Do I Have to Keep Repeating Wudu Whenever I Feel Arousal?
Hanafi Fiqh
Answered by Mawlana Ilyas Patel
Question
I’ve been having sexual thoughts and arousal all the time, whether during wudu or prayer, which makes it extremely difficult to offer salah. I get a feeling down there quite frequently while doing wudu, and I’m not sure if I need to repeat it, but it seems to happen every time.
I don’t usually repeat wudu because it’s challenging to avoid arousal, but I feel guilty and uncertain about the validity of my prayers. I usually have pads during prayer, and when I check the pads, I usually don’t see anything, but I remember feeling a tingle down there.
Do I have to repeat my wudu if I feel that tingle/arousal? Since it happens so frequently, should I keep going and pray?
Answer
In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate.
I pray you are in good faith and health.
Your wudu and prayer will be valid even if you feel aroused during it. However, continue to work on yourself to avoid it; for example, do a fresh wudu before prayer, despite having it sometimes.
Benefit and Preference of Some Scholars of Doing Wudu with Cold Water
To avoid excessive heat in your body, perform wudu with cold or lukewarm water. Rest assured, keep praying, and in sha’ Allah, you will soon be in control.
‘Atiyyah (Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) said, “Verily, anger comes from Shaytan and Shaytan was created from fire. Fire is extinguished with water, so if you become angry then perform ablution with water.” [Abu Dawud]
Imam Nasai (Alla be pleased with him) has recorded the following hadith on the authority of ‘Aishah (radiyallahu ‘anha) who says, the Mesenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) ) would say,
اللَّهُمَّ اغْسِلْ خَطَايَاىَ بِمَاءِ الثَّلْجِ وَالْبَرَدِ وَنَقِّ قَلْبِي مِنَ الْخَطَايَا كَمَا نَقَّيْتَ الثَّوْبَ الأَبْيَضَ مِنَ الدَّنَسِ
“Allahummaghsil khatayaya bi mai’n thalji wal baradi wa naqqi qalbi minal khataya kama naqqaytath thawbal abyada minad danas”
“O Allah, wash off my sins with the (melted) water of ice and snow, and purify my heart of sins, just as white clothes are cleansed of filth.” [Nasai, al-Mujtaba]
Imam Bukhari and Imam Muslim (Allah’s mercy be upon them) have also recorded this dua in a lengthier narration comprising other duas. [Bukhari; Muslim]
Imam Ghazali (Allah be pleased with him) mentions that sins in general and anger in particular have the effect of heat, so one should attempt to remove them as one would do with a fire using water. This is why according to Imam Nasa’i (Allah be pleased with him), it is preferable (afdal) to do wudu with cold water than hot.
Related:
- Prayer Reader: The Ultimate Guide To Prayer in Islam
- Ritual Purity: A Reader
- A Reader on OCD and Waswasa (Baseless Misgivings)
- Purification of the Heart for Youth: Diseases of the Heart and Their Cure [Video]
- The Path of Muhammad: Birgivi’s Manual of Taqwa Explained [Video]
- Purification of the Heart [Book]
Why not begin your search for knowledge by signing up for a course on SeekersGuidance?
I pray this helps with your question.
Wassalam,
[Mawlana] Ilyas Patel
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
Mawlana Ilyas Patel is a traditionally-trained scholar who has studied in the UK, India, Pakistan, Syria, Jordan, and Turkey. He started his early education in the UK. He went on to complete the hifz of the Quran in India, then enrolled in an Islamic seminary in the UK, where he studied the secular and ‘Aalimiyya sciences. He then traveled to Karachi, Pakistan. He has been an Imam in Rep of Ireland for several years. He has taught hifz of the Quran, Tajwid, Fiqh, and many other Islamic sciences to children and adults onsite and online extensively in the UK and Ireland. He taught at a local Islamic seminary for 12 years in the UK, where he was a librarian and a teacher of Islamic sciences. He currently resides in the UK with his wife. His interest is a love of books and gardening.
