LAWS OF JURISPRUDENCE
It is evident from the verse of the Holy Qur’an cited in the
inception of this discussion, that there are 4 Fard (Obligatory) actions in
Wudu;
1. To wash the complete face
2. To wash both the hands including the elbows
3. To make Masah of the head (pass wet hands over
the head)
4. To wash both feet including the ankles
Important Note: The washing
of a part or limb, means that at least a minimum of two drops of water should
pass over every part of that limb. If that part (limb) merely becomes moist or
water is merely rubbed over that portion of the body like one does with oil, or
if simply one or two drops merely run over that portion, it will not suffice
and it will not be regarded as having being washed (properly). Washing in this
way, will neither validate Wudu or Ghusl. One should take heed to this
important fact. People do not give much consideration to this and this causes
their Namaaz to be unfulfilled. There are certain parts of the body that unless
one does not pay careful attention (when washing), water does not reach these
parts (as it should) and in this case, the water will thus not pass over it
properly.
This will be explained in detail when we explain the rules regarding
washing of each part. When wetness reaches an area which needs to be washed in
facilitating fresh Wudu, it is called masah.
1st Fard - Washing the Face: vertically,
the area from the forehead (from the hairline where the growth ends) up to the
chin and horizontally, from one ear to the other ear, is regarded as the face.
To pass water once within that area over every part of the skin is Fard.
Law: For a person whose hair has fallen off from the
foreword hairline area or if he has no hair growth there, then (when washing
the face) he should wash from where the hair generally grows. If someone has
hair growing lower than where the hair usually grows for most people, it is
Fard for that person to wash that hair up to the roots.
Law: If the hair of the moustache, eyebrows or the
tuft of hair under the lower lip of men (which is regarded as being part of the
beard) is so thick that the skin is not visible at all, then to wash the skin
(underneath it) is not Fard but to wash the hair is Fard and if the hair in
those areas is not thick, then it is Fard to also wash the skin (under the
hair).
Law: If the moustache is overgrown and causes the
lips to be hidden then even though it may be thick it is Fard to spread the
hair apart and wash the lips.
Law: It is also Fard to wash the skin under the
beard, if the beard hair is not too thick. However, if the beard is very thick
then it is Fard to wash the area which when the (hanging part of the) beard is
pressed against the throat, falls within the area of the face. To wash up to
the roots (in this case) is not Fard and it is not necessary to wash that part
(of the beard) which is below that area. If there are some areas of the beard
that are very thick and others that are scarce, then in the areas where there
is thick growth, just the washing of the hair (is Fard) and where there is a
light grown, there the washing of the skin is also Fard.
Law: It is Fard to wash that outward portion of the
lip that is normally visible when one closes the lips. If someone closes the
lips tightly, causing that portion to be hidden to the extent that water does
not reach it or if he did not rinse the mouth which would have allowed it to be
washed, then the Wudu (in such a case) will be regarded as being invalid.
However, it is not Fard to wash that portion (of the lip i.e. inner lip) which
is normally hidden when one closes the lips.
Law: It is Fard to wash the temples of the head which
is the area between the cheek and the ear. It is Fard to wash the hair of the beard
in that area, if the hair is thick there. If there is no hair in that area or
if it is not thick then to wash the skin is also Fard.
Law: It is Fard to pass water through the hole of a
nose ring if the hole is not sealed. If it reduced in size, then the nose ring
should be shaken slightly when washing the area; otherwise it is not necessary.
Law: It is not necessary to wash under the eyelids
etc. Actually, one should not wash these areas as it is harmful to do so.
Law: If one tightly shuts the eyes when washing the
face and this causes a very fine area which is parallel to the eyelashes to be hidden,
whereas it is usually visible if one closes the eyes and in doing so, if water
did not pass over that area, the Wudu will still be valid. This should still be
avoided. However, if a larger area is left unwashed, it will render the Wudu
invalid.
Law: To pass water over the eyelid is Fard, but if
the residue of Surma is left on the eyelid and on the eye lashes and one has
already made Wudu and did not realise this, and read Namaaz in this condition,
then there is no harm. Both, the Namaaz and Wudu will be regarded as valid.
However, if one realises it, then it is necessary to remove it and allow water
to pass over it.
Law: In all circumstances, it is Fard to wash the
entire eyelashes thoroughly. If any dirt or anything else that has become hard
on it, it is Fard to remove it.
