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Fatwa CenterValidity of ablution without Istinjaa’
Question
Asalam u Alikum. May Allah rewards you for your efforts. I have a question regarding salah. I performed wudu, but forgot to do istinja (washing of the private parts) and performed the friday prayer. Afterwards, I remembered (during the prayer) that I miss the istinja, but I did not stop or repeat the prayer as I read from your website that istinja is not the obligatory act of wudu. Was I right or should I repeat the prayer? Jazakullah Khair
Answer
All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, is His Slave and Messenger.
As for your ablution before Istinjaa’, it should be known that Istinjaa’ is required for the validity of the ablution of the person who discharges what makes Istinjaa’ due, according to many scholars. Al-Buhooti 
from the Hanbali school of jurisprudence, said in his book “Ar-Rawdh Al-Murbi’”: “And neither ablution nor Tayammum (dry ablution) is held valid before it, i.e. before Istinjaa’ with water, stones or the like, based on the Hadeeth of Al-Miqdaad 
narrated by Al-Bukhari and Muslim, “Let him wash his penis and then perform ablution.” In his “Haashiyat Ar-Rawdh” Ibn Qaasim, An-Najdi said about the invalidity of ablution before Istinjaa’, “This opinion is chosen by the majority; and the Shaykh (Ibn Taymiyyah ) said that it is the most famous opinion (in the Hanbali school).” Hence, he, who discharges what makes Istinjaa’ due and performs ablution before Istinjaa’, his ablution is not valid.
As for your prayer with that ablution before Istinjaa’, if you had discharged anything that makes Istinjaa’ due, it would not be held valid according to both opinions because of the presence of impurity (on your private parts), in which case, it becomes incumbent upon you to repeat your ablution (after performing Istinjaa’) and offer a four-Rak‘ah prayer for Thuhr (to make up for the Friday prayer).
But if you had not discharged anything that makes Istinjaa’ due, no Istinjaa’ would be required from you before ablution. What you read on our website that Istinjaa’ is not obligatory is regarding the person who did not discharge urine or feces or anything which makes Istinjaa’ due. Thus, Istinjaa’ is due on the person who discharged urine or feces or anything like that.
Allaah Knows best.
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