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Does Bleeding Break Ones Wuduh?

Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid

category: Ritual Purification

source: Islam-QA.com

reads: 5415

As regards the question of whether wuduh is broken by the flowing of blood, this is an issue concerning which the scholars, may Allaah have mercy on them, differed. Those who think that bleeding breaks wuduh quote as evidence the hadeeth of Abu’l-Darda’ (may Allaah be pleased with him): "The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) vomited, then did wuduh." They drew an analogy between vomit and blood, because both are naajis (impure) when they come out of the body.

This hadeeth was narrated by Ahmad [4/449], Abu Dawood [2981] and al-Tirmidhi [87], who said: "More than one of the scholars among the Companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and others among the Taabi’een thought that wuduh should be done after vomiting or having a nosebleed. This is the opinion of Sufyaan al-Thawri, Ibn al-Mubaarak, Ahmad and Ishaaq. Some scholars said that wuduh is not necessary after vomiting or having a nosebleed. This is the opinion of Maalik and al-Shaafa’i." This was also narrated as being the opinion of Ahmad. Al-Baghawi said: "It is the opinion of most of the Sahaabah and Taabi’een."

The most correct view is that bleeding does not break one’s wuduh, although it is preferable (mustahabb) to make wuduh after bleeding. The evidence for this is as follows:

Wuduh is considered to be valid until there is proof that something breaks it. There is no proof narrated from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) that bleeding breaks wuduh, hence Imaam al-Nawawi (may Allaah have mercy on him) said, "There is no proof whatsoever that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) made it obligatory to do wuduh because of that (bleeding)."

Shaykh Ibn Sa’di (may Allaah have mercy on him) said, the correct opinion is that bleeding and vomiting, etc., do not break wuduh, whether they are large or small in volume, because there is no evidence to proof that they break wuduh, and the guiding principle is that wuduh remains valid.

One cannot draw an analogy between blood and anything else, because the reasons behind them are not the same.

The idea that bleeding breaks wuduh is contrary to what was reported from the salaf (early generations), for example, ‘Umar ibn al-Khattaab (may Allaah be pleased with him) continued to pray although his wound was pouring with blood. Al-Hasan al-Basri (may Allaah have mercy on him) said, "The Muslims continue to pray even when they are wounded."

The fact that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did wuduh after he vomited does not indicate that it is obligatory to do so, because the rules of fiqh say that the mere fact that he did something, unless it was accompanied by a command to do it, does not make it obligatory. All that this proves is that it is good to follow the example of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) in this instance. Hence Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: "Doing wuduh after cupping and vomiting is mustahabb and is good."

To sum up the above: It is mustahabb (preferable) for a blood donor to do wuduh after giving blood, but if he does not do wuduh, it is still OK.

And Allaah knows best.