What are the things that invalidate wudu according to Shafii madhhab? What is the amount of blood that invalidates wudu according to Shafiis? They say the amount is as much as a boot holds; is it true?

Dear Brother / Sister,

What are the things that invalidate wudu according to Shafii madhhab? What is the amount of blood that invalidates wudu according to Shafiis? They say the amount is as much as a boot holds; is it true?

There are six things that invalidate wudu:

1. Anything coming out from the front and back passage.

2. Sleeping without settling the bottom of the body.

3. Losing one’s consciousness due to illness or drunkenness.

4. If a non-mahram man and woman touch each other’s skin with or without lust, the wudu of both the man and the woman is invalidated.  

5. Touching the private parts with the inner part of one’s hand.

6. According to the new view, touching the ring of the anus with the inner part of one’s hand. (1)

- Anything coming out from the front and back passage like feces, urine, blood and wind invalidates wudu. Allah states the following in the Quran:

"... or one of you cometh from offices of nature..." (al-Maida, 5/6)

- Sleeping without sitting firmly on the ground (without sitting cross-legged). The Prophet (pbuh) states the following regarding the issue:

"A person who falls asleep needs to make wudu."(2)

However, the wudu of a person who sleeps sitting cross-legged is not invalidated.

As a matter of fact, Hz. Anas said,

"Iqamah was called while the Prophet (pbuh) was talking to somebody quietly. However, he kept on talking quietly until the Companions fell asleep while sitting. Then, the Prophet came and led the prayer."(3)

- Losing one’s consciousness due to illness or drunkenness invalidates wudu. For, a state like that resembles sleeping. A person cannot control himself when he loses his mind. It is possible for something to come out of man in that case.

- If a non-mahram man and woman touch each other’s skin, the wudu of both the man and the woman is invalidated. The evidence for this is the following verse:

"... or ye have been in contact with women..." (an-Nisa, 4/43)

- Wudu is not invalidated from hair, tooth and nails.

Wudu is not invalidating due to touching the skin of a child younger than seven. (4)

- Touching the genital organs and according to the new view of Shafii, touching the ring of the anus with the inner part of one’s hand invalidate wudu.  

In a hadith reported from Umm Habiba, the Prophet (pbuh) said:

"Anyone who touches his/her genital organ needs to make wudu.''

As it is stated above, according to the new ijtihad of Imam Shafii, touching the ring of the anus with the inner part of one’s hand invalidates wudu.

Touching the genital organs and the anus with the inner part of the hand invalidates wudu regardless of age. In that case, the wudu of a mother is invalidated if she touches the baby’s front and back parts with the inner part of her hand when she cleans the baby’s bottom.

The Prophet (pbuh) states the following:

"Anyone who touches genital organs needs to make wudu."(5)

The genital organs mentioned in the hadith are the front and back part of a woman and man.

Footnotes:

(1) If the hemorrhoids of a person come out and if he touches them with the inner part of his hands, his wudu is invalidated.
(2) Abu Dawud, 203.
(3) Muslim, 376.
(4) Mughnil Muhtaj, 1/35.
(5) Qadi Abu Shuja’, Ğayet’ül-İhtisar ve Şerhi, Ravza Publications: 99-100.

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