I am ill and I suffer from an ulcer that causes bleeding; and it is known that bleeding invalidates prayer. The ulcer is almost permanent and appears in sensitive places on my body causing bleeding, pus and blisters. Does this invalidate my prayers? What is the ruling if this blood and pus are emitted during prayers? Note that these wounds and blisters prevent me from performing ablution. May Allaah reward you.

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 is His slave and Messenger.

We beseech Allaah The Exalted to grant you a speedy recovery from your illness. You should bear in mind that Muslim scholars held different opinions regarding whether the blood that flows out of a wound or any other opening, other than the private parts, invalidate ablution or not. Maaliki and Shafi‘i scholars ruled that this blood does not nullify ablution, yet it is impermissible to pray while the blood is spurting out of the wound because blood is impure. Hence, if this blood comes out constantly, then you should wash it and wrap it with a bandage or so for each prayer. You should perform ablution before prayer whenever this blood gushes out if you adopt the opinion of the scholars who ruled that bleeding invalidates ablution. Your case entails applying the ruling of people suffering urinary incontinence or gas incontinence. If you are not able to bandage the wound firmly, then you can perform prayer as you are and you bear no guilt for that.

The Hanbali scholar Al-Buhooti said, “The ruling on women with vaginal bleeding outside the menstrual period applies to people who suffer from urinary incontinence, wind incontinence, a bleeding wound or nasal hemorrhage.”

He added, “If one is wounded in a place that cannot be bandaged to stop the blood flow or if one suffers from hemorrhoids or fistula and cannot bandage it, he should pray as he is, since ‘Umar ibn Al-Khataab prayed while blood was gushing out of his wound, as narrated by Imaam Ahmad ."

If this ulcer is in one of the organs of ablution and you cannot wash it with water, then you may simply wipe over it and wash the other organs of ablution. If you cannot wipe over it, you may cover it with a a splint or piece of cloth or a bandage and wipe over it. Scholars held different opinions regarding whether or not you should perform dry ablution after that.

Allaah Knows best.