Does Drinking Water Break Wudu? Find Out Here!

Table of Contents

Hi all readers! Are you looking for an explanation of whether drinking water breaks wudu? If your answer is “Yes,” congratulations! You’re reading the right article. Why? Because that’s what I will explain here. As Muslims, it’s important for us to understand this topic thoroughly, which is why I wrote this article. Be sure to read it to the end.

Specifically, there are some important points about whether drinking water breaks wudu that I will cover in this article. These four important points are as follows:

Drinking Water in Islam

The first important point about whether drinking water breaks wudu that I will address is the significance of drinking water in Islam. Understanding this will provide you with a complete understanding of the topic we are discussing.

In general, drinking water is permissible in Islam. However, its status can change depending on the context. For example, if you are about to pray and you are thirsty, drinking water becomes obligatory because thirst can affect your concentration during the prayer.

Therefore, while drinking water is ordinarily permissible, in this context it becomes obligatory to ensure that your concentration during prayer is not compromised.

This explanation is supported by Islamic legal arguments, such as:

مَا لَا يَتِمُّ الْوَاجِبُ إِلَّا بِهِ فَهُوَ وَاجِبٌ

Whatever is necessary to fulfill an obligation becomes an obligation itself.

Similarly, if there is a reason to avoid drinking water, such as if it is stolen, we should abstain from drinking it unless it is a matter of dire necessity. By necessity, I mean a situation where not drinking the water could lead to severe harm or death.

Another example is if studying requires concentration and thirst would disrupt it, drinking water in that context becomes obligatory as it alleviates thirst.

In conclusion, drinking water is generally permissible in Islam but can become important or obligatory depending on the situation.

That’s a brief explanation of the role of drinking water in Islam. As Muslims, it’s important for us to understand this.

Hadith About Drinking Water and Wudu

The important point about whether drinking water breaks wudu that I will discuss here is the hadith related to drinking water and wudu. Understanding this will help you grasp the rationale behind our discussion.

The hadith I am referring to is as follows:

أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ شَرِبَ لَبَنًا فَلَمْ يُمَضْمِضْ وَلَمْ يَتَوَضَّأْ وَصَلَّى

The Messenger of Allah (Prophet Muhammad) sallallahu alayhi wa sallam drank milk, did not rinse his mouth, nor did he perform wudu before praying.

This hadith provides insight into the practice of drinking and wudu. As Muslims, it’s important for us to understand this.

Things That Break Wudu

The important point about whether drinking water breaks wudu is understanding what actually breaks wudu. Knowing this will help you respond correctly to our discussion.

In general, there are five things that can break wudu:

• Releasing from the two private parts: if anything exits from the front (penis or vagina) or back (anus) openings, it breaks wudu. This is supported by the following Quran:

أَوْ جَاءَ أَحَدٌ مِنْكُمْ مِنَ الْغَائِطِ

“Or one of you comes from the bathroom.” (Al-Maidah: 6).

• Loss of mind: this includes sleep, madness, and similar conditions. The hadith below supports this:

فَمَنْ نَامَ فَلْيَتَوَضَّأْ

“Whoever sleeps, let him perform wudu.” (Narrated by Abu Dawud).

• Touching the skin of a non-mahram: if a man and a woman who are not mahram (close relatives) touch each other without a barrier, it breaks wudu. This is supported by the following Quranic verse:

أَوْ لَامَسْتُمُ النِّسَاءَ

“Or you touch a woman.” (Al-Maidah: 6).

• Touching the private parts: If someone touches their penis, vagina, or anus with their palms or fingers, it breaks wudu. This is supported by the hadith below:

مَنْ مَسَّ ذَكَرَهُ فَلْيَتَوَضَّأْ

“Whoever touches his penis, let him perform wudu.” (Narrated by Ahmad).

• Vomiting and nosebleeds: vomiting and nosebleeds also break wudu. The following hadith explains this:

عَنْ عَائِشَةَ رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهَا أَنَّ رَسُوْلَ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ: مَنْ أَصَابَهُ قَيْءٌ, أَوْ رُعَافٌ, أَوْ قَلَسٌ, أَوْ مَذْيٌ فَلْيَتَوَضَّأْ, ثُمَّ لْيَبْنِ عَلَى صَلَاتِهِ وَهُوَ لَا يَتَكَلَّمُ. أَخْرَجَهُ اِبْنُ مَاجَهْ

From Aisha (radiyallahu anha), the Messenger of Allah (Prophet Muhammad) sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said, "Whoever experiences vomiting, nosebleeds, qalas (a type of fluid from the throat), or madhiy (pre-ejaculatory fluid), should perform wudu and then continue his prayer, as long as he does not speak." (Narrated by Ibn Majah).

This is a general explanation of the things that break wudu. As Muslims, we must understand these points.

Does Drinking Water Break Wudu?

The important point about whether drinking water breaks wudu that I will explain here is a specific answer. Based on the explanations provided above, we can conclude that in Islam, drinking water does not break wudu!

Now, I will draw an analogy between drinking water and eating camel meat because there are similarities between the two.

You might be wondering, “What about eating camel meat? Does it break wudu?”

To clarify, here is the explanation regarding the correlation between eating camel meat and wudu:

عَنْ جَابِرٍ بْنِ سَمْرَةَ رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُ أَنَّ رَجُلًا سَأَلَ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: أَتَوَضَّأُ مِنْ لُحُومِ الْغَنَمِ؟ قَالَ: إِنْ شِئْتَ. قَالَ: أَتَوَضَّأُ مِنْ لُحُومِ الْإِبِلِ؟ قَالَ: نَعَمْ. أَخْرَجَهُ مُسْلِمٌ

From Jabir ibn Samurah (radiyallahu anhu), someone once asked the Prophet Muhammad (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam), "Should I perform wudu after eating goat meat?" He replied, "If you wish." The person then asked, "Should I perform wudu after eating camel meat?" He replied, "Yes." This hadith was narrated by Muslim.

Generally, understanding this hadith allows us to conclude that eating camel meat is considered to break wudu. However, there are three important points to consider:

1. Eating mutton does not break wudu in Islam.
2. Ahmad ibn Hanbal stated that eating camel meat can break wudu.
3. The majority of Islamic jurists hold that eating camel meat does not break wudu. They interpret the term “wudu” in the hadith to mean gargling. In other words, the requirement is to remove any residual fat from the mouth, not to perform a full wudu.

All readers, this is a brief explanation of whether drinking water breaks wudu. Do you understand? If you have any questions, please feel free to ask!

I believe that’s enough for this article. I hope it is useful. Ameen.

See you in the next article.