He replied—may Allah be pleased with him:

Yes. The ruling for those with legally recognized excuses applies to him, as in cases of non-menstrual bleeding, urinary incontinence, discharge of pre-ejaculatory fluid, a wound that will not stop bleeding, and similar conditions. Whoever cannot maintain ritual purity long enough to perform the prayer should perform ablution and pray. Whatever comes out of him during prayer does not affect his prayer or invalidate his ablution, by agreement of the imams. At most, he is required to perform ablution for each prayer.

The scholars have differed concerning a woman with non-menstrual bleeding, someone with urinary incontinence, and others in comparable circumstances, such as someone who passes wind in an abnormal manner, or anyone experiencing an uncommon occurrence of ritual impurity. According to Mālik, such a person’s ablution is invalidated by an ordinary occurrence of ritual impurity. The majority, however—including Abū Hanīfah, al-Shāfi‘ī, and Ahmad ibn Hanbal—hold that such a person should perform ablution for each prayer, or for the time of each prayer. This was transmitted by the compilers of the Sunan and authenticated by several leading hadith scholars. Thus, the stronger of the two scholarly positions is that people with such conditions should perform ablution for each prayer, or for the time of each prayer.

As for what continually comes out during prayer, this does not invalidate ablution, by agreement of the scholars. It is established in an authentic report that one of the Prophet’s wives would pray while blood dripped from her, and a basin would be placed beneath her to catch it. It is also established in an authentic report that ‘Umar ibn al-Khattāb—may Allah be pleased with him—prayed while blood flowed from his wound. Throughout the Prophet’s lifetime, Muslims would pray despite their wounds.