What should a person do who is afflicted with urinary incontinence and severe obsessive-compulsive disorder regarding purity, which causes him to spend a long time in ghusl (full ablution), wudu (partial ablution), and istinja (cleaning after relieving oneself), due to rubbing the skin and hair to ensure water reaches the skin, out of fear of natural barriers like sweat and oils, or out of fear of the limbs drying during wudu?
The obsessive thoughts have reached a great extent for this person, and the only cure for them is to completely ignore these obsessions. He should perform ablution normally, so he should not wash a limb more than three times. Oil and sweat are not considered barriers, and the basic principle when in doubt about the existence of a barrier is its non-existence. He is permitted to adopt the view that sequential washing (muwalat) is not obligatory in ablution and ritual bathing (ghusl). For thin hair like eyelashes and eyebrows, water should be poured over them and reach underneath them. It is sufficient to have a strong presumption that the limb has been covered with water, so he should not pay attention to obsessive thoughts. He is not obliged to wash the inside of his nose; rather, he should sniff water normally (istinnshaq) and blow it out naturally (istinthaar). When performing ablution, he should pour water over his entire face three times. If he has a strong presumption that it has been covered, he should then proceed to wash his hands, and not pay attention to the whispers of Satan, and similarly when washing his feet. He should not exceed three times in washing.
Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026
Read the full answer on Ftawyhttps://ftawy.com/en/questions/168433