This is the firm resolve of the heart to perform wuḍū in obedience to the order of Allāh BSWT and His Emissary BPBUH. Ibn Taymīyyah BM_HIM said in Majmūʿah al-Rasāʾil al-Kubrā (1/243): “The place of the niyyah is the heart and not the tongue in all forms of ʿibādah---and that is agreed upon by all the Muslim scholars---Purification, Ṣalāh, Zakāt, Ṣawm, Ḥajj, ʿItq (freeing of slaves), Jihād, etc. If he were to express with his tongue other than that which he intended in his heart---then what he intended is counted, not what he said. If he voiced the intention with his tongue and the intention was not in his heart, that will not count---by total agreement of all the scholars of Islam---so the niyyah is the firm intention and resolve itself.”
- As the Emissary of Allāh BPBUH himself explained in the ḥadīth narrated by ʿUmar BP_HIM in the Ṣaḥīḥayn, “Verily the actions are by intention and there is for everyone only what he intended...”[^21]
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Abū Hurayrah BP_HIM said that the Emissary of Allāh BPBUH said “There is no wuḍū for him who does not mention Allāh's name upon it.”[^22]
Imam Aḥmad in one of his two sayings is of the opinion that it is obligatory in wuḍū, ghusl, and tayammum. He was followed in this opinion by Abū Bakr, and it is the saying of al-Ḥasan al-Baṣrī and Imam Isḥāq---as reported by Ibn Qudāmah in al-Mughnī (1/84), and their proof is this ḥadīth.
Ibn Qudāmah adds in al-Mughnī: If we take the saying that it is obligatory,then the wuḍū of one who deliberately leaves it is not correct as he has left an obligatory duty in Purification---just as if he had left the intention; and if he left it forgetfully then his purification is correct. And this is the saying that we regard as being correct.
As for Ibn Taymiyyah BM_HIM, he held it to be obligatory if the related ḥadīth was authentic---as occurs in his Kitāb al-Īmān---and the ḥadīth is authentic, so therefore his opinion is that it is obligatory.
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Al-Bukhārī and Muslim report from Anas BP_HIM that some of the Companions of the Prophet BPBUH sought water for wuḍū, so the Emissary of Allāh BPBUH said “Does any of you have water?” So he put his hand into the water and said “Make wuḍū in the name of Allāh.” And I saw the water coming out from between his fingers until they all made wuḍū.
Thābit said: “I said to Anas BP_HIM, ‘How many were there?’ He said, ‘About seventy.’”[^23]
As for the proof for that which we have stated---it is his BPBUH saying “Make wuḍū in the name of Allāh.” As for those who say that it is only sunnah muʾakkadah, then they base that upon the relative ḥadīth being weak. However since the ḥadīth is ṣaḥīḥ as we have explained, then there remains no proof for them and the proof is with us, and Allāh Knows Best.
So it is therefore obligatory as we have shown, however the one who forgets should mention Allāh's name when he remembers.
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Humrān BP_HIM narrates that ʿUthmān called for water to make wuḍū and washed his hands three times... then said, “I saw the Emissary of Allāh BPBUH make wuḍū just as I have made wuḍū.”[^24]
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Abū Hurayrah BP_HIM said: the Emissary of Allāh BPBUH said, “When one of you awakes from sleep then let him not enter his hand into the bowl/vessel until he washes it three times as he does not know where his hand has spent the night.”[^25]
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And in the ḥadīth of ʿAbd Allāh ibn Zayd BP_HIM he was asked about the wuḍū of the Prophet BPBUH, so he called for a bowl of water and made wuḍū from it as the Prophet BPBUH made wuḍū, and he poured out water from the bowl upon his hand and washed it three times.[^26]
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Aws ibn Abī Aws reports from his grandfather BP_HIM said: I saw the Emissary of Allāh BPBUH make wuḍū washing his hands three times. [Aḥmad (4/9) and al-Nasāʾī (1/55) with ṣaḥīḥ isnād].
Al-Maḍmaḍah: Washing the mouth and moving the water around within it.
Al-Istinshāq: Taking water into the nose and breathing it into its backmost part.
Al-Istinthār: Expulsion of water from the nose after istinshāq.
- ʿAbd Allāh ibn Zayd al-Anṣārī said that it was said to him: Perform for us the wuḍū of the Emissary of Allāh BPBUH, so he called for a pot of water...until he said, “So he washed his mouth and nose with a single handful and did that three times.”
