Q. A person feels very uncomfortable during prayers because he gets recurrent thoughts that he might have discharged wind and invalidated his ablution, or wudhu. This happens very frequently, almost in every prayer. And it is all without sound or smell. This person often wonders whether he actually discharged wind or it was merely a bowel movement. Please advise.

MKM

A. An important rule in Islamic worship is that a certainty cannot be removed or contradicted by a doubt. Therefore, we should always rely on what we know to be certain. Thus, if prayer is due and one is unsure whether he needs to have ablution or not, there are one of two cases. The first is that he had already done his ablution, or wudhu, but is unsure as to whether he might have invalidated it. The certainty here is that an ablution has been done. The doubt is about its invalidation. Therefore, he is considered to still have a valid ablution. The second situation is that he is not sure whether he did the ablution in the first place. In this case, he is deemed not to have done it and a new ablution is required. Thus, in the case of doubt, we always act on the basis of what is certain.

If we look at the case mentioned by the reader, we have a person who is certain to have had ablution, but then he experiences a feeling that he might have invalidated it by a wind discharge. He is unsure. We say that a certainty cannot be removed except by a counter certainty. A wind discharge is ascertained by sound or smell. If neither is present, then no wind discharge has taken place. It is a mere sensation that might have no substance.

Scholars in all generations warn against giving in to such thoughts because they can become an obsession. In this case, the reader describes this person as permanently uncomfortable in prayer. The best thing for him to do is to ignore the prompting to have a fresh ablution and repeat his prayer. When he does this for a few days, he will find that the whole thought is removed, God willing.

Abraham’s Footprints

Q. It is believed that the footprints preserved near the Kaaba are those of the Prophet Abraham. How can we be so sure?

R. Shaikh, Ohio

A. We are not so sure. In fact, when you look at the footprints, you wonder whether they are truly footprints. But this signifies nothing. We pray at that place, particularly after tawaf, because God has ordered us to do so. He says in the Qur’an: “Establish the spot where Abraham stood as a place of worship.” (2: 125) This is the place marked by the glass construction. This is why people pray behind it, facing the Kaaba. However, scholars agree that what is meant in the Qur’anic verse does not refer to the exact spot where Abraham stood, because this is impossible to define. They also say that what is meant is the area behind such spot. Therefore, a wide area, going as far back as necessary, gives us the meaning of this instruction.

Thick Eyebrows

Q. As a young man, I am much irritated by my very thick eyebrows which have now joined, forming a single eyebrow stretching over both eyes. When I suggest that I should remove part of the hair, my mother objects saying that this is good only for girls. Please comment.

B.S., USA

A. A woman who thins her eyebrows, or removes them, totally or partly, in order to give herself a different appearance is strongly censured by the Prophet. In fact any practice that gives a false appearance is condemned by Islam. Therefore, my advice to you is not to change the way you look, and to accept what God has given you.

Only in a case where something in one’s appearance is abnormal, giving the person concerned much bother that modification is acceptable. Thus, if a woman grows hair in some odd places, giving her a real problem and causing people to point her out with some unkind remarks, she may remove what causes her such hurt. You will note the difference between the two situations: when it is a question of a better appearance, it is condemned; but when it is a question of sparing oneself what hurts, it is permissible.

Arab News Islam 9 May 2003