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The things that break wudu are whatever exits the two private parts, loss of reason (including deep sleep), and — in the Hanbali position — touching the private part with the bare hand, touching a woman with desire, and eating camel meat. The first of these is agreed upon by all the scholars; the rest are matters where the schools differ, and I'll set out the differences honestly below.
What the scholars agree on
Every school holds that anything leaving the front or back passage nullifies wudu — urine, stool, wind, madhy (a thin clear fluid that emerges with arousal, without ejaculation), wady (a thick cloudy white fluid that follows urination), and anything else, whether it is usual or unusual, little or much.
The evidence is the verse in Surah an-Nisa:
"…or one of you comes from the privy, or you have touched women, and you find no water, then resort to clean earth…"— Qur'an 4:43
And the Prophet's ﷺ words, narrated by Abu Hurayrah رضي الله عنه:
"Allah does not accept the prayer of any of you who has broken his wudu until he performs wudu."— Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim
When Abu Hurayrah was asked what hadath (breaking wudu) means, he answered: "a silent or a loud passing of wind." The Hanafi text adds a detail worth knowing: wind from the front passage does not break wudu, because it is only a muscular twitch, not wind proper.
Sleep and loss of reason
Sleep is not itself a nullifier — it is a mazinnah (a likely occasion) for the real nullifier, which is the exit of wind or something else while one is unaware. This is why the Companions رضي الله عنهم used to wait for the night prayer until their heads nodded, then pray without renewing wudu (Sahih Muslim, from Anas رضي الله عنه).
The practical question is: what kind of sleep? The schools answer it differently.
| View | Criterion | Held by |
|---|---|---|
| Deep vs. light sleep | If you would not notice yourself passing wind, wudu is broken; if you would notice, it is not | Ibn Uthaymeen, al-Fawzan, and the view al-Barak favoured |
| Sitting firmly vs. other postures | Sleep breaks wudu unless one is sitting firmly on the ground | The Shafi'i text |
| Any sleep breaks it | Sleep as such nullifies | The apparent meaning of the hadith of Safwan ibn Assal |
The Hanbali position, as Ibn Uthaymeen explains it, is that the criterion is awareness, not posture: whether you are lying down, leaning, or sitting, if you would feel it were you to break wind, your wudu stands. Loss of reason through insanity, intoxication, or unconsciousness breaks wudu by greater reason.
The disputed nullifiers
Here the schools genuinely differ, and it is worth knowing both what the Hanbali school holds and what the others hold.
Touching the private part with the bare hand. The Hanbali school and the majority of scholars hold that this breaks wudu, based on the hadith of Busrah bint Safwan رضي الله عنها:
"Whoever touches his private part, let him perform wudu."— Sunan al-Tirmidhi, graded hasan sahih
The Shafi'i text extends this to the anus as well. Ibn Uthaymeen notes that if the touch is with desire, the case for obligation is very strong; without desire, he recommends wudu as a precaution without asserting it as binding.
Touching a woman. The Hanbali school holds that a man's skin touching a woman's breaks wudu when it is with desire. The Shafi'i school goes further: any skin contact between a man and a woman who is not his mahram breaks it, citing the verse above and the practice of Ibn Umar رضي الله عنهما, who held that kissing one's wife or touching her with the hand is mulamasah and requires wudu. The strongest position, however, as al-Barak and Ibn Uthaymeen both state, is that mere touching does not break wudu at all unless something exits as a result — in which case the nullifier is that exit, not the touch.
Eating camel meat. The Hanbali school holds that eating camel meat breaks wudu, whether raw or cooked, and whether it is the red meat or any part of the animal — liver, heart, stomach, fat. The evidence is the hadith of Jabir ibn Samurah رضي الله عنه:
"A man asked the Prophet ﷺ: 'Should I perform wudu after eating mutton?' He said: 'If you wish, perform wudu; if you wish, do not.' He asked: 'Should I perform wudu after eating camel meat?' He said: 'Yes, perform wudu after eating camel meat.'"— Sahih Muslim 360
The majority of scholars hold that camel meat does not break wudu. Imam Ahmad said there are two authentic hadiths on the matter, and al-Nawawi, in his commentary on Sahih Muslim, said the Hanbali position is stronger in evidence even though the majority differ. Ibn Baz and the Permanent Committee also held this view. Note that camel milk, its broth, and food cooked with its meat do not break wudu.
Washing a dead body. The Hanbali school holds that washing the deceased breaks wudu. The second view is that it does not, and Ibn Uthaymeen inclined to this, noting there is no explicit proof obliging wudu for it.
Apostasy from Islam. The Hanbali school lists it among the nullifiers. Al-Fawzan places it among the disputed matters.
Vomiting, bleeding, and other discharge from the body. The Hanbali school holds that a large amount of impure discharge from elsewhere on the body — blood, pus, vomit filling the mouth — breaks wudu. The Shafi'i and Hanafi texts treat these in detail. The strongest position, as al-Barak and Ibn Uthaymeen state, is that discharge from other than the two passages does not break wudu, since nothing authentic establishes it; but performing wudu anyway, to exit the disagreement, is better.
When you are unsure
If you are certain you had wudu and then doubt whether something broke it, you remain on wudu — certainty is not removed by doubt. The Prophet ﷺ said, regarding a man who imagined he felt something during prayer:
"He should not leave until he hears a sound or smells an odour."— Sahih Muslim, from Abu Hurayrah رضي الله عنه
The reverse also holds: if you are certain you broke wudu and doubt whether you renewed it, you must perform wudu.
Key takeaways
- Anything exiting the front or back passage breaks wudu by consensus — urine, stool, wind, madhy, wady, or anything else, in any amount.
- Deep sleep that would leave you unaware of passing wind breaks wudu; light sleep does not — the criterion is awareness, not posture.
- The Hanbali school holds that touching the private part, touching a woman with desire, and eating camel meat break wudu; the majority differ on camel meat, and the strongest view on touching is that it does not break wudu unless something exits.
- Discharge from elsewhere on the body — blood, vomit, pus — is disputed; the stronger view is that it does not break wudu, though renewing it is safer.
- Doubt does not break certainty: if you are sure you had wudu and unsure whether it broke, you still have wudu.
Further reading
- Ibn Qudamah, Umdat al-Fiqh, "Bab Nawadid al-Wudu"
- Ibn Uthaymeen, Fatawa Arkan al-Islam
- Al-Fawzan, al-Mulakhkhas al-Fiqhi, "Bab fi Bayan Nawadid al-Wudu"
And Allah knows best.
This is a guide to what the scholars have said, not a fatwa. For your own situation, ask a qualified scholar who can hear the details.