Short answer
No, not in the Hanafi school. Touching your own private parts, or a child's while changing a nappy, does not break wudu. The Shafi'i and Hanbali schools say touching them directly with the hand does break wudu, and the Maliki school says the same for a man touching his own.
Touching the private parts, with or without a barrier, does not break wudu. It is mustahabb (recommended) to wash the hand, and some Hanafi scholars recommend renewing wudu to keep clear of the difference of opinion.
Other madhhabs
- Shafi'i
- Touching the front or back private part of yourself or anyone else with the inner palm or fingers, without a barrier, breaks wudu.
- Maliki
- A man touching his own penis directly with the inner palm or fingers breaks wudu. A woman touching her own private part does not, in the relied view.
- Hanbali
- Touching the private part directly with the hand, palm or back of the hand, breaks wudu.
Explanation
Two sound hadiths seem to point in different directions. In one, a man asked the Prophet ﷺ whether touching his private part during prayer broke his wudu, and he replied that it is only a part of your body. In the other, Busrah bint Safwan reported the order to make wudu after touching it.
The Hanafi school takes the first hadith, along with reports from Ali, Ibn Masud and other Companions who did not make wudu for it. It reads the order in the second as washing the hand, or as a recommendation. The Shafi'i and Hanbali schools take the second and see the first as earlier or as touching through cloth.
Practical cases in the Hanafi school:
- Touching yourself while washing in the shower or doing istinja: wudu stays.
- Changing a baby's nappy: wudu stays, but wash your hands of any impurity.
- Seeing your own private parts, or being undressed: wudu stays. Uncovering the awrah does not break wudu.
If you lead a congregation that includes followers of the Shafi'i or Hanbali school, many scholars advise renewing wudu after such a touch so that the prayer is valid by everyone's view. See also awrah for men and women.
The evidence
Jami' at-Tirmidhi 85
Graded sahih... وهل هو الا مضغة منه او بضعة منه ...
"Is it anything other than a piece of flesh from him, or a part of him?"
The basis of the Hanafi view that touching the private part does not break wudu.
Jami' at-Tirmidhi 82
Graded sahih... من مس ذكره فلا يصل حتى يتوضا ...
"Whoever touches his private part should not pray until he makes wudu."
The basis of the Shafi'i and Hanbali view.
Where the ruling is recorded
- al-Hidaya, Kitab al-Taharat, chapter on what breaks wudu. Touching the private part does not break wudu.
- Bada'i al-Sana'i, Kitab al-Taharah, nawaqid al-wudu. Weighs the hadith of Talq against the hadith of Busrah.
- al-Majmu' (Nawawi), Kitab al-Taharah, chapter on what breaks wudu. The Shafi'i view on touching with the inner palm.
This answer is pending review by the scholars on our team. Quran translation by Sahih International. Hadith Arabic from the standard editions of the six books and the Muwatta, with gradings as recorded there; the English is our own rendering. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.