How should health workers act about salah (prayer) and wudu (ablution)?
Because of their duties, health workers might not be able to perform their prayers on time for the sake of their patients' health. Is it allowed for them to combine their prayers? Additionally, they sometimes face a situation where it is not possible for them to change their uniforms, e.g. during an operation or at the times of an epidemic disease, danger of virus spread, etc. What could be the right course of action for these matters? How could ablution be performed?
Submitted by on Thu, 09/04/2020 - 11:09
Dear Brother / Sister,
When health workers have a break on their duties, they can combine their prayers if there is a risk of danger for the patient, or a setback in treatment.
There are two possible solutions when it is inconvenient to change their uniforms:
a) They can wash the parts of the body that is possible to wash, and wipe over (masah) the parts that they cannot wash.
b) If it is not possible, they can perform tayammum.
They are permissions based on protecting life and overcoming hardships.
Some of the old scholars of fiqh say that it is permissible to wipe over appropriate socks, scarf of woman and turban of man; they base this judgement on some hadiths and the principle of overcoming hardships.
Changing uniform for health workers is more difficult than removing socks, turban or scarf; besides, taking off this special uniform could be inconvenient.
Questions on Islam
- Ablution is a problem for working women. Is it sufficient to wipe over thin socks while taking ablution, like wiping over the top of the feet without a complete wash of the feet?
- What are the necessary conditions for the validity of wiping over (Leather- Made) Socks (Khuffs)?
- What is Wudu (Ablution)?
- Is it permissible to pray with a wudu (ablution) which is performed disorderly: assuming that we wash one of the parts of wudu once, the other twice and an another one thrice?
- Wiping (Masah)
- How should funeral prayer and burial processes be carried out during an epidemic disease?
- How can a person who cannot move his feet and stand on his feet make taharah and wudu, and perform prayers?
- Why does passing wind (gas) invalidate the wudu? If it becomes necessary to take wudu after passing wind (gas) then, isn't it a waste of time and water?
- How should a person who just had an operation make ghusl? Is ghusl permissible if I wipe over the parts that have bandage? How should a person wash the places that are covered with sticking plasters or bandage while making wudu?
- What is the Wisdom behind making Wudu before going to bed and What are its Scientific Benefits?
