Does Laying Down and Closing My Eyes Break Wudu?

Answered by Ustadh Sufyan Qufi

Question

Is wudu valid if you’re lying down on a bed and close your eyes (not asleep) to rest for a while, like 30 minutes? You know what’s happening around you as thinking about different things, and doing breathing exercises.

Answer

In the name of Allah, Most Compassionate, Most Merciful,

I pray this finds you in the best of states.

No, drowsiness won’t invalidate your wudu as long as you are able to hear most of what is being said around you, even if you don’t understand it. [Tahtawi, Hashya ‘ala Maraqi al-Falah]

If nobody is talking around you, you simply imagine yourself in this situation and judge whether or not the drowsiness you were in would have prevented you from hearing most of what would have been said.

The reason for this ruling is that in a state of drowsiness, you are still able to control and know if gas, or another invalidator of wudu, has exited your body. [Ibid.]

The Messenger of Allah (Blessings and Peace be upon Him) has said: “The eyes are the string of the bag. When the eyes sleep, the string is undone.” [Ahmad]

This is a metaphor to indicate that being awake acts as a fastener for the rear part. [Tahtawi, Hashya ‘ala Maraqi al-Falah]

And Allah knows best.
Wassalam
[Ustadh] Sufyan Qufi
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Ustadh Sufyan Qufi is an advanced seeker of knowledge, originally from Algeria, who grew up in France. He began searching far and wide for answers to the fundamental questions of life and was disappointed at the answers he found. Then, he connected with various traditional teachers and gradually connected with SeekersGuidance. He embarked on his journey of learning through the various teachers at SeekersGuidance, including his mentor, Shaykh Faraz Rabbani. He studied numerous texts in Islamic Law, Theology, Hadith, and other areas with Shaykh Faraz Rabbani and other teachers, including Shaykh Abdurrahman al-Sha’ar, Shaykh Ali Hani, and others. He is an active instructor at SeekersGuidance and answers questions through the SeekersGuidance Answers Service.