Question Summary:
How should this old woman perform wudhu?

Question Detail:

A question on behalf of 81 year old widow, with little vision and low mobility. During wudu she passes wind multiple times and keeps repeating wudu. Takes a lot of medication for health and gastric issues. Is there a solution to her problem?

Answer :

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
As-salāmu ‘alaykum wa-rahmatullāhi wa-barakātuh.
 
Based on what you have stated in the question, it is highly probable that the woman is reference is a ma’dhoor (excused person). You may examine her situation based on the following. A ma’dhoor is a person who is unable to perform a fardh Salah due to the continuous exiting of ritual impurity such as urine drops, blood from a wound or passing wind etc. for the duration of the time of a whole Salah. One is not deemed ma’dhoor (excused) until one suffers from the illness for a full prayer time (e.g. from Maghrib to Isha) and in that time there is no period in which one is able to perform ablution and offer the prayer without the illness occurring.
 
The condition for one to remain ma’dhoor is that the illness must occur at least once in the time of each prayer after it has been established that one is a ma’dhoor. The ruling for a ma’dhoor is that after performing wudhu in the time of one Salah, the occurrence of the particular illness which made one ma’dhoor (such as breaking wind) will not nullify one’s wudhu. The wudhu of a ma’dhoor is nullified by either the time of that Salah ending or by the occurrence of any other state that breaks one’s wudhu (such as bleeding in the case of a person who became ma’dhoor due to constantly breaking wind). If a person does not experience this illness (breaking wind in this case) at least once during the time of any Salah, his status as a ma’dhoor will fall off. [i]
 
And Allah Ta’āla Knows Best
Saanwal ibn Muhammad,
Student Darul Iftaa
UK   
 
Checked and Approved by,
Mufti Ebrahim Desai Saheb