2nd Fard - Washing the hands: The Washing of the elbows is included in this ruling as well.
Law: If any part (of the limb) even equivalent to one
speck is left unwashed from the elbows right up to the finger nails, the Wudu
will be regarded as invalid.
Law: If any type of permissible or impermissible
(jewellery) such as a thick ring, ordinary ring, bracelets, glass bangles (any
jewellery etc.) or silk hanging ornaments etc. are so tightly worn that the water
does not pass underneath it, then to remove such jewels etc. is Fard and if
water passes under such these things by merely shaking them or moving them,
then to move or shake them is sufficient and if they are so loose that the
water passes underneath them comfortably, then to remove, move or shake them is
not necessary.
Law: It is necessary to pass water over the eight
spaces of the hands (between fingers), the sides of the fingers, the inner
section of the finger nails that are visible and over every single hair of the
wrist from the tip to the root. If any part has been left unwashed thoroughly
or if the water did not pass over the base of the hair, (in other words) even
if the tip of one single strand has been left unwashed, the Wudu will be regarded
as invalid (not done). However, the dirt that is in the nails is exempted.
Law: If a person has six fingers instead of five,
then it is Fard to wash all of them. If a person has two hands on one shoulder,
then for him to wash the hand that is completely formed is Fard and to wash the
second hand is not Fard but Mustahab (desirable). However, it is Fard to wash
that part of the second hand which is joined to the same portion, in line with
the hand that is Fard to wash.
3rd Fard - Masah of the Head (Passing Wet Hands Over the Head):
To perform Masah of quarter head is Fard.
Law: When making masah of the head, it is necessary
for the hands to be wet, be it from wetness that has remained on the hands
after washing the other parts during Wudu or wetness caused by using fresh
water (to wet the hands). If there is wetness on the hands after making masah
of one part of the body, it is not sufficient to use the same wet hands to make
masah over another part.
Law: If a person does not have any hair then for him
to make masah of quarter of the head (scalp) is Fard and if he does have hair,
then to make masah of quarter of the head (meaning over the hair) is Fard. This
is regarded as the masah of the head.
Law: To make masah over a turban, hat or scarf is not
valid, unless the hat and the scarf is so thin that the wetness seeps through
and moistens one quarter of the head. In this case the masah will be valid.
Making masah of hair which is merely hanging from the head is not sufficient.
4th Fard - Washing of Both Feet Including the Ankles Once
Law: The ruling regarding the foot bracelets and
rings (etc.) is the same as mentioned above (in the section regarding washing
of the hands.
Law: Due to certain illnesses, certain people tend to
tie a string on thread on the toe. This thread is tied (knotted) so tightly
that leave alone water passing freely underneath it, the water does not even wet
the area under the string. It is necessary for them to abstain from this, as in
this case the Wudu will not be done.
Law: It is Fard to wash between the toes, the sides
of the toes, the soles of the feet, the heels, the ankles and the area behind
the ankle and above the heel.
Law: It is a condition for the water to pass freely
over the parts which are Fard to wash. It is not necessarily that the water
shouldpass over with intent, as even if it passes over without intent, the Wudu
will still be regarded as valid. In other words, if it rained and at least two
drops of rain water passed over those each part of the limbs which need to be
washed in Wudu, causing them to become wet, the Wudu will be regarded as being
valid. Another example is that of a person who falls into a pond (even though
without intent) and water passed over all the parts which needed to be washed
in Wudu, the Wudu will be regarded as being valid in this case as well.
Law: If that which is a commonly or specifically a
requirement for a person but he has no real control over it even if he takes
care to avoid it, such as in the case where something is stuck under or on the
finger nails or on any other part that needs to be washed and it stains that
portion of the body, thereby not allowing water to pass underneath it, then
even if it is something that has become hard, Wudu will still be regarded as
being valid; such as in the case of the dough under the finger nails or on the hands
of a chef or a baker, the stain of dye on the hands of a person who dyes
clothing etc., the stain of Mehndi (henna) on the hands of a female, the stain
of ink on the hands of writers, the stain of soil on the hands of labourers,
and generally, the stain of ‘surmah’ (collyrium) on the eyelashes of people.
Similarly, the same law applies to grime, sand, dust and the droppings of flies
and mosquitoes etc. on the body.
Law: If one had a blister which dried up but the
(dry) skin on the blister did not fall off, then in such a case it is not
necessary to remove the skin and pass water over it. It is sufficient to merely
pass water over the skin (covering) of the blister. If thereafter one removed
the skin then in such a case it is still not necessary to pass water over it
again.
