Do tears invalidate wudu? Is wudu invalidated when tears come out of eyes due to crying or something else (sleeplessness, yawning, etc.)?

The Details of the Question

Is wudu invalidated when tears come out of eyes due to crying or something else (sleeplessness, yawning, etc.)? I have heard that wudu is not invalidated when tears come out of eyes due to fear of Allah or thinking of Allah. Is that right? Is the same decree valid when it happens while performing a prayer?

The Answer

Dear Brother / Sister,

To cry aloud by thinking of a worldly affair or due to a pain, to moan by saying aah, etc. due to tiredness invalidate prayer but not wudu. 

If a person cries due to remembering Paradise and Hell, his prayer is not invalidated since it is due to awe. The following is stated in a hadith: 

"He who obeys God Almighty by crying enters Paradise by laughing; he who commits a sin by laughing enters Hell by crying." (Hashiyatut-Tahawi, Sharhu Nurul-Izah, I/325)

Tears that come out due to crying or cutting onions do not invalidate wudu. However, it is written in Badayi’us-Sanayi that a leakage that comes out due to an illness like sore eye invalidates wudu and that such a person is regarded to be excused and hence it is necessary for him to make wudu for each prayer when its time period starts.

Questions on Islam

Was this answer helpful?
Author:
Questions on Islam
Subject Categories:
Read 9.658 times
In order to make a comment, please login or register