Can I Use the Ruling of the Excused Person Due to Flatulence Problems?

Answered by Shaykh Yusuf Weltch

Question

For 6 years I have had flatulence problems which got worse from time to time. I searched for medical help and I visited a doctor, but no disease could be detected (I think It is IBS). My problem is that I struggle to hold the wind and often pass it, But I do not pass the wind continuously.

My problem is inconsistent, which means that I can pray sometimes with one ablution /wudu without problems.

Can I use the ruling as a mazoor (one wudu for every prayer after the prayer time begins)? Otherwise, my life is frustrating and difficult.

Answer

In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate

Unfortunately, the rules for the excused person must be met for one to follow the dispensation.

Despite this, here is some alternative advice that may help relieve some of the difficulties you are facing:

Timing the Prayers

Even though you cannot use one ablution (wudu) for each prayer despite the passing of wind, you can, however, pray two prayers in proximity to each other, thus accomplishing the same effect.  [Tahtawi/Shurunbulali, Hashiyat Maraqi al-Falah]

Consider making the ablution (wudu) and praying the Dhuhr prayer near the end of its time window. Thereafter, as soon as Asr prayer time enters pray at the earliest possible time. In this way, you can perform both prayers within a 10 min window with one ablution. [Ibid.]

If you are still facing great difficulty, the same can be done with the Maghrib and Isha prayers; however, I would not advise doing this, unless absolutely necessary, since delaying Maghrib prayer is prohibitively disliked. [Ibid.]

Limiting the Cause

It may prove helpful to find any correlations between your flatulence and various things in your diet. If you notice that a specific food group, eating at a certain time during the day, or even how long after eating does the flatulence get worse. With this knowledge, you can adjust your foods and your eating schedule, so that the flatulence is less, especially around the times of the prayers.

Hope this helps
Allah knows best

[Shaykh] Yusuf Weltch
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Shaykh Yusuf Weltch is a teacher of Arabic, Islamic law, and spirituality. After accepting Islam in 2008, he then completed four years at the Darul Uloom seminary in New York where he studied Arabic and the traditional sciences. He then traveled to Tarim, Yemen, where he stayed for three years studying in Dar Al-Mustafa under some of the greatest scholars of our time, including Habib Umar Bin Hafiz, Habib Kadhim al-Saqqaf, and Shaykh Umar al-Khatib. In Tarim, Shaykh Yusuf completed the memorization of the Qur’an and studied beliefs, legal methodology, hadith methodology, Qur’anic exegesis, Islamic history, and a number of texts on spirituality. He joined the SeekersGuidance faculty in the summer of 2019.