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What is meant by "wind" (الريح) in the Prophetic Hadith: is it an odor or air expelled from the anus, and is it necessary to verify the emission of moisture with the wind, and what is the ruling on frequent flatulence for someone who finds difficulty verifying the emission of moisture?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

The agreed-upon Hadith states: "He should not leave until he hears a sound or finds a smell." Its meaning is the knowledge of the presence of either of them. This is a great principle in Islamic jurisprudence: that things remain according to their original state until the contrary is certain. Al-Hadath (ritual impurity) is air exiting from the anus with a smell or a sound. Washing the anus is not required for the emission of wind unless an impurity exits with it. Touching the area is not prescribed, and one should avoid giving in to obsessive thoughts.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

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