Answered by Sidi Mostafa Azzam
While studying wudu we came across the section of the four causes of minor ritual impurity. One of the causes was – anything that exits the front and the rear – and in that section it mentioned it made no difference if it was a substance or wind. As for a woman the Question arises if wind that exits from the private part is included in that statement. Wind exiting from the private part is rather common amongst women but what is difficult to know is from how far in the air came, it could have been from the womb itself or just air that has been trapped inside whilst making simple motions. Since this is very common, especially in Salat since it consists of many motions, the Question is ‘does this break wudu according to Shafi’i Fiqh?’ I’ve heard a person say that there is a fatwa which implies that it does not break wudu, and I was wondering if this is also true in the fiqh of Shafi’i.
Anything exiting the private parts nullifies wudu except the exiting of ejaculate, since it necessitates ghusl. What is meant by exiting the private parts is going from the inside to the outside. The criterion for outside is what is exposed when squatting (to use the toilet, for example); inside is anything beyond that. Gas that exits is no exception, even from the front (see Bushra al-Karim, 1:62 (Dar al-Fikr)). So gas that exits from inside a woman’s front private part nullifies ablution, even if not from deep inside.
I believe this is different from the Hanafi School, and I think the fatwa you heard was Hanafi. One can check with Shaykh Faraz Rabbani on the Hanafi Group.
And Allah knows best.
Mostafa Azzam
Amman, Jordan.