaning of wudu.

Before I explain the specific meaning of wudu, here is the definition:

التَعَبُّدُ لِلَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ بِغَسْلِ أَعْضَاءٍ مَخْصُوْصَةٍ ، عَلَى صِفَةٍ مَخْصُوْصَةٍ

Worship Allah 'Azza wa Jalla by washing certain parts of the body with specific characteristics.

Are you still with me? If we understand the definition of wudu above, we can conclude that wudu is a form of worship to Allah, performed by washing and wiping several parts of the body with special intentions. That’s the essence of wudu that you need to understand.

Read Also: 10 Reasons Why Wudu Is Important

Now you may be wondering: what are the parts of the body that must be washed and wiped during wudu?

To find out the answer, you need to understand some of the hadiths below:

Hadith About Body Parts that Must be Washed and Wiped in Wudu

عَنْ حَمْرَانَ: أَنَّ عُثْمَانَ دَعَا بِوُضُوْءٍ فَغَسَلَ كَفَّيْهِ ثَلَاثَ مَرَّاتٍ ثُمَّ تَمَضْمَضَ وَاسْتَنْشَقَ وَاسْتَنْثَرَ ثُمَّ غَسَلَ وَجْهَهُ ثَلَاثَ مَرَّاتٍ ثُمَّ غَسَلَ يَدَهُ الْيُمْنَى إِلَى الْمِرْفَقِ ثَلَاثَ مَرَّاتٍ ثُمَّ الْيُسْرَى مِثْلَ ذَلِكَ، ثُمَّ مَسَحَ بِرَأْسِهِ، ثُمَّ غَسَلَ رِجْلَهُ الْيُمْنَى إِلَى الْكَعْبَيْنِ ثَلَاثَ مَرَّاتٍ، ثُمَّ الْيُسْرَى مِثْلَ ذَلِكَ، ثُمَّ قَالَ: رَأَيْتُ رَسُوْلَ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ تَوَضَّأَ نَحْوَ وُضُوْئِيْ هَذَا. مُتَّفَقٌ عَلَيْهِ

From Hamran, Uthman performed wudu. He washed his palms three times, then rinsed his mouth, put a little water into his nose, and removed it. Next, he washed his face three times, followed by washing his right hand up to the elbow three times, then his left hand in the same manner. He then wiped his head, washed his right foot up to the ankles three times, and did the same with his left foot. He concluded by saying, "I have seen the Messenger of Allah (Prophet Muhammad) sallallahu alaihi wa sallam perform wudu like this." This hadith is narrated by al-Bukhari and Muslim.

If you understand the hadith above, you can conclude that the parts of the body that must be washed during wudu are the face, two hands, and two feet. The parts of the body that must be wiped during wudu are the head and two ears.

Hadith About Body Parts that Must be Wiped in Wudu

عَنْ عَبْدِ اللهِ بْنِ عَمْرُو رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُمَا فِي صِفَةِ الْوُضُوْءِ قَالَ: ثُمَّ مَسَحَ بِرَأْسِهِ وَأَدْخَلَ إِصْبِعَيْهِ السَّبَاحَتَيْنِ فِي أُذُنَيْهِ، وَمَسَحَ بِأَبْهَامِهِ ظَاهِرَ أُذُنَيْهِ. أَخْرَجَهُ أَبُوْ دَاوُدَ وَالنَّسَائِيُّ

From Abdullah bin Amru radliyallahu ahuma regarding the nature of wudu. He said, "Then he (the Prophet Muhammad) wiped his head and inserted two index fingers into his ears, rubbing the outer parts with his thumbs." This hadith is narrated by Abu Daud and an-Nasa'i.

If you understand the hadith above, you can conclude that the parts of the body that must be wiped during wudu are part of the head and two ears.

عَنْ عَلِيٍّ رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُ فِي صِفَةِ وُضُوْءِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ: وَمَسَحَ بِرَأْسِهِ وَاحِدَةً. أَخْرَجَهُ أَبُوْ دَاوُدَ

From Ali radliyallahu anhu regarding the nature of the Prophet’s (Muhammad) wudu. He said, "He (Prophet Muhammad) wiped his head once." This hadith is narrated by Abu Daud.

If you understand the hadith above, you can conclude that the part of the body that must be wiped during wudu is the head.

Read Also: Is Wudu Broken by Picking Your Nose?

