How Does One Determine if Blood is Flowing in the Nose?

Answered by Sidi Tabraze Azam

Question: If one notices blood whilst rinsing one’s nose with water or on a tissue after cleaning one’s nose, how does one determine if blood is flowing in the nose or not?

Answer: Wa alaikum assalam wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh,

I hope you are in the best of health and spirits insha’Allah.

According to the Hanafi school, if blood flows, beyond the point of exit, it invalidates one’s ablution (wudu). [Shurunbulali, Maraqi al-Falah; `Ala al-Din Abidin, al-Hadiyya al-`Ala’iyya]

Therefore, if one knows, for certain, that blood has flowed, one’s ablution (wudu) would be invalid.

However, this is rare. Unless one has a nose bleed or blood is actually trickling down one’s nose, one can safely assume that it is not flowing. One does not need a second opinion nor does one pay any attention to misgivings (waswasa) which are from the devil.

And Allah knows best.

Wassalaam,

Tabraze Azam

Checked & Approved by Faraz Rabbani