Fiqh-us Sunnah SECTION 2. Ablution (Wudu’)

Section : Ablution means to wash one’s face, hands, arms, head and feet with water.. Ablution means to wash one’s face, hands, arms, head and feet with water.

Section : Part of Islamic law. This is proven from the three major sources of Islamic law: 1. The Qur’an. Says Allah in the Qur’an, “O you who believe, when you rise for prayer, wash your faces and your hands…

Section : Its virtues. Many hadith state the virtues of ablution. We shall mention just a few: 1. ‘Abdullah ibn as-Sunnabiji stated that the Messenger of Allah said, “When a slave makes ablution and rinses his mouth, his wrong deeds…

Section : The obligatory parts of the ablution. Ablution has certain components which, if not fulfilled according to the correct Islamic procedures, make one’s ablution void.

Section : Intention. This is the desire to do the action and to please Allah by following His command. It is purely an act of the heart, for the tongue (verbal pronouncement, and so on) has nothing to do with…

Section : Washing the face. This involves “pouring” or “running” water from the top of the forehead to the bottom of the jaws, and from one ear to the other.

Section : Washing the arms to the elbow. The elbows must be washed, for the Prophet, upon whom be peace, did so.

Section : Wiping the head. This means to wipe one’s head with his hand. It is not sufficient just to place the hand on the head or to touch the head with a wet finger. The apparent meaning of the…

Section : Washing the feet and the heels. This has been confirmed in mutawatir (continuous) reports from the Prophet, upon whom be peace, concerning his actions and statements. Ibn ‘Umar said, “The Prophet lagged behind us in one of our…

Section : Following the prescribed sequence. Allah mentioned the obligations in a specific order. He also differentiated the legs from the hands–though both of them have to be washed–from the head, which only needs to be wiped. The polytheists of…

Section : Mentioning the name of Allah at the beginning. There are some weak hadith that mention this act, and all of the chains of these hadith point to the fact that there is some basis for this act. In…

Section : Dental Hygiene. This involves using a stick or similar object to clean one’s teeth. The best type to use is that of the arak tree found in the Hejaz. Such a practice strengthens the gums, prevents tooth disease,…

Section : Washing the hands three times at the beginning. This is based on the hadith of Aus ibn Aus al-Thaqafi who said, “I saw the Messenger of Allah make ablution, and he washed his hands three times.” (Related by…

Section : Rinsing the mouth three times. Laqit ibn Sabrah reported that the Prophet said, “When one performs ablution, he should rinse his mouth.” (Related by Abu Dawud and al-Baihaqi.)

Section : Sniffing up and blowing out water three times. Abu Hurairah reported that the Prophet, upon whom be peace, said, “When one of you performs ablution, he should sniff water up his nostrils and then blow it out.” (Related…