Are you confused because there are many hadiths that explain the parts of the body that must be washed and wiped during wudu? Don’t be! The three hadiths above complement one another, providing a comprehensive understanding of the parts of the body involved in wudu.

In summary, the parts of the body that must be washed and wiped in wudu are as follows:

• Face (washed in wudu).
• Two hands (washed in wudu).
• Two feet (washed in wudu).
• Head (wiped in wudu).
• Two ears (wiped in wudu).

Does Farting Break Wudu?

Now, I invite you to answer a fundamental question about farting and wudu: Does farting break wudu? It's important to understand the answer to this question and the reasoning behind it, so you won't have any doubts. I also hope that you can confidently answer this question if someone asks you about it in the future.

Before I explain the answer, I will clarify one essential point that will serve as the basis for our discussion. In Islam, a Muslim's wudu will be broken if they experience hadas (الحَدَثُ), which can be either minor hadas (small hadas: الحَدَثُ الأَصْغَرُ) or major hadas (big hadas: الحَدَثُ الأَكْبَرُ). A Muslim experiences major hadas if they ejaculate sperm, if a man’s private parts touch a woman’s private parts (whether in front or behind), after menstruation, after childbirth, or upon death. On the other hand, something that causes a Muslim to experience minor hadas is anything that exits from the front or back openings—farting is one such action that comes from the back opening.

Read Also: Mustahabat in Wudu

Now that you understand that farting is one of the things that causes a Muslim to experience minor hadas, you can conclude that if they have minor hadas, their wudu is broken. So, the conclusion is that farting does indeed break wudu.

The following hadith specifically explains that minor hadas can nullify one's prayer because if a person has minor hadas, their wudu is broken:

عَنْ أَبِيْ هُرَيْرَةَ رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُ أَنَّ رَسُوْلُ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ: لَا يَقْبَلُ اللهُ صَلَاةَ أَحَدِكُمْ إِذَا أَحْدَثَ حَتَّى يَتَوَضَّأَ. مُتَّفَقٌ عَلَيْهِ

From Abu Hurairah radiyallahu anhu, the Messenger of Allah (Prophet Muhammad) sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said, "Allah does not accept the prayer of any one of you if he has hadas (small hadas: الحَدَثُ الأَصْغَرُ) until he performs wudu." This hadith was narrated by al-Bukhari and Muslim.

If you are still wondering, "Does farting break wudu?" let me clarify: Yes, farting breaks wudu.

What Types of Farts Break Wudu?

Now, I will explain the main topic of this discussion: What types of farts break wudu? It's important to understand this because many Muslims still ask questions about it. In other words, there are still many Muslims who do not grasp the main topic of this discussion.

Flatulence is the release of gas through the anus or rectum due to the accumulation of gas in the stomach, particularly from the large intestine or colon. Essentially, a fart is just a fart. The problem arises when a Muslim doubts whether he has actually farted. This uncertainty is the primary reason behind the question that is the focus of this discussion: What are the types of farts that break wudu? As it turns out, there are several types of farts.

Read Also: Can You Pray Without Wudu If You Are Sick?

In Islam, if a Muslim doubts whether he has farted, he can resolve his doubts by observing whether he hears the sound of farting or detects any smell. If he hears the sound of a fart or smells it, then his wudu is broken. However, if he does not hear the sound or smell anything, then his wudu remains intact. You can find this explanation in the following hadith:

عَنْ أَبِيْ هُرَيْرَةَ رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُ قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُوْلُ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: إِذَا وَجَدَ أَحَدُكُمْ فِي بَطْنِهِ شَيْئًا فَأَشْكَلَ عَلَيْهِ أَخَرَجَ مِنْهُ شَيْءٌ أَمْ لَا؟ فَلَا يَخْرُجَنَّ مِنَ الْمَسْجِدِ حَتَّى يَسْمَعَ صَوْتًا أَوْ يَجِدَ رِيحًا. أَخْرَجَهُ مُسْلِمٌ

From Abu Hurairah radiyallahu anhu, he said, "The Messenger of Allah (Prophet Muhammad) sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said, 'If one of you feels something in his stomach and doubts whether something has come out of him or not, then he should not leave the mosque until he hears a sound or smells an aroma.'" This hadith was narrated by Muslim.

Now, you don’t have to wonder about farts that can break your wudu. As I mentioned before, farts are just farts. Farting breaks wudu. There is no type of fart that does not break wudu.

Do you have any questions? Please feel free to write in the comment section!