Law: If the scales of a fish remain stuck to the part
of the body which is necessary to wash in Wudu, the Wudu will not be regarded as
being valid, as the water will not be able to pass underneath it.
Sunnat Actions of Wudu
Law: It is essential to perform Wudu with the
intention of acquiring its reward and to fulfil the command of Allah, otherwise
the Wudu will be valid but one will not attain the reward for it.
Law: To commence by proclaiming the بسم اللہ
_ ‘Bismillah’.
If one needs to make ‘Istinja’, i.e. answer the call of nature, before
performing Wudu, then one should also proclaim the Bismillah before this as
well. This should however be done before entering the toilet and before
exposing the body (i.e. before removing the clothing), because it is disallowed
to make ‘Zikr-e-Ilahi’ in an impure place and after revealing the ‘Satr’, i.e.
the private parts of the body.
Law: Commence by first washing each hand thrice up to
(and including) the wrists.
Law: If only a large dish or vessel is available and
there is no smaller vessel (jug etc.) in to which one can pour out the water,
then in such a (dire) situation, one should join together the fingers of the
left hand and only using those fingers, one should scoop out sufficient water
to wash the right hand up to the wrist thrice. In doing so, noportion of the
palm should enter the water. He may then put his right hand up to the area that
has already been washed into the water without any hindrance. He may then use
the right hand to scoop out water in order to wash the left hand.
Law: This ruling only applies in the case when the
hand is not polluted by any Najaasat (impurity). Otherwise, it is not
permissible at all to put the polluted hand into the water. If he dips the hand
into the water, it will cause the entire water to become impure.
Law: If the water is in a small vessel (dish etc.),
or if the water is in a large vessel, but there is also a small vessel
available, but one put his hand into the water without washing it, or even if
he only dipped in the entire finger nail of one finger, all the water in the
vessel will be unsuitable for Wudu. It will be regarded as ‘Ma-e-Musta’mal’
(already used water).
Law: This ruling applies in the case where the part
of the hand that was dipped into the water was not washed at all before one
dipped it into the water. If he dipped that portion of the hand which had
already been washed before and in the interim of it being washed and being
dipped into the water, no ‘Hadath’ occurred (i.e. impurity was passed), then in
such a case, if only the portion which has been washed is put into the water,
it will not cause the water to be regarded as ‘Musta’mal’, even if he has to
dip the hand up to the elbow into the water. Actually if one who is not a
‘Junub’ (a Junub is one in an impure state, requiring the compulsory ritual
bath to remove impurities) has washed his hand up to the elbow, then thereafter
he is allowed to dip his hand up to the armpit into the water, because now
there is no impurity remaining on his hand. However, one who is a ‘Junub’ may
only dip that part of the hand above the elbow into the water, which he has
thoroughly washed, because his entire body is regarded as being impure.
Law: When a ‘Junub’ awakens from his sleep, he should
wash his hands before and after making ‘Istinja’.
Law: One should perform ‘Miswak’[1] of the upper, lower, right and left teeth at
least thrice. When doing so, wash the miswak every time. The miswak should
neither be too soft nor too hard. It is better for the miswak to be made from a
‘peelu’, olive, salvadora or margosa tree or from any other bitter wood. It
should not be from fruit trees or from trees that bear sweet smelling flowers.
It should be as thick as the little finger in thickness, and not more than one
span in length. It should also not be so small that it becomes difficult to
perform miswak with it. The shaitaan sits on a miswak which is more than one
span in length. When the miswak becomes old and not fit for use any longer, it
should either be buried or kept away in a safe place, avoiding it from falling
into any impure place, because firstly, it is an instrument which is used to
fulfil a Sunnat and must thus be treated with respect, and secondly because the
water or saliva from the mouth of a Muslim should not fall in an impure place.
It is for this very reason that the Ulama have declared it inappropriate
behaviour to spit in the toilet.
Law: One should perform Miswak with the right hand.
It should be held in a manner whereby the little finger is at the base of the
Miswak and the remaining 3 fingers are above it, and the thumb should be below
the head of the Miswak. One should not close the fist when performing Miswak.
Law: Miswak should be performed with vertical strokes
on the teeth, and not by performing horizontal strokes. One should not perform
Miswak whilst lying down flat.
