Does the ablution of a person afflicted with incontinence become nullified upon the entry of a new time when there is no prayer, such as the entry of the last third of the night during prayer after midnight, or the yellowing of the sun during Asr prayer?

The jurists hold various opinions regarding when the purity of a person afflicted with سلس (incontinence) becomes invalid, with four main views:

1. Purity becomes invalid absolutely upon the expiry of the time [of the prayer], and this is the view of the Shafi’is, Hanbalis, Abu Hanifa, and Muhammad ibn al-Hasan. 2. Purity becomes invalid upon the entry of the time for another obligatory prayer, not merely upon the entry of a time during which there is no obligatory prayer. This is the view of Zufar from the Hanafis and one of the two opinions among the Hanbalis. 3. Purity becomes invalid upon the expiry of the time or upon the entry of the time for another obligatory prayer. This is the view of Abu Yusuf and Abu Ya’la. 4. Purity is not invalidated by the expiry of the time nor by its entry; rather, it is recommended to renew the ablution upon the entry of the time. This is the view of the Malikis.

The practical implications of this disagreement become apparent in situations where there is expiry without entry (such as the ablution for Fajr and the sunrise), or where there is entry without expiry (such as ablution before zawal and the entry of Dhuhr time). It is clarified that the ablution of a person afflicted with سلس is not invalidated by the entry of the last third of the night or by the yellowing of the sun, because the time remains one.