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In the ḥadīth of ʿAmr ibn Yaḥyā BP_HIM he said: And he washed his mouth and nose using three handfuls of water.[^28]
Imam al-Nawawī says, “...and in this ḥadīth is a clear proof for the correct opinion that the Sunnah in washing the mouth and nose is that it should be with three handfuls of water---washing the mouth and nose [together] with each of them.”
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In the ḥadīth of ʿĀʾishah BP_HER in which she describes the wuḍū of the Prophet BPBUH that he said “When you make wuḍū then wash your mouth.”[^29]
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Abū Hurayrah BP_HIM narrates that the Prophet BPBUH said “When one of you makes wuḍū then let him enter water into his nose, then expel it.”[^30]
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Exerting in sniffing in the water as long as you are not fasting is reported in the ḥadīth of Laqīt BP_HIM who said, “O Emissary of Allāh BPBUH, inform me of the wuḍū.” He said “Complete the wuḍū and rub between the fingers and exert in breathing in the water into the nose unless you are fasting.”[^31]
It is clear from these two aḥādīth that washing the mouth and nose are both obligatory (wājib). Ibn Qudāmah says in al-Mughnī, “ Washing the nose and washing the mouth are both obligatory in both forms of purification---ghusl and wuḍū---as washing the face is obligatory in both of them in the established view of the madhhab; and it is the saying of Ibn al-Mubārak, Ibn Abī Laylā and Isḥāq, and was also reported from ʿAtā.”
ʿAbd Khayr said: We were sitting, looking towards ʿAlī as he made wuḍū, and he entered into his mouth a handful of water with his right hand and washed his mouth and nose, then expelled it from his nose with his left hand—he did that three times, then said: Whoever would like to see the way of purification of the Emissary of Allāh BPBUH, then this is his purification.[^32]
The face (wajh) is determined as being everything between the beginning of the hair down to the cheeks and the chin, and up to the start of the ears including that which is between the beard and ear.
Allāh BSWT says,
O Ye who believe! When ye prepare for prayer, wash your faces, and your hands (and arms) to the elbows; rub your heads (with water); and (wash) your feet to the ankles. [Sūrah al-Māʾidah, 5:7]
Humrān ibn Abān narrates that ʿUthmān BP_HIM called for water to make wuḍū and so mentioned the way in which the Prophet BPBUH made wuḍū. Humrān said: Then he washed his face three times.[^33]
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ʿUthmān BP_HIM narrates that the Prophet BPBUH used to run his (wet fingers) through his beard.[^34]
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Anas BP_HIM narrates that when the Prophet BPBUH made wuḍū, he used to take a handful of water and enter it below his chin and rub it through his beard and said, “This is what my Lord—the Great and Exalted—has ordered me to do.”[^35]
Some of the scholars have declared that entering water through the beard is obligatory and say: If he deliberately leaves it—then he must repeat the (wuḍū and) prayer. And this is the saying of Imam Isḥāq and Abū Thawr.
Most of the scholars however are of the opinion that the order is an order of desirability (istihbāb) and it is not obligatory—and that it is clearer that that which is obligatory is moving water through that part of the beard...so that it reaches the skin underneath.[^36]
Imams Aḥmad and Layth and most of the scholars hold that moving water through the beard is obligatory when taking ghusl from Janābah—and not obligatory in wuḍū.[^37]
[Note]{.smallcaps}: The arms here which we are ordered to wash begin with the fingertips and hands—which are to be included in this washing—they being part of the arm (yad) which we are ordered to wash in the āyah.
Allāh BSWT says:
O Ye who believe! When ye prepare for prayer, wash your faces, and your hands (and arms) to the elbows; rub your heads (with water); and (wash) your feet to the ankles. [Sūrah al-Māʾidah, 5:7]
Humrān ibn Abān reports that ʿUthmān BP_HIM called for water for wuḍū and mentioned the Prophet's BPBUH way of making wuḍū—and Humrān said: Then he washed his right arm including the elbow three times, then the left in the same way (al-Bukhārī and Muslim as has preceded).
Regarding inclusion of the elbows in the washing of the arms—scholars have differed: Some of them saying that they must be included in this washing, and others saying that this is not so. And this difference of opinion is due to their disagreement over the meaning of the word ilā (to) in the āyah - does it mean ‘up to/until’ or ‘up to and including’?
