Praise
be to Allah
Firstly:
Our advice to
you is to pay no attention to doubts, in prayer or otherwise; give up
uncertainty and do not be hesitant about that, and do not feel sad, for you
are on the right track; in fact you are obeying the command of the Messenger
(blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), for he (blessings and peace of
Allah be upon him) said, when a man complained to him that he thought he
noticed something whilst praying: “Do not interrupt your prayer until you
hear a sound or notice a smell.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari (137) and Muslim
(361).
What is meant by
that is: until you are certain that you have broken wind.
Doubts and
imagination carry no weight, so you should not interrupt your prayer until
you are certain that you have broken wind. This is the command of the
Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him). Your prayer
is valid, even if it so happens that you have indeed invalidated your wudoo’.
But if a Muslim
becomes certain that he offered a prayer without wudoo’, and there is still
time to make it up, then he must repeat that prayer. But if he is not
certain about that, then his prayer is valid, and there is no blame on him.
See the answers
to questions no. 131496 and
148426.
Secondly:
With regard to
wiping the ears, there is a difference of opinion among the scholars as to
whether it is obligatory or mustahabb (recommended). The majority of
scholars are of the view that it is mustahabb, not obligatory. The Hanbalis
are of the view that it is obligatory, but what is narrated from Imam Ahmad
(may Allah have mercy on him) is that if someone omits to wipe his ears, his
wudoo’ is still valid.
Ibn Qudaamah
(may Allah have mercy on him) said in al-Mughni (1/97): al-Khallaal
said: All of them narrated from Abu ‘Abdillah, concerning one who omits to
wipe his ears, deliberately or because he forgot, that his wudoo’ is still
valid. End quote.
Whoever omits to
wipe the ears, or wipes part of them, his wudoo’ is still valid according to
the majority of scholars, and this view is most likely to be correct. So do
not worry about past prayers, for they are valid, in sha Allah.
See also the
answer to question no. 115246.
Try hard to ward
off this waswaas; pay no attention to it and do not act upon it. At the same
time, seek the help of Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, calling upon
Him and seeking refuge with Him from the accursed Shaytaan.
If this waswaas
does not go away and is causing you hardship, then we advise you to consult
a trustworthy psychologist, because compulsive waswaas is a well-known
disorder which needs medical treatment, whether medicines or cognitive
behavioural therapy sessions, at the hands of a trustworthy specialist.
And Allah knows
best.