Law: First clean the upper teeth on the right side,
followed by the upper teeth on the left side. Thereafter clean (brush) the
lower teeth on the right side, followed by the lower teeth on the left side.
Law: Wash the miswak before and after using it. It
should not be left lying down on the ground but place it standing up, with the
bristles facing upwards.
Law: In one does not have a Miswak, he may use his
fingers or a durable piece of fabric to clean the teeth. Similarly, if one does
not have any teeth, he should run the fingers or a cloth over the gums.
Law: Miswak is not Sunnat for Namaaz but it is Sunnat
for Wudu. Thus, he who performs many Namaaz with a single Wudu will not be
requested to perform Miswak for each Namaaz, as long as there is no change in
the smell of the mouth because if one has bad breath then Miswak is deemed
Sunnat for every Namaaz. If one did not perform Miswak during Wudu he may
perform Miswak at the time of Namaaz.
Law: He should then rinse the mouth with 3 handfuls
of water making sure that the water passes through every nook and corner of the
mouth each time. If he is not fasting, he should also gargle.
Law: Thereafter, using 3 separate handfuls of water,
he should suck in water thrice into the nostrils, in a manner whereby the water
reaches the area of soft flesh inside the nose every time. If one is not
fasting then he should allow water to reach the root, i.e. end of the nostrils.
Both these actions should be done with the right hand, thereafter using the
left hand he should clean the nostrils.
Law: When washing the face, make ‘Khilaal’ of the
beard, on condition that one is not in the state of ‘Ehraam’. The method of
performing Khilaal is to thrust the fingers into the beard from the direction
of the throat, bringing them out from the front.
Law: Make Khilaal of the fingers and the toes. When
making Khilaal of the toes, do so using the little finger of the left hand by
first commencing with the little toe of the right foot and ending with the big
toe. Thereafter make Khilaal of the left foot, commencing withthe big toe and
ending with the little toe. If the water is not able to pass between the toes
without performing Khilaal, then to perform Khilaal becomes Fard (obligatory).
Water reaching between the toes even without Khilaal is in the sense when the
toes are spread apart and water is poured in or in the case where one dips his
foot into a pond.
Law: To wash each part which requires washing thrice.
On every attempt it should be washed so thoroughly that no area is left
unwashed. Otherwise, the Sunnat will not be fulfilled.
Law: If one washed a part in the sense where in the
first instance only part of it was washed then in the second instance a bit
more was washed and then finally after the third instance the entire part
(limb) was washed, then this will be regarded as only having been washed once.
The Wudu will be regarded as being valid but it is ‘Khilaaf-e-Sunnat’ ‘contrary
to the Sunnah’ to do this. The handfuls (amount) of water used (in washing) are
not given credence in this case, but credence is given to the washing of the
entire part. It should be washed thrice, no matter how many handfuls of water
are used to fulfil this.
Law: To make ‘Masah’ of the entire head and to make
Masah of the ears and ‘Tarteeb’, i.e. to follow sequence; in other words to
wash the face then the hands (up-to the elbows) followed by the Masah of the
head and then to finally wash the feet. If one performs Wudu contrary to the
prescribed sequence or omits any other Sunnat then the Wudu will still be
regarded as being valid. To do this one or two times (i.e. occasionally) is not
a good habit and if one makes it a habit to omit that which is
‘Sunnat-e-Mu’akkadah’, then he is held incontempt and is regarded sinful for
this. To make Masah of the strands of beard which fall under the area of the
face is Sunnat and to wash it is Mustahab (desirable). To wash each limb; one
after the other whereby the limbs that have already been washed do not
completely dry up is also Sunnat. The above laws thus confirm that the Sunnats
of Wudu are:
1. Niyyat (intention)
2. Reciting Bismillahir-Rahmanir-Rahim
3. Washing of the hands thrice up to the wrists
4. Performing Miswak
5. Rinsing the mouth 3 times
6. Sucking water into the nostrils thrice
7. Using the right hand to put water into nostrils
8. Using the left hand to clean the nostrils
9. Khilaal of the beard, i.e. to pass wet fingers into the beard
10. Khilaal of the fingers and toes
11. Washing of each part (limb) thrice
12. Masah of the entire head once
13. Masah of both ears once
14. Tarteeb (Wudu performed in order of sequence)
15. Making Masah of the beard strands under the area of the face
(i.e. the hanging part of the beard)
16. Washing of each limb, one after the other without delaying, so
that no limb dries up before the next limb is washed
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