Assalamualaikum Warahmatullah
I have been diagnosed with having an Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, a chronic anal fissure and a rectal fistula that sometimes drains. Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is a common, chronic and long-lasting disorder in which a person has uncontrollable, reoccurring thoughts (obsessions) and behaviors (compulsions) that he or she feels the urge to repeat over and over.
This situation causes an issue because I cannot accurately tell if there is discharge there or not, there is also some level of nerve damage which makes it confusing. I was previously told that I am considered as a mazur and to make wudhu before every salah.
Sometimes I get the sensation of wetness during wudhu, or during fard salah. But if it happens during sunnah after fardh or, if there is some gap between the wudhu and salah, I then become doubtful about how to proceed and become concerned if salah was valid or not. As a result sometimes, I perform a new wudhu for sunnah or I have skipped sunnah prayer, or continue praying sunnah in this condition because the sensation does not always mean the area is in fact wet. Also it can become difficult in the masjid because fardh jamah can be lengthy and I might not get the sensation until the end of the first or second rakah.
In light of these facts, what is the Islamic recommendation? Should I just make wudhu one time and pray fardh and sunnah regardless?
Walaikumassalam Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuhu
الجواب وباللہ التوفیق
If blood or pus from this wound is continuously discharging in such a manner that it spans the whole window of time available for a particular salah, and does not stop, and after performing wudhu you do not even get so much time that you can finish the fardh without the wudhu becoming invalidated, then you will be considered ma‘zoor (disabled). In that situation, you will have to perform wudhu once for a particular salah and then you can perform as many fardh and nafl salah that you like during that window of time. As soon as the window of time for that particular salah ends, your wudhu will become invalidated and you will have to perform wudhu for the next salah.
If however, the discharge of blood and pus is not in the manner described above (i.e. not continuous) then you will not be considered ma‘zoor. You will have to make wudhu in order to perform salah as soon as you have firm belief that the discharge has stopped.
As far as the feeling of wetness due to discharge during or outside of salah is concerned, if you qualify as a ma‘zoor then the ruling of ma‘zoor mentioned above will be applicable to you. If however, you do not qualify as a ma‘zoor then as long as you have a firm belief that the secretion has in fact taken place and you saw during wudhu or after the completion of salah that the wetness is there then in that case the wudhu will become invalidated. If you had completed your salah in that condition, you will have to repeat your salah. If you do not have a firm belief and its just a suspicion and you are not certain that the secretion is in fact taking place (but in reality the secretion has not taken place), then such suspicion has no standing, because mere suspicion does not supercede or cancel out firm belief. Your wudhu will remain valid and performing salah in that condition will be considered correct. If you had completed the salah already, you will not have to repeat it.
لماافی الدر المختار (۳۰۵/۱):(وصاحب عذر من بہ سلس) بول لا یمکنہ امساکہ(او استطلاق بطن …ان استوعب عذرہ تمام وقت صلاۃ مفروضۃ)بان لایجد فی جمیع وقتہا زمنا یتوضأ ویصلی فیہ خالیا عن الحدث(ولو حکما)لان الانقطاع الیسیر ملحق بالعدم(وھذا شرط)العذر (فی حق الابتداء وفی) حق (البقاء کفی وجودہ فی جزء من الوقت)ولومرۃ(وفی)حق الزوال یشترط(استیعاب الانقطاع)تمام الوقت (حقیقۃ )لانہ الانقطاع الکامل۔(وحکمہ الوضو )لا غسل ثوبہ وفی(صـ۳۰۶) ونحوہ (لکل فرض)اللام للوقت کمافی لدلوک الشمس ثم یصلی بہ (فیہ فرضاونفلا)فدخل الواجب بالاولی(فاذا خرج الوقت بطل)۔
وصرح الحنفیۃ بأن من یعرض لہ الشیطان کثیراً لا یلتفت إلیہ بل ینضح فرجہ أو سراویلہ بماء حتی إذا شک حمل البلل علی ذلک ما لم یتیقن خلافہ۔ (الموسوعۃ الفقہیۃ الکویتیۃ ۴۳/ ۱۵۵)
ثم المراد بالخروج من السبیلین مجرد الظہور(درمختار) وفي ردالمحتار: فلو نزل البول إلی قصبۃ الذکر لاینقض لعدم ظہورہ، بخلاف القلفۃ؛ فإنہ بنزولہ إلیہا ینقض الوضوء۔ (درمختار مع الشامي ۱؍۲۶۲ زکریا، وہکذا في البدائع ۱؍۱۲۱ زکریا)
فقط واللہ اعلم بالصواب