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If you say that we do wudu after passing wind because because God and His prophet said so then this is not a rational answer for a non-Muslim. That Hindu clerk is still alive and I met him only two years ago when I visited the old small town of Nimbahera in Rajisthan and I am anxious to send him a reply if you or anyone else supplies one." />

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Rationale of Wudu after Passing the Wind
Question asked by Salahuddin Mirza.
Posted on: Wednesday, June 14, 2006 - Hits: 1411

Question:
I just wanted to know the answer to the question raised by the Hindu clerk of my father: "You Muslims claim that you do wudu because thereby you thereby clean yourselves before going before God. Well and good. But why do you do wudu if you pass wind ?"

If you say that we do wudu after passing wind because because God and His prophet said so then this is not a rational answer for a non-Muslim. That Hindu clerk is still alive and I met him only two years ago when I visited the old small town of Nimbahera in Rajisthan and I am anxious to send him a reply if you or anyone else supplies one.

Answer:
The rationale of wudu after passing wind is the same as that of performing wudu after passing urine etc. Why not only remain content with washing only the relevant parts. The practice of wudu, which involves washing the hands to the elbows, washing the face and feet and wiping the head, is more than merely washing the genital areas for example. Therefore if we are able to determine the hikmah of the wudu in the first place we can understand the hikmah of ablution after passing wind.

Urination and defecation not only make the relevant body parts impure but also they make us feel impure. One could in this case go on to the extent of washing the whole body or remain content with washing the relevant parts. The Shari'ah has prescribed a middle way which not only removes the filth from the body but also gives us a sense of purity.

Another important think that needs to be appreciated is that all the rituals no doubt have been prescribed for some reason and they are not doubt based on divine hikmah. However, we may not be able to reach the ultimate reason working behind them. One may object to the apparent form of prayer. After all we can remember God while standing still or lying on the floor or sitting. Such objections seem to ignore the importance of rituals in any religious code. All the religious codes have some rituals and we may not find the hikmah working behind their posture or extent for example. This does not of course nullify the importance of rituals in any religious code.

Regards,

Tariq Mahmood Hashmi
Research Assistant, Studying Islam

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