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

by Asma bint Shameem 

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 ﷺ 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 ﷺ 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. 

Shaykh Ibn Baaz said: 

“ The Prophet ﷺ was asked about a man who imagines during the prayer that something has come out of him. He ﷺ replied:

“He should not leave until he hears a sound or finds a smell.”

This is how the Prophet ﷺ answered.

In another wording, the Prophet ﷺ said:

“If one of you feels something in his stomach and is uncertain whether anything has come out of him or not, then he should not leave the masjid until he hears a sound or finds a smell.”

Therefore, the one who merely imagines that something has come out of him has not invalidated his wudhu’ or his prayer. 

Rather, he remains in his original state. His prayer is valid, and his wudhu’ is valid, until he knows with certainty that something has come out of him.

Even if he does not hear a sound or detect a smell, if he knows with certainty that he has passed wind or that urine has come out, then his purification is invalidated, and his prayer is also invalidated.

However, as long as there is any doubt —even if it is only one percent —then his prayer is valid, his purification remains valid, and he should not leave his prayer. 

This is because such thoughts are from the whispers of Shaytaan and from his evil schemes. He causes a person to imagine that something has come out of him, even blowing at his backside so that he thinks he has passed wind, or causing him to feel sensations around that area.

The point is that Shaytaan is eager to invalidate the believer's purification and prayer. Therefore, a believer should not fulfill Shaytaan’s hope or fall into his plot by leaving the prayer without certain knowledge.

If he is absolutely certain that something has come out of him, then that is another matter. 

Otherwise, he should continue his prayer until he completes it.” (Taken from the Shaykh’s website)

And Allaah knows best