Does Vomiting Break Wudu? What Each School Says

Whether vomiting breaks wudu depends on the school of Islamic law you follow. In the Hanafi school, vomiting a mouthful breaks wudu. Imam Malik and Imam ash-Shafi'i held that vomiting does not break wudu at all. On every view, vomit is something you clean from your mouth, body and clothes before you pray.

The short answer

• Hanafi: a mouthful of vomit breaks wudu. A smaller amount does not.
• Maliki and Shafi'i: vomiting does not break wudu.
• Ahmad and others: Imam at-Tirmidhi lists Ahmad among the scholars who held that wudu is made after vomiting.
• Everyone: rinse your mouth and wash off any vomit before prayer.

Where the difference comes from

Allah commands wudu when you rise to pray and mentions relieving yourself as a reason to purify again (Surah Al-Ma'idah, 5:6). Vomit is not named in the verse, so the question is settled by the Sunnah and by how scholars read it.

The key narration comes from Abu ad-Darda: the Messenger of Allah ﷺ vomited and then performed wudu, and Thawban confirmed that he himself had poured the water for it (Jami' at-Tirmidhi 87, graded hasan). Imam at-Tirmidhi then records the disagreement. A number of Companions and later scholars held that wudu is made after vomiting and nosebleeds, which was the view of Sufyan ath-Thawri, Ibn al-Mubarak, Ahmad and Ishaq. Malik and ash-Shafi'i said vomiting and nosebleeds do not require wudu.

Both positions are long-standing scholarly views. Follow the school you were taught, or the scholar you rely on, rather than picking whichever answer is easier on a given day.

The Hanafi ruling: what counts as a mouthful

Darul Ifta Birmingham, a Hanafi institute, lists "vomiting in mouthful" among the eight things that nullify wudu (Darul Ifta Birmingham). Because the condition is a mouthful, a smaller amount does not break wudu in this school.

In a separate answer, the same institute defines a mouthful as vomit that the mouth can only keep closed on with difficulty, or that prevents speech. The measure is the mouth of the person who vomited, so a child is judged by the child's own mouth. A mouthful of vomit is also treated as impure (najis) (Darul Ifta Birmingham on a mouthful of vomit).

The Maliki and Shafi'i view

For those who follow Malik or ash-Shafi'i, wudu stays valid after vomiting. Egypt's Dar al-Ifta gives the same answer: vomiting does not nullify ablution, but vomit is impurity, so you rinse your mouth and wash whatever it soiled, because prayer is only valid once impurity is removed (Dar al-Ifta al-Misriyyah, fatwa 7861).

What to do if you vomit before prayer

1. Clean up first. Rinse your mouth well and wash any vomit off your face, hands and clothes.
2. Apply your school's ruling. If you are Hanafi and brought up a mouthful, make wudu again. If you follow the Maliki or Shafi'i view, your wudu still stands.
3. When unsure, renew it. Darul Ifta Birmingham names wudu after vomiting as one of the matters where an imam should take care, because it is obligatory in some schools and not in others (Darul Ifta Birmingham on following an imam of another school). Renewing your wudu is valid on every view.
4. Watch the time. Check today's prayer times so you can rest, clean up and still pray before the time ends.

If you need a refresher on the steps, see how to perform wudu.

Don't let doubt take over

Illness can bring worry about whether everything is clean. Darul Ifta Birmingham reminds people that certainty is not lifted by doubt: if you are not sure impurity reached your clothes or prayer mat, you may treat them as clean (Darul Ifta Birmingham on a mouthful of vomit). Wash what you can see, then pray.

For the other common cases, read what breaks wudu and does bleeding break wudu.