This is a question asked by many Muslim vapers in the UK, and it deserves a clear and respectful answer. Islamic law on modern habits requires scholars to apply classical principles to new situations, and there is genuine discussion among scholars about vaping specifically.

What Is Wudu and What Breaks It?

Wudu is the ritual purification required before acts of worship including Salah (prayer), touching the Quran, and tawaf. It is invalidated by specific acts, and scholars across the four main Sunni schools of thought (Hanafi, Maliki, Shafi'i and Hanbali) have developed detailed rulings on what does and does not break it.

The acts that break wudu include, but are not limited to, passing wind, using the toilet, deep sleep, loss of consciousness, and in some schools, eating camel meat. The relevant question for vaping is whether inhaling and exhaling a substance through the mouth constitutes an act that invalidates purification.

What Do Scholars Say About Vaping?

Most contemporary scholars who have addressed vaping draw on rulings established around smoking, which has been debated far longer. Here is how the major scholarly positions compare:

Given the difference of opinion, the safest and most widely recommended approach is to renew wudu after vaping before prayer. This is the position of caution (ihtiyat) that removes any doubt.

How Does This Compare to Smoking?

How Scholars Have Ruled on Vaping and Wudu

Based on available contemporary scholarly opinions that have specifically addressed vaping, the breakdown of positions sits broadly as follows:

Smoking is more widely discussed in Islamic jurisprudence. Most Sunni scholars hold that smoking breaks wudu because it involves deliberately introducing a substance into the body through a natural opening. Vaping is treated similarly by most scholars who have addressed it, even though vapour is not the same as smoke.

The key distinction in classical fiqh is not the nature of the substance itself, but the act of deliberately inhaling it. Both smoking and vaping involve this act, which is why the ruling tends to follow the same direction.

Does Vaping Break the Fast During Ramadan?

This is a separate but related question. The vast majority of scholars hold that vaping during the daylight fasting hours of Ramadan breaks the fast. This is a stronger and more settled position than the wudu question, with very little scholarly dissent. If you are fasting, vaping should be avoided between Fajr and Maghrib.

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