Ru'af (nosebleed): whether it breaks ablution, how a bleeding worshipper continues or rebuilds his prayer, and its effect on fasting

الرعاف

Ru'af is bleeding from the nose; it bears on ablution, prayer and fasting. ¹ The Malikis, Shafi'is and most Companions hold that it does not break ablution; the Hanbalis hold that only a heavy flow breaks it; the Hanafis hold that any flow from its place breaks it. ^{1 2 3} A worshipper who bleeds in prayer may, for the Hanafis and Malikis, wash the blood and go back to finish the prayer; the Malikis set conditions: the cloth must not be soiled beyond a dirham, the qibla must not be turned away without excuse, and he must not speak. ^{4 5} An imam who bleeds appoints a successor. For the Hanafis and Malikis, blood that reaches the throat of a fasting person breaks the fast. ^{5 6}