If you are certain that you performed wudu and then doubt whether you passed wind or anything else, you remain in a state of purity. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, was asked about a person who imagines that he feels something during prayer, and he said: "He should not leave until he hears a sound or detects a smell." Reported by Muslim (361).

Mentioning a sound and a smell gives examples of how certainty may be established; it does not make either of them a condition. Whoever is certain that wind has passed has invalidated wudu even without hearing a sound or detecting a smell. Abdominal movement or an uncertain sensation, however, is not enough to conclude that wind has passed.

You do not need to inspect, squeeze, or repeatedly check to establish your purity. If you are certain that a nullifier has occurred during prayer, do not continue the prayer; purify yourself and then repeat it.

Passing urine, stool, or wind from the anus invalidates wudu. The discharge of madhi or wadi also invalidates it, even in a small amount. With urine, stool, madhi, and wadi, the affected area and anything soiled by the impurity must be cleaned according to the established details. Passing wind, however, does not require istinja, cleansing the private parts.

Madhi and wadi do not require ghusl from janabah. To understand the differences between them and mani, and how to purify yourself after each, read Mani, Madhi and Wadi.

Ordinary Vaginal Discharge

As for ordinary vaginal discharge, the majority hold that its emergence from inside the vagina invalidates wudu, although another view holds that it does not. A discharge invalidating wudu does not necessarily mean that it is impure; some of these discharges are pure. Sweat or external moisture is not the same as fluid emerging from within, and wudu is not judged invalid merely because of a sensation without certainty that discharge occurred. Details are discussed in Does Vaginal Discharge Break Wudu?.

The stronger view is that sleep during which awareness is lost invalidates wudu, whether a person sleeps sitting or lying down. The determining factor is the depth of sleep and loss of awareness, not posture alone.

Light drowsiness while awareness remains does not invalidate wudu. Anas, may Allah be pleased with him, described the Companions waiting for Isha prayer until their heads nodded, then praying without performing wudu again. Reported by Abu Dawud (200), graded authentic by al-Albani.

Loss of mental awareness through fainting, intoxication, or insanity, and loss of consciousness under general anesthesia, invalidate wudu. When a person regains consciousness and wishes to pray, they perform wudu. Local anesthesia that does not remove awareness does not, by itself, invalidate wudu.

Eating camel meat invalidates wudu according to the stronger view, even in a small amount, whether raw or cooked. In the hadith of Jabir ibn Samurah, may Allah be pleased with him, the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, was asked about performing wudu after eating camel meat, and he said: "Yes, perform wudu after eating camel meat." Reported by Muslim (360).

Other meats, such as sheep, beef, and chicken, do not invalidate wudu merely by being eaten. Camel milk and broth drunk without eating any of the meat likewise do not take the ruling of camel meat.

Scholars differed concerning the liver, fat, and similar parts of a camel; performing wudu after eating them is the more cautious course.

Scholars differed concerning touching the front private parts. The stronger view according to a number of them is that directly touching the penis or a woman's front private part with the hand, without a barrier, invalidates wudu, even without desire. Busrah bint Safwan, may Allah be pleased with her, narrated that the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: "Whoever touches his penis should not pray until he performs wudu." Reported by al-Tirmidhi (82), who graded it sound and authentic.

Touching through clothing or a glove does not invalidate wudu. Merely touching the thigh or the area surrounding the private parts does not fall under this ruling. Directly touching the anal opening is also a matter of scholarly disagreement; performing wudu afterward is the more cautious course.

The invalidation here concerns the person who directly touches with their hand, not the person whose private part is touched by someone else, unless another nullifier occurs.

Merely touching or kissing one's wife does not invalidate wudu according to the stronger view, even with desire, unless madhi or another discharge emerges. This is different from directly touching the front private parts, whose ruling has already been explained.

﴿أَوْ لَامَسْتُمُ النِّسَاءَ﴾

In interpreting Allah's words, {or you have touched women} [Al-Maidah: 6], Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with them both, explained this touching as sexual intercourse, as clarified by Sheikh Ibn Baz, may Allah have mercy on him. The discussion here concerns ritual purity; it does not permit touching a woman whom one is not allowed to touch.

The stronger view is that bleeding from a wound or the nose, and having a blood sample taken, do not invalidate wudu, even if the amount of blood is large. The same applies to vomiting. This was the view chosen by Sheikh Ibn Uthaymin, may Allah have mercy on him, although jurists differed, particularly regarding large amounts of blood or vomit.

Blood emerging from the urinary or anal outlet is not included in this ruling. Menstrual and postpartum bleeding likewise have their own rulings. Blood not invalidating wudu does not mean that the rules for cleansing impurities before prayer may be disregarded.

Touching Impurity

If a child's urine or another impurity touches your hand, clean whatever was affected. You do not need to perform wudu merely because you touched the impurity. Removing impurity is one matter; renewing wudu is another.

Eating, Drinking, and Laughing Outside Prayer

Eating and drinking do not invalidate wudu, apart from camel meat as explained above. Laughing outside prayer does not invalidate it either.

Washing the deceased does not, by itself, invalidate wudu according to the stronger view, as explained by Sheikh Ibn Baz, may Allah have mercy on him. However, if the person washing directly touches the deceased's front private part with their hand, without a barrier, they perform wudu according to the view already mentioned concerning touching the private parts. The deceased's awrah is washed through a barrier while kept covered, not touched with a bare hand.

﴿وَإِنْ كُنْتُمْ جُنُبًا فَاطَّهَّرُوا﴾

The discharge of mani with desire while awake, and sexual intercourse even without ejaculation, require ghusl. Ghusl is also obligatory after menstruation or postpartum bleeding ends and purity is established. Allah Most High says in the verse of purification: {And if you are in a state of janabah, purify yourselves.} [Al-Maidah: 6].

Whoever has a wet dream and then finds mani must perform ghusl, even without recalling pleasure or the details of the dream. A dream without finding mani does not require ghusl. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, was asked whether a woman must perform ghusl after a wet dream, and he said: "Yes, if she sees the fluid." Reported by Muslim (313).

To learn how to perform ghusl and what fulfills its requirements, read How to Make Ghusl from Janabah.

Not every repeated discharge is incontinence that takes the ruling of a continuous excuse. If the discharge stops at a known time long enough for purification and prayer within the prayer time, that interval must be used: wait for the discharge to stop, then purify yourself and pray, without delaying the prayer beyond its time.

Someone whose nullifying condition continues, with no interval sufficient for purification and prayer, follows the rulings for a person with an ongoing excuse. Sheikh Ibn Baz, may Allah have mercy on him, explained that after the prayer time begins, the person removes any impurity present, takes precautions to prevent its spread as far as possible, then performs wudu and prays the obligatory prayer and whatever voluntary prayers they wish within that time.

The continued occurrence of that same ongoing excuse after this wudu does not affect them. A different nullifier, however, such as deep sleep, retains its ruling. Continuous discharge has details according to the circumstances; repeating wudu for every drop is not required when the ruling of an ongoing excuse applies.

If your situation is unclear, describe to qualified scholars the actual discharge, whether it is continuous, and the times when it stops. The ruling is not based on a mere sensation or fear.