How to Pray and Stay Pure With Discharge From Private Parts
Hanafi Fiqh
Answered by Ustadh Salman Younas
Question: I suffer from hemorrhoids without any associated bleeding. I have a slight mucus which is released as a result of the hemorrhiods. I am unaware at the time that this has taken place and only discover it at the end of the day when traces of it is found in my underwear. This is not a continuous discharge, nor do it occur all the time. What do I need to do regarding wudu and prayer? Would this discharge be classed as impure?
Answer: assalamu `alaykum
May Allah grant you health and well-being.
Anything that exits from the two private parts will nullify ablution. As such, mucus that exits the anus due to hemorrhoids will also be a cause for the nullification of ablution. [Shurunbulali, Maraqi al-Falah]
On account of it being a nullifier of ablution, it will also be considered filthy and impure. [Haskafi, Durr al-Mukhtar]
With that said, one needs to be careful not to fall into baseless misgivings. Your ablution will only be considered nullified when the substance actually exits and you are made aware of the exiting. Thus, for example, if you pray and then after the prayer you notice such mucus you should assume that the mucus exited after the completion of your prayer, not before or during it, in which case your prayer is valid. In other words, assume that the mucus only exited the moment prior to your becoming aware of it, unless you are absolutely certain that it occurred earlier due to clear indicators.
Lastly, after becoming aware of its exiting, it would be best to change your underwear if the amount of filth is equivalent to the surface area of a circle approximately 5 centimeters in diameter or less. Praying with such an amount of filth on one would not render the prayer invalid though. [Shurunbulali, Maraqi al-Falah]
If it is more than the above amount, one would be obliged to change as praying with an amount of filth more than what has been mentioned above will render the prayer invalid. [ibid]
Wassalam
Salman
Checked & Approved by Faraz Rabbani
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