He who says that it means ‘up to’ does not include the elbows in the washing—just as Allāh BSWT says:
...thumma 'atimmus-siyaama ilaa -llail: Then complete your fast till the night appears; [Sūrah al-Baqarah, 2:187]
And this is the opinion of some of the companions of Imam Mālik.
Most scholars, however, hold the view that the meaning is ‘up to and including/along with’—and thus include the elbows in the washing and use as their evidence Allāh's BSWT saying:
...wa yayazidkum quwwatan ilaa quwwatikum...(and add strength to your strength); [Sūrah Hūd, 11:52]
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The proof in this matter is the ḥadīth of Nuʿaym bin Mijmar who said, “I saw Abū Hurayrah make wuḍū—he washed his face and completed the wuḍū, then washed his right hand until he reached the upper arm, then his left hand till he reached the upper arm”— then in the end of the ḥadīth he said: “This is how I saw the Emissary of Allāh BPBUH make wuḍū.” (Muslim, 1/246)
So, dear reader, it is clear from this ḥadīth that the Prophet BPBUH used to wash the elbows further, he used to increase upon that and wash part of the upper arm.
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Jābir BP_HIM said that when the Prophet BPBUH made wuḍū, he would pass the water over his elbows. (Reported by al-Dāraquṭnī (1/15), al-Bayhaqī (1/56) and others; Ibn Ḥajr declared it ḥasan; Shaykh al-Albānī declared it ṣaḥīḥ (Ṣaḥīḥ ul-Jāmiʿ, 4547).
Wiping over all of the head as Allāh BPBUH says:
...wamsahoo bi ru'oosikum...: ...rub your heads (with water) [Soorat-ul-Maa'idah 5:7]
Ibn Qudāmah says: Some of the people who claim that that which is ordered to be wiped is part of the head only claim that the Bā (in the āyah) means “part of” as if He had said, “Wipe part of your heads.” However, we say that in His BSWT saying wamsahoo bi ru'oosikum the Bā is as if He BSWT said regarding Tayammum wamsahoo bi wujoohikum (Allāh BSWT orders us to wipe the faces).
Therefore their saying that the Bā means “part of” is incorrect and unknown to the scholars of the language. Ibn Burhān says, “He who claims that the bā means ‘part of’ has declared before the scholars of the language that of which they have no knowledge.” (al-Mughnī 1/112)
Imam al-Shawkānī says, “It is not established that it means part of and Sībawayh (one of the foremost scholars of the Arabic language) has denied that in fifteen places in his book.” (Nayl al-Awtār, 1/193).
- In the ḥadīth of ʿAbd Allāh ibn Zayd BP_HIM is further proof of the incorrectness of the saying that it means “a part of”—in that the Prophet BPBUH wiped his head with his two hands, moving them forwards and backwards—beginning with the front of the head and (wiping) with them up to his nape then he BPBUH returned them to the place from which he began (al-Fatḥ 1/251, Muslim #235, al-Tirmidhī #28 and others).
Wiping the ears: The ruling for the ears is the same as that for the head.
- It is authentically reported that the Emissary of Allāh BPBUH said, “The two ears are a part of the head.” (Reported by al-Tirmidhī (#37), Abū Dāwūd (#134), and Ibn Mājah (#444). It was declared ṣaḥīḥ by Shaykh al-Albānī [al-Ṣaḥīḥah-, 1/36]. Imam Aḥmad was of the view that wiping the ears has the same ruling as that for wiping the head.)
As for those who hold the view that it is a sunnah, they do not have any evidence except their regarding this ḥadīth as being ḍaʿīf. However, it is authentic due to a chain of narration which they did not come across and so the proof is with our saying and Allāh Knows best.
The scholars who hold that they are part of the head are Ibn al-Musayyib, ʿAṭā, al-Ḥasan, Ibn Sīrīn, Saʿīd ibn Jubayr and al-Nakhaʾī and it is the saying of al-Thawrī and Ahl al-Raʾy and Imams Mālik and Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal.
- Shaykh al-Albānī says in al-Ḍaʿīfah, #995: There is not to be found in the Sunnah anything which obligates taking fresh water for the ears—therefore he should wipe them along with the water for the head—just as it is also permissible to wipe the head with the water remaining from that of the arms after washing them according to the ḥadīth of al-Rabīʿ bint Muʿawwiḍ that the Prophet BPBUH “wiped his head with water remaining in his hand.” (Reported by Abū Dāwūd and others with ḥasan isnād)
- From ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿAmr—about the way of performing wuḍū—he said: Then he BPBUH wiped his head and entered his two forefingers into his ears and wiped the backs of his ears with his thumbs (Reported by Abū Dāwūd #135, al-Nasāʾī #140, Ibn Mājah #422 and authenticated by Ibn Khuzaymah).
