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Is wudu obligatory upon feeling the urge to relieve oneself?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

Ablution (Wudu') is only obligatory for prayer, circumambulation (Tawaf) around the Kaaba, or touching the Qur'an. Ablution is not nullified merely by feeling the urge to relieve oneself. Rather, it is recommended for someone who is suppressing the two impurities (urine or feces) to promptly relieve themselves, then perform ablution and pray, so that their thoughts are not distracted during prayer. This is based on the Prophet's (peace and blessings be upon him) saying: "There is no prayer in the presence of food, nor when one is suppressing the two impurities" (Narrated by Muslim). If one fears that the prayer time will expire, they should pray in their current state, and their prayer is valid, though disliked by the majority of scholars, and does not need to be repeated.

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

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