Title: Feeling of Passing Wind during Sala'h Question: Concerning the breaking of Wudu by passing wind a Hadith of Sahih Bukhari states: Volume 1, Book 4, Number 139: Narrated 'Abbas bin Tamim: My uncle asked Allah's Apostle about a person who imagined to have passed wind during the prayer. Allah's Apostle replied: "He should not leave his prayers unless he hears sound or smells something." I would like to know whether this Hadith applies to the situation when one feels that one has passed wind but it has neither sound nor smell? Does this form of passing wind also make the Sala'h void or is it something else? Also sometimes you know for sure that wind has passed from the anus (without sound or smell), but sometimes you are not even sure whether wind has passed (again without sound or smell). Sometimes only slight discomfort is felt near the anal region but one is not sure whether wind has actually passed through it. What should be done in the above cases? Some people say that such feelings of passing wind are just "Waswasahs" of Satan, but how can the whisperings of Satan acquire a physical sensation when he can only influence us emotionally? This issue is really affecting my concentration in prayers. Kindly explain all details concerning it. Faiza Haq Pakistan Answer: The cited narrative implies that a person should not leave his prayers merely on the feeling that he has passed wind or has invalidated his ablution. On the contrary, a person should only break his prayers if he is certain - through sound or through odor - that he/she has, in fact, passed wind and invalidated his ablution. In other words, it is on the basis of absolute certainty that an individual should break his Sala'h , not on the basis of instincts, gut feelings or assessments. The referred saying of the Prophet (pbuh) applies to each one of the conditions that you have mentioned. In each of these situations, a person should not break Sala'h till the time that he is absolutely certain that he has passed wind and has, thereby, invalidated his ablution. You write: ... how can the whisperings of Satan acquire a physical sensation when he can only influence us emotionally? We are not fully aware of what the shayateen from among the Jinn are capable of doing. There seems to be no reason to believe that these shayateen cannot have a physical effect upon a human being. You write: This issue is really affecting my concentration in prayers. Kindly explain all details concerning it. The issue is affecting your prayers because of your being overly conscious about it. You must try to normalize the situation as it has a tendency of developing into an extremely grave psychological problem. To normalize the situation, I would suggest that you completely ignore all feelings of passing wind and should try to concentrate your mind on the supplications that you recite. You must not even consider breaking your prayers till the time that you hear a sound or smell an odor, which makes you absolutely certain that you have passed wind. I hope this helps. Regards, Moiz Amjad August 4, 2002