Answered by Shaykh Abdul-Rahim Reasat
Question: Assalamu alaykum
What is the ruling on trying to avoid releasing gas during salat?
Answer: Wa ‘alaykum as-salam wa rahmatullah wa barakatuh.
I pray you are well.
Praying whilst needs to break wind or relieve yourself is prohibitively disliked. It is superior to end the prayer, renew one’s wudu, and pray properly – unless, if doing so will mean the prayer time will end before one can pray. (Shurunbulali, Maraqi al Falah).
Remembrance of Allah
The purpose of the prayer is the remembrance of Allah. When Allah first spoke to the Prophet Musa, Allah bless him and give him peace, He said, “…And perfectly perform the prayer for my remembrance.” (Qur’an, 20:14)
The perfect performance (Iqama) is the outward manifestation of the body. One shows slavehood to Allah by adhering to the fard, wajib, sunna, and adab elements of the prayer. This all helps in inward aspect: focusing on Allah.
Trying to pray when one needs to answer the call of nature prevents one from remembering Allah, and it goes against the perfecting of the prayer. I hope that helps.
May Allah make all our prayers perfect – outwardly and inwardly. Amin.
Wassalam,
[Shaykh] Abdul-Rahim Reasat