Nullification
of ablution:
It is not desirable that one who is making ablution should
leave any of the sunan that have just been mentioned. The
person would then lose the great reward of these (simple)acts.
Anytime one abandons the sunnah, he has done a disliked
deed.
An
excretion of the penis, vagina or anus:
This would include urine, feces (Allah says, "...or one
of you comes from relieving himself," thus proving that
such an act obligates a new purification), and releasing
gas from the anus. Abu Hurairah reported that the Messenger
of Allah said, "Allah does not accept the prayer of a person
who has released gas until he makes a new ablution. A person
from Hadhramaut asked Abu Hurairah, "What does releasing
gas mean?" He answered, "Wind with or without sound." (Related
by al-Bukhari and Muslim.) He also narrated that the Prophet
said, "If one of you finds a disturbance in his abdomen
and is not certain if he has released any gas or not, he
should not leave the mosque unless he hears its sound or
smells its scent." (Related by Muslim.)
Hearing
the escaping gas or smelling it is not a condition for nullifying
ablution, but he stressed that one should be certain of
the action. As for al-Madhi (prostatic fluid), the Prophet
said, "Make ablution." Concerning sperm or al-mani, said
Ibn 'Abbas "It requires ghusl and for al-madhi and al-wadi,
wash your sex organs and make ablution." This was related
by al-Baihaqi in his Sunan.
Deep
sleep that makes a person completely unaware of his surroundings:
If the person did not keep his bottocks firmly seated on
the floor while sleeping, he must make a new ablution. Safwan
ibn 'Asal said, "The Prophet, upon whom be peace, used to
order us while we were travelling not to take our socks
off unless we were in post-sex impurity (i.e. not for defecation,
urination or sleep)." (Related by Ahmad, an-Nasa'i and at-Tirmidhi,
who graded it sahih.) If one's buttocks has remained firmly
on the floor during his sleep, no new ablution is necessary.
This
is implied by the hadith of Anas who said, "The companions
of the Prophet were waiting for the delayed night prayer
until their heads began nodding up and down (from drowsiness
and sleep). They would then pray without performing ablution."
(Related by ash-Shaifi, Muslim, Abu Dawud and at-Tirmidhi.)
The wording that at-Tirmidhi recorded from the chain of
Shu'bah is, "I have seen the companions of the Prophet sleeping
to the extent that one could hear some of them snoring.
But, they would stand for prayer without a new ablution."
Said Ibn alMubarak, "In our opinion, this happened when
they were sitting."
Loss
of consciousness:
This nullifies the ablution regardless of whether it was
owing to insanity, fainting, drunkenness, or some medicine.
It also does not matter if one was unconscious for a short
or long period of time, or if one was sitting, or fell to
the earth, and so on. The aspect of unawareness here is
greater than that of sleeping. The scholars are agreed on
this point.
Touching
the sexual organ without any "barrier" between the hand
and the organ:
Busrah bint Safwan narrated that the Prophet, upon whom
be peace, said, "Whoever touches his sexual organ cannot
pray until he performs ablution."
This
hadith is related by "the five." At-Tirmidhi classified
it as sahih and al-Bukhari called it the most authentic
report on that topic. Malik, ash-Shaifi, Ahmad and others
also narrated it. Abu Dawud said, "I asked Ahmad, 'Is the
hadith of Busrah authentic?' He said, 'Certainly it is authentic."
In the narration of Ahmad and an-Nasa'i, Busrah heard the
Prophet saying, "Ablution is to be made by the one who touches
his sexual organ." This is general and encompasses touching
one's own sexual organs or touching somebody else's. Abu
Hurairah reported the Prophet as saying, "Whoever touches
his sexual organ without any covering (between them) must
perform ablution." (Related by Ahmad, Ibn Hibban and al-Hakim,
who classified it as sahih, as did Ibn 'Abdul-Barr.)
Said
Ibn as-Sakin, "That hadith is from the best of what has
been related on this topic." Ash-Shaf'i related: "Any man
who touches his penis must perform ablution. Any women who
touches her vagina must perform ablution." Commenting on
its authenticity, Ibn alQayyim quotes al-Hazimi who says,
"That chain is sahih." The Hanifiyyah are of the opinion,
based on the following hadith, that touching the sexual
organ does not nullify the ablution: "A man asked the Prophet
if a man who touches his penis has to perform ablution.
Said the Prophet, upon whom be peace, "No, it is just a
part of you." (Related by "the five." Ibn Hibban classified
it as sahih, and Ibn al-Madini said, "It is better than
the hadith of Busrah.'')