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ʿAmr bin Umayyah BP_HIM said: I saw the Emissary of Allāh BPBUH wipe over his turban and leather socks. (Reported by al-Bukhārī [al-Fatḥ, 1/266] and others)
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Bilāl BP_HIM reports that the Prophet BPBUH wiped over the leather socks and the head cover (Reported by Muslim 1/159).
- Al-Mughīrah bin Shuʿbah BP_HIM reports that the Prophet BPBUH made wuḍū and wiped over his forelock and over the turban and leather socks (Reported by Muslim 1/159).
Ibn Qudāmah says in al-Mughnī (1/310); And if part of the head is uncovered and it is normally so, then it is preferable to wipe over that along with the turban - that is recorded from Aḥmad: as the Prophet BPBUH wiped over his turban and forelock, as occurs in the ḥadīth of al-Mugheerah ibn Shu'bah.
As for caps/‘prayer hats,’ it is not permissible to wipe over them---as Imam Aḥmad says---for various reasons: (1) They do not cover all of the head normally, nor are they tied around it. (2) There is no difficulty in their removal.
As for the woman's head cover, it is permissible to wipe over it as Umm Salamah used to wipe over her head cover. This was reported by Ibn al-Mundhir. (See_al-Mughnī_, 1/312).
Allāh BSWT says,
...wa arjulakum ilaal ka'bayn...: ...and (wash) your feet to the ankles [Sūrah al-Māʾidah 5:7]
thus ordering the washing of the feet and ankles.
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Ibn ʿUmar BP_TWO said: the Emissary of Allāh BPBUH fell behind us and then came upon us during a journey, then we found him and it was time for ʿAṣr, so we began to make wuḍū and wipe over our feet, so he BPBUH called out at the top of his voice, “Woe to the ankles from the Fire.” (two or three times) [al-Bukhārī (al-Fatḥ, 1/232) and Muslim, 3/128].
Al-Nawawī says in his explanation of Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim after mentioning the ḥadīth: (Imam) Muslim's intention BM_HIM in quoting these aḥādīth was to prove the obligation of washing the feet---and that wiping them is not sufficient.
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In the ḥadīth of al-Bukhārī and Muslim from Ḥumrān bin Abān that ʿUthmān BP_HIM called for water for wuḍū and then mentioned the wuḍū of the Prophet BPBUH. Ḥumrān then said: Then he washed his right foot to the ankle three times and then his left foot to the ankle three times.
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As Abū Hurayrah BP_HIM did in Muslim's narration, “Then he washed his right foot till he reached the shin, then he washed the left foot till he reached the shin...” and in the end of the ḥadīth he said, “This is what I saw the Emissary of Allāh BPBUH” do. [Muslim, 1/246].
From this ḥadīth---O Muslim---it becomes clear that the ankles enter into this washing as is clear from his saying “till he reached the shin.”
- Al-Mustawrad BP_HIM said, “When the Prophet BPBUH made wuḍū he would enter the water between his toes with his little finger.” [Reported by Abū Dāwūd (#148), al-Tirmidhī (#40), and Ibn Mājah (#446). Declared as ṣaḥīḥ by al-Albānī].
Al-Ṣanʿānī says in Subul al-Salām after quoting this ḥadīth: It is a proof for the obligation of wiping between the toes---and this also occurs in the ḥadīth of Ibn 'Abbaas which we have indicated, reported by al-Tirmidhī, Aḥmad, Ibn Mājah, and al-Ḥākim, and authenticated by al-Bukhārī. And it is done by using the little finger. (See Subul al-Salām, 1/48).
- And Laqīt bin Ṣabarah said, “The Emissary of Allāh BPBUH said, ‘Complete the wuḍū and wipe between the Aṣābiʿ (fingers and/or toes).’” [Abū Dāwūd (#142), al-Tirmidhī (#37), al-Nasāʾī (#114), Ibn Mājah (#407), and al-Ḥākim (1/148). Al-Albānī declared it ṣaḥīḥ.] Al-Ṣanʿānī says, “It clearly means both the fingers and toes and is shown clearly in the ḥadīth of Ibn ʿAbbās.” [Subul al-Salām, 1/47].
