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Wudu (Ritual
Ablution)
- A Summary, according to the Imamia School of Thought (Manhaj
Ul-Fiqh Il-Islami)
By
M.Al-Zahra B.Ed
‘The spirit of a believer is more connected to the
spirit of Allah than the connection of the sunbeam to the sun” (Usulul Kafi).
The Reality of
Salat is ascension to the Proximity,
and reaching the Presence of Allah, the Almighty and Most High. A Salik
(traveller to Allah) needs to perform certain stages of purification to
achieve this ascension, insh’Allah.
The Salik
should be free from the intrusion of nature, and impurities should not be
allowed into his heart. All acts of worship should be free from all
external and internal polytheism. The heart of the Salik
should be protected from Satan and impurities and attain two lofty
stations. The first being “God fearing” by abandoning everything
except Allah and “certitude”, which is perfected by discerning the
Presence of Allah (swt) (Imam Khomeini, 1996).
“Allah, the Exalted, does not look at your faces,
but He looks at your hearts.” (Biharul
Anwar).
The Stages of Purification
These stages of purification include the purification
of both the outer and inner, and open and hidden impurities.
Washing specific parts of the physical body in
preparation for prayer is called Wudu (ritual ablution).
It is stated in Misbahush – Shari’ah
that Imam
Jafar as-Sadiq ('a) said:
“When you intend
purification and wudu (ritual ablution), proceed to the water as you
proceed to Allah’s mercy, because Allah has made water the key to his
proximity and supplication, and a guide to the court of His service.”
Allah says in the Quoran:
“And He it is Who sends the winds as good news
heralding His mercy, and We send down purifying water from the sky”
[Surah
al-Furqan; 48]
Allah says in the Quoran:
“O you who
believe! When you rise up for Salat wash your faces and your hands as far
as the elbows, and lightly wipe your heads and (wash) your feet up to the
ankles.”
[5; 6]
Imam Ali ar-Rida
('a) said:
"The servant has been commanded to perform the wudu (ritual
ablution) so as to be pure
when standing before the All-Powerful
and supplicating, and by obeying Him, to be purged from filth and
impurity. Besides his removing laziness, expelling sleep and purifying the
heart to stand in the Presence of the All – Powerful. Confining it (the
wudu) only to the face, the two hands, the head and the two feet, was
because when the servant stands before the All – Powerful, the parts
which are exposed are those which are ordered to be washed in the wudu:
as with his face he performs the
sujud
(prostration), with his hands he requests, desires, dreads and
supplicates, with his head he inclines to Him in his
(prostration), with his hands he requests, desires, dreads and
supplicates, with his head he inclines to Him in his
ruku
(bowing down) and his
sujud,
and
with his legs he stands and sits…” ) [Uyunu Akhbarir –
Rida,
vol. 2, p. 104, Chapter. 34, hadith 1]
How
to Perform
Wudu
There are six consecutive steps to be observed when
performing Wudu.
1.
Wash the right arm from the elbow to the tip of the fingers
2.
Wash the left arm from the elbow to the tip of the fingers
3.
Wash the face vertically from the hairline down to the chin, and in
breadth from the thumb to the tip of the middle finger.
4.
Lightly rub the top of your head to the hairline with wet fingers of
the right hand
5.
Rub the back of your right foot with your wet right hand, from the
tips of your toes to the ankle
6.
Rub the back of your left foot with your wet right hand, from the
tips of your toes to the ankle (Manhaj
Ul-Fiqh Il-Islami).
Number of Times
According
to the Imamies, washing once is wajib, twice is mustahabb,
and thrice is bid’ah (heretical) and the person doing so
is a sinner if he performs it as a religious duty. But if he
does not, there is no sin upon him, although the wudu’
will become batil on his wiping (the head) with this
water (Aqa Rida al-Hamadani’s Misbah al-faqih). There
are many other recommended acts, which are mentioned, in
voluminous books (Maghniyyah 1995).
Rules
of
Wudu
There are some acts, which are Mustahab and not wajib. These are as follows:
1.
Saying ‘Bismillah ir Rahman
ir Rahiim” before starting Wudu
2.
Invoking some Mustahab
invocations
3.
Rinsing the mouth with water (after washing the arms to the elbows)
4.
Sniffing water up the nose (after rinsing the mouth)
(Manhaj
Ul-Fiqh Il-Islami).
Things That
Make Wudu Invalid
Things that make Wudu Invalid
1. Urination and defecation- if a person passes urine or faeces after wudu,
or during salat, the wudu becomes invalid and will need to
be repeated. If during salat, the prayer will need to be stopped
and repeated after wudu.
2 Fluctuation (passing gas)- if a person
passes flatulence after wudu or during salat, he / she will
have to repeat the wudu. If it occurs during salat, then the
prayer will have to be stopped and repeated again after wudu.
3. Sleep - if a person falls asleep after
performing wudu, then the wudu will need to be repeated if
he / she would like to perform salat.
(Manhaj
Ul-Fiqh Il-Islami).
References
Imam Khomeini (r.a), Adabus -Salat or The Disciplines of the Prayer
Biharul
Anwar, vol. 67. Pg. 248, quoting Jami’ul Akhbar, pg. 117 (with a slight
difference)
Maghniyyah, Muhammad Jawad (1995), The Five Schools of
Islamic Law, Anssariyan Publications, Qum, Islamic Republic
of Iran.
Manhaj
Ul-Fiqh Il-Islami, pg.
61
Manhaj
Ul-Fiqh Il-Islami, pg 62
S. H.
Al-Musawi [translated from Arabic by M. J. Khalili],
Manhaj
Ul-Fiqh Il-Islami, Published by Islamic Propagation Organisation.
Usulul Kafi, vol. 3, “Book of Faith and Infidelity”, Chapter. On
“The Believers’ Brotherhood to One Another”, Hadith 4.
Uyunu Akhbarir –
Rida, Vol. 2, Chapter. 34, Hadith 1
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