Does Touching One’s Back-Side Invalidate Wudu?

Answered by Ustadh Sufyan Qufi

Question

I understand that touching your private parts invalidates wudu and requires you to do it again for prayer, but does the buttock count as a private part? I was lifting up my pants in between prayers, and I accidentally touched my buttock, maybe a little above it; I’m not sure if this invalidates my wudu; should I repeat my payer if it does?

Is prayer invalidated because the same thing occurred in it?

Answer

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

I pray this finds you in the best of states.

No, touching one’s private part doesn’t invalidate one’s wudu. The same goes for the rear part. [Shurunbulali, Nur al-Idah]

This is the position of the Hanafi school.

The Messenger of Allah, Blessings and Peace be upon him, was once asked about a person who touches his male organ during prayer. He replied: “Is it not (merely) a part of you?”[Abu Dawud]

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.