Wiping the feet when not wearing anything on the foot is not established from the Prophet BPBUH. As for their using as a proof the āyah,
wamsahoo bi ru'oosikum wa arjulakum ilaal ka'bayn: rub your heads and your feet to the ankles...[Sūrah al-Māʾidah 5:7]
reading (arjulikum) and saying that the feet are thus connected to (the command to wipe) the heads; this is not correct, rather they are connected to (the order to wash) the hands. As for the reading of the word (arjulikum) with Kasrah of the lām, al-Ṣanʿānī says that is for wiping over leather socks ---as is shown by the Sunnah---and this is the best interpretation for this particular recital. (Subul al-Salām, 1/58).
The Quran is not to be explained according to the human intellect---especially in the matters of worship such as Ṣalāh, wuḍū, etc.---but by the Sunnah which explains this Pillar. And there are many such examples in the Qur'an which the Prophet BPBUH explained by his sayings---and from this is the washing of the feet---and its proof from the Sunnah has preceded.
If they wish to use the intellect then we say to them: The bottom of the foot has more right to be wiped than the surface (their saying being the wiping of the surface), and if they say: Then what about the socks? we say: That is established from the Prophet BPBUH just as washing the foot is also established in the Sunnah.
Leaving out one of two verbs and sufficing with one of them, as the Arabs, when two verbs come together having similar meaning and are followed by things related to them, makes it permissible to mention only one of the two verbs and attaching those things relating to the second to those relating to the first which is mentioned - according to what the wording demands, until it is as if the two are partners with regard to the verb, as the poet said: I fed it with hay and cold water. And what is meant is: I fed it with hay and gave it cold water to drink.
The saying of al-Zajjāj (a great scholar of the Arabic language): It is permissible that the wording (arjulikum) has the meaning of wash the feet as the wording (ilā al-Kaʿbayn) conveys that meaning---as the mentioning of a limit suggests washing just as Allāh BSWT says ilā al-Marāfiq [that is the limit of the elbows is for washing] however, if wiping were intended then there would be no need for mention of a limit just as Allāh BSWT says wamsahū bi ruʾūsikum not mentioning any limit (for wiping the head) and further the term wiping can be used to mean washing. (Al-Mirqāt, 1/400).
And further, the great majority of scholars have agreed that it is obligatory to wash the feet and that is reported---and reaches the level of mutawātir from the Prophet BPBUH as al-Ḥāfiẓ Ibn Ḥajr says; and further it is not established that any of the Ṣaḥābah differed regarding that---except what is reported from ʿAlī, Ibn ʿAbbās, and Anas BP_THM---and it is established that they didn't retract from it (Al-Mirqāt, 1/400).
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And Abū Hurayrah BP_HIM reports that the Emissary of Allāh BPBUH came to the graveyard and said ...they will come on the Day of Judgement with their blazes shining from the wuḍū (It has preceded, #7). Meaning the the Emissary of Allāh BPBUH will know from the traces of the washing, as for those who do not wash then he will not know them on the Day of Judgement.
Ibn Ḥajr says: And it is established that this shining of the faces, hands and feet are particular to the Muslim Ummah.
The siwāk is that which the mouth is brushed with. And it is also called the miswāk, the plural being: sūk. And the siwāk comes from the Arāk tree and it is a well-known tree. Abū Ḥanīfah said, “It is the best of the trees whose twigs are used for brushing the teeth...smelling of milk.” Abū Ziyād said, “From it is taken there tooth-sticks---from its twigs and roots---and the best part for that is its roots, and it is broadly spreading...” and Ibn Shamīl said, “The Arāk is a tall fine-shoot green tree with many leaves and branches, having weak wood and growing in hollows---miswāk is taken from it, being one of the citrus trees. Its singular is Arāk and its plural Arāʾik (Lisān al-ʿArab, 268).
It is mustaḥabb (desirable) to use the siwāk at many different times as is established from the Prophet BPBUH that he used to use the siwāk at every Prayer, and before reading the Quran, and before sleeping and when waking, and when the breath changes---whether fasting or not---or whether at the start of the day or in the afternoon, and it is a form of worship which is easy therefore observe it, O my Muslim Brother.
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And also when making wuḍū , as Abū Hurayrah BP_HIM narrates that the Emissary of Allāh BPBUH said, “If I did not fear to cause hardship to my Ummah I would have ordered them to use the siwāk with every wuḍū.” [Reported by al-Tirmidhī (#22) who said: Ḥasan Ṣaḥīḥ, and Mālik (#123), Aḥmad (4/116), Abū Dāwūd (#37) and others. Al-Albānī declared it to be ṣaḥīḥ (Takhrīj al-Mishkāh, #390)].
