My question is about masturbation I just came to know a few days back that this is haram, especially while fasting. I am confused because I know that I used to have that problem, like a childhood problem, without knowing that it was some thing associated with sexual desires because I was brought up in an extremely conservative family. I have a strong feeling that I never did that while fasting, but I am very confused because I do remember that I used to masturbate; a big question mark arises in my mind whether I did so while fasting or not. I am in need of your guidance. The second issue is that, praise be to Allah, I have been praying since a very young age, but I have been suffering from flatulence, and it is usually difficult for me to pray with a single ablution. My family knows that well, and I don't mind that they make fun of me at all. Nevertheless, once I got married, I did become concerned about the fun or odd words and mockery of my in-laws, so I did some research and discovered that people who suffer from flatulence should renew their ablution for each prayer. I put this in practice for three years and used to perform ablution for every prayer. Now, I again looked into the issue and discovered that I should repeat the ablution (with a complete ablution for the prayer) if I am able to hold the wind for 5 minutes. I understand this and will renew my ablution whenever I pass wind. My concern now is with the past 3 years of prayers. I consulted some one, and they said that Allah forgives such mistakes that are due to ignorance and that there is no need to make up for those prayers. I would like to know your stance on this issue. Am I supposed to make up for them?

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 ʻalayhi wa sallam, is His Slave and Messenger.

Although masturbation is prohibited, it does not invalidate one's fast unless ejaculation occurs. As long as you are not sure whether you actually masturbated while fasting or not, then the basic principle is that your fast is valid and you are not obliged to make up for it or do anything else.

As for the flatal incontinence (frequent passing of wind), if you can find a moment before the end of the time of the obligatory prayer in which you can purify yourself and perform the prayer (in a state of perfect purity), then it is incumbent on you to wait for that interval of purity and perform the prayer then. If you performed the prayer at another time while passing wind despite being able to perform the prayer in a state of perfect purity (when the incontinence stops), then your prayer in a state of impurity is invalid. This is because the Prophet, sallallaahu ʻalayhi wa sallam, said, “Allaah does not accept the prayer of anyone of you if he does hadath (ritual impurity: passing urine, stool or wind) till he performs the ablution anew.” [Al-Bukhari]

According to the majority of Muslim scholars, it is incumbent on a person who realizes the invalidity of his prayer because of the abscence of one of its conditions or pillars out of ignorance to make up for that prayer. Some Muslim jurists, however, held that such a person is not obliged to make up for that prayer. This was the opinion adopted by Shaykhul-Islaam Ibn Taymiyyah ; this scholarly view is strong and you can adopt it.

If this interval of purity when the flatulence stops is rather irregular; sometimes it is early, and sometimes it is somehow delayed; and sometimes the hadath (the nullifier of ablution) is intermittent, and sometimes the passing of wind does not stop at all, then the religious ruling of continuous hadath applies, and the intervals of purity when the incontinence stops are to be overlooked given the hardship. In this case, you should perform ablution at the beginning of the time of the prayer whether the incontinence stops or not. The author of Kashshaaf Al-Qinaa' says:

“If the woman experiences many and long intervals of ritual purity when the emission of blood ceases for enough time for her to perform ablution and prayer, but these intervals of purity are not fixed or regular; sometimes they are early, and at other times they are delayed; and sometimes the hadath is continuous, and sometimes it is intermittent while she has no regular habit to know when it is continuous and when it is intermittent, then the same rulings of continuous incontinence of blood apply. This means that the ablution performed at other times than the intervals of purity (when the blood ceases) that are long enough for her to purify herself, perform ablution, and pray, is invalid. However, in case those intervals of purity are not long enough for her to perform ablution and pray, as underlined above, then the same religious rulings of continuous incontinence apply regarding all the previously highlighted matters. Such a woman is allowed to engage in the prayer and perform it once the incontinence of blood ceases before first verifying that this considerable interval of purity is enough to perform the ablution and the prayer given the irregularity of such intervals of purity and the hardship incurred by giving them consideration...” [End of quote]

Allaah Knows best.