What Should I Do If I Have the Urge to Pass Wind or Relieve Myself During Prayer?

Answered by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Question: As sallamu alaikum wa rahmatulahi wa barakatuh

I know that if one needs to answer the call of nature during Salah that they must break their Salah and go to the toilet unless the need isn’t too great. However, sometimes I’m doing Wudu or praying Salah and I feel a need to break wind but then the need goes away as quickly as it came. What should I do in such a situation?

Answer: Walaikum assalam wa rahmatullah,

Unless you have repeated misgivings (waswasa) without basis, the proper conduct would be to step out of the mosque (or prayer hall), pass wind or relieve yourself, renew your wudu, and then return. It is disliked to pass wind in the mosque when it is avoidable.

If you have a strong urge to pass wind or relieve yourself during prayer–even congregational or Friday prayer–then you should also break prayer, due to firm Prophetic prohibition against praying when needing to pass wind or to relieve oneself, unless (1) you have repeated misgivings; or (2) it is near the end of the time; or (3) it is only a slight feeling that you can ignore and doesn’t distract you from prayer.

[Shurunbulali, Maraqi al-Falah; Ibn Abidin, Radd al-Muhtar]

Faraz Rabbani