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And ʿĀʾishah BP_HER narrates that the Emissary of Allāh BPBUH said, “The siwāk is a means of cleansing the mouth and pleasing the Lord.” [Al-Bukhārī reports it in muʿallaq form---connected by Aḥmad, al-Nasāʾī, Ibn Khuzaymah and Ibn Ḥibbān].
Al-Dalk, meaning rubbing water over the body parts, is part of the wuḍū authentically reported from the Prophet BPBUH. Al-Mustawrid bin Shadād said, “I saw the Emissary of Allāh BPBUH when he made wuḍū rubbing his toes with his litle finger.” (Ṣaḥīḥ).
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ʿAbd Allāh bin Zayd BP_HIM narrates that the Prophet BPBUH made wuḍū and said, “Rub in this way.” (See Nayl al-Awtār, 4/39).
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He BP_HIM also narrates that the Prophet BPBUH made wuḍū with two thirds of a mudd^[mudd: a measure of volume. Approximately what one's two hands can scoop up] (of water) and rubbed over his forearms. (Ibn Khuzaymah (#118), and its isnād is ṣaḥīḥ---and al-Ḥākim (1/161) reports it by way of Yaḥyā bin Abī Zāʾidah].
As for what is narrated regarding the order as mentioned in the āyah, then there is nothing to contradict that---and this order is obligatory (wājib) and it is said, sunnah. [See Fiqh al-Imām Saʿīd bin al-Muṣayyib, 1/64].
As for what is related with regard to the Prophet's _wuḍū_BPBUH then it has been reported sometimes out of the regular order. And the proof is:
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Al-Miqdām bin Maʿd Yakrib said, “I came to the Prophet BPBUH with water for wuḍū, so he washed his hands three times, then washed his face three times, then washed his forearms three times, then washed his mouth and nose three times, then wiped his head and ears---their outsides and insides---and washed each of his feet three times.” [Aḥmad (4/132), Abū Dāwūd (1/19) with a ṣaḥīḥ isnād. Al-Shawkānī (1/1~5) said, “Its isnād is good, and it is reported by ad-Diyaa in al-Mukhtārah.” Shaykh al-Albānī recorded it in al-Ṣaḥīḥah, #261]
So this is a proof that he BPBUH did not always stick to the regular order--- and this is a proof that it is not obligatory---however, his sticking to it mostly shows that it is Sunnah. And Allāh Knows best.
Al-Suyūṭī says, as is reported from him in ʿAwn al-Maʿbūd (1/48), “It is used as a proof (i.e. the aforementioned ḥadīth) by him who says that sticking to the regular order in wuḍū is not obligatory as he washed his mouth and nose after washing his arms.”
The author of ʿAwn al-Maʿbūd says, “This narration is shādh^[Shādh is a class of narration whose chain is authentic but contradicts that which is better established.] and should therefore not to be taken in contradiction to the established narrations which put the washing of the mouth and nose before the washing of the face.”
I say, “The difference of opinion between the scholars here is with regard to those parts of wuḍū which are Sunnah. As for the obligatory duties, then they are according to the order mentioned in the noble āyah, and the best thing is to perform all of the actions in the way mentioned in the majority of the aḥādīth. Allāh Knows best.”
Al-Mawālāh refers to washing each part directly after the previous, leaving no time gap in between.
Nothing other than this is established from the Prophet BPBUH. It is however established that Ibn ʿUmar BP_TWO urinated within the market, then made wuḍū and so washed his face and hands and wiped his head, then he was called to pray over a janāzah, so he entered the mosque then wiped over his leather socks, and then prayed over it. [Reported by Mālik (#72) and al-Bayhaqī (1/84). And ʿAṭāʾ didn't see anything wrong with leaving such gaps whilst making wuḍū and it is the saying of al-Ḥasan, al-Nakhaʿī and the better reported of the two sayings of al-Shāfiʿī].
That is washing the right hand before the left and likewise the feet.
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ʿĀʾishah BP_HER said, “The Emissary of Allāh BPBUH used to like to begin with the right in putting on shoes, combing his hair, in purification and in all of his affairs.” [Al-Bukhārī (al-Fatḥ) 1/235, Muslim (#267), and others].
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Abū Hurayrah BP_HIM narrates that the Prophet BPBUH said, “When you dress and when you make wuḍū, then begin with the right.” [Abū Dāwūd (#4141), al-Tirmidhī (1766), and al-Nasāʾī (402). Shaykh al-Albānī declared it ṣaḥīḥ].
- Anas BP_HIM said, “The Prophet BPBUH used to make wuḍū with a mudd (of water) and make ghusl with a ṣāʿ or up to five mudds.” [Muslim (1/156) and others]. A ṣāʿ is equal to four mudds.
If you consider this ḥadīth well, O my Muslim Brother, you would feel ashamed of what some people do these days. One of them opening the water tap and making wuḍū and sometimes talking to his companion whilst the water is running out---what an excess in wastefulness! So he who does that should fear Allāh and remember this ḥadīth and keep it in mind and follow the Sunnah with regard to using the water sparingly and not being wasteful---and here the true following of the Prophet BPBUH is made clear and the true Muslim's belief. It is from the Sunnah for the Muslim who wishes to make wuḍū to have with him a container large enough for a mudd of water---in order to force himself to return to the following of the Sunnah.
- ʿUmar bin al-Khaṭṭāb BP_HIM said, “The Emissary of Allāh BPBUH said, ‘None of you makes wuḍū and completes the wuḍū then says:
(Trans. I bear witness that none has the right to be worshipped except Allāh, and that Muḥammad is His slave and Messenger) except that all eight Gates of Paradise are opened for him---so that he enters by whichever he pleases.’” [Reported by Muslim (#234), Abū Dāwūd (#169), al-Tirmidhī (#55), al-Nasāʾī (#148), and Ibn Mājah (#470)].
And al-Tirmidhī adds an authentic addition to it:
(Trans. O Allāh, make me one of those who constantly repents to You and of those who purify themselves.) [Declared as ṣaḥīḥ by al-Albānī].
- Abū Saʿīd al-Khudrī BP_HIM said, “The Emissary of Allāh BPBUH said,
‘Whoever makes wuḍū then says upon finishing the wuḍū,
(Trans. I declare You free from all defects my Lord and all praise belongs to you and I bear witness that there is none worthy of worship except You. I seek Your forgiveness and I turn to You), it is written in a parchment, then sealed and is not opened till Judgement Day.” [Reported by Ibn al-Sunnī in ʿAmal al-Yawn wa al-Laylah, #30. Declared as ṣaḥīḥ by al-Albānī].
- Ibn ʿAbbās BP_HIM said, “The Emissary of Allāh BPBUH made wuḍū (washing each part) once.” [al-Bukhārī (al-Fatḥ) 1/226].
- ʿAbd Allāh bin Zayd narrates that the Prophet BPBUH made wuḍū (washing each part) twice. [al-Bukhārī (al-Fatḥ) 1/226].
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In the ḥadīth of ʿUthmān BP_HIM recorded by al-Bukhārī and Muslim, he BPBUH washed each of the parts three times.
So from these aḥādīth it becomes clear to us that, as is well-known to the large majority of scholars, washing each body-part once is obligatory---and the second and third washings are Sunnah---and it is better to do likewise following the Sunnah of the Prophet BPBUH [al-Majmūʿ of al-Nawawī, 1/229].
Al-Ḥāfiẓ says in al-Fatḥ (1/172) under the question Making wuḍū without having broken it,
- Anas BP_HIM narrated that the Prophet BPBUH used to make wuḍū for every prayer. He was asked, “What did you (the Ṣaḥābah) use to do?” He replied, “One wuḍū was sufficient for us till such time as we broke it.”
This ḥadīth is evidence that what is meant generally is the obligatory prayer.
Al-Ṭaḥāwī says, “It may be that that was obligatory upon him BPBUH particularly and was later abrogated on the Day of Fatḥ by the ḥadīth of Buraydah---which Muslim reports---that he BPBUH prayed all the Prayers on the Day of Fatḥ with one wuḍū and that ʿUmar BP_HIM asked him about that so he BPBUH said, “I did it deliberately.” Or it may be that he BPBUH used to do it out of desirability only, then feared that it might be thought to be obligatory, and so left it to show the permissibility of that.” [MISSING REFERENCE]
I say: The result is that making wuḍū for every Prayer is mustahabb and praying all of the Prayers with one wuḍū is permissible. And Allāh Knows best.
If he who knows that he has made wuḍū then is not sure that he has broken it then his wuḍū remains. And he who knows that he has done that which breaks wuḍū and doubts when he has made wuḍū thereafter, then he does not have wuḍū. In each case he relies upon that which he is certain of before that which he has doubt about---and he disregards the doubt. And this is the saying of the great majority of scholars and it is the saying of Abū Ḥanīfah, al-Shāfiʿī, and Aḥmad. [Al-Mughnī (1/193) and Fiqh al-Awzāʿī, 1/56].
- And the proof for this is what is established from Abū Hurayrah BP_HIM, who said, “The Emissary of Allāh BPBUH said, ‘If one of you feels something in his stomach and he isn't sure did anything (wind) come out of it or not---then let him not leave the mosque until he hears a sound or finds a smell.’” [Muslim (Sharḥ al-Nawawī, 4/51), ʿĀridah al-Aḥwadhī bi Sharḥ Ṣaḥīḥ al-Tirmidhī, 1/79].
So the ḥadīth is a proof that things remain upon their original state until there is a certainty of a change in that, and doubt does not harm that---so he who is sure of having made wuḍū and thinks that he may have broken it, then he remains upon wuḍū.
- Ibn ʿAbbās BP_TWO narrates that one of the wives of the Prophet BPBUH took a ghusl from janābah then saw the Emissary of Allāh BPBUH about to take a ghusl from the remaining water, so she informed him that she had made ghusl therefrom. So, the Emissary of Allāh BPBUH said, “Nothing makes the water impure.” [Reported by Abū Dāwūd (#67), and al-Nasāʾī (#326), al-Tirmidhī who declared it to be hasan ṣaḥīḥ, and Ibn Mājah (#370)].
Ibn ʿAbd al-Barr says, “There is nothing in the Sharīʿah to prevent each of them washing with the water remaining from the other---either together or one after the other, and this is the saying of the scholars of the different lands and the great majority of scholars---and the aḥādīth about it are mutawātir.” (Al-Istidhkār, 1/373).
ʿUthmān bin ʿAffān, al-ḥasan bin ʿAlī, Anas ibn Mālik, al-Ḥasan al-Baṣrī, Ibn Sīrīn, ʿAlqamah, al-Aswad, Masrūq, al-Ḍaḥḥāk, ʿAbd Allāh bin al-Ḥārith, Abū Yaʿlā, Abū al-Aḥwaṣ, al-Shaʿbī, al-Thawrī, Isḥāq, Ibn ʿUmar in a narration, and Abū Ḥanīfah, Mālik, Aḥmad, and the Shāfiʿī Madhhab in one saying, all say that it is permissible after both wuḍū and ghusl to dry the body parts. And their evidence is what ʿĀʾishah BP_HER reports---she said, “The Emissary of Allāh BPBUH had a cloth which he used to dry himself with after making wuḍū.” [Reported by al-Tirmidhī who declared it to be ḍaʿīf. Then al-ʿAynī states that al-Nasāʾī records it in al-Kunā with a ṣaḥīḥ isnād. I say: And it has other narrations which support and strengthen it. (See Fiqh al-Imām Saʿīd, 1/70). Al-Albānī declares the ḥadīth to be ḥasan. (Ṣaḥīḥ al-Jāmiʿ, 4706).
- Salmān al-Fārsī narrates that the Prophet BPBUH made wuḍū, then turned up a woollen cloak he had and wiped his face with it. [Reported by Ibn Mājah (#468)]. In al-Zawāʾid, it is said: Its isnād is ṣaḥīḥ. I say: In its isnād is al-Waḍīn bin ʿAṭāʾ who is ṣadūq but has a bad memory as al-Hāfiẓ Ibn Ḥajr says in Taqrīb al-Tahdhīb, so its isnād is daʿīf! But it is strengthened by the previous ḥadīth of ʿĀʾishah to the level of ḥasan. And Allāh knows best.]
Some others hold it to be makrūh to dry the body parts after purification and their proof is:
- What is established from Maymūnah BP_HER who described the Prophet's BPBUH ghusl from janābah and said, “Then I brought him a cloth but he refused it.” [Al-Bukhārī and Muslim and the wording is the latter's].
Conclusion: Drying the body parts is one of the desirable actions as shown by the ḥadīth of ʿĀʾishah BP_HER. As for the saying that it is makrūh, then that is not acceptable as the saying of Maymūnah BP_HER, “but he refused it,” does not amount to the fact that it is makrūh---and Allāh knows best.