Understanding Ablution (Wudu)
Ablution, or Wudu, is an essential prerequisite for the validity of prayer. As stated in the Quran: (O you who have believed, when you rise to perform prayer, wash your faces and your forearms to the elbows, and wipe over your heads and wash your feet to the ankles). The method of performing Wudu, as practiced by Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), includes the following steps: begin by washing the hands three times, recite the name of Allah, then perform rinsing of the mouth three times, followed by inhaling and exhaling water (istinshaq and istinthar) three times, washing the face three times, washing the arms up to the elbows three times, wiping over the head and ears once, and finally washing the feet along with the ankles three times.
Hadiths Highlighting the Virtue of Wudu
Numerous hadiths elucidate the significance and virtues of performing Wudu. Among these are:
- Abu Huraira (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (peace be upon him) asked Bilal: “During the Fajr prayer, tell me about the most hopeful act you’ve done in Islam, for I heard the sound of your sandals in Paradise.” Bilal responded, “I have not performed an act more hopeful than this: I never perform Wudu at any hour of the night or day without subsequently praying what has been decreed for me to pray.”
- The Prophet (peace be upon him) stated: “The beauty of the believer is as extensive as the extent of his Wudu.”
- He (peace be upon him) remarked: “Satan ties three knots at the back of the head of anyone of you when he sleeps, striking each knot and saying: You have a long night, so sleep. If he wakes up and remembers Allah, one knot is loosened; if he performs Wudu, two knots are loosened; and if he prays, all knots are loosened, allowing him to rise energetic and in good spirits; otherwise, he will rise sluggish and ill-tempered.”
- He (peace be upon him) declared: “Ablution is half of faith.”
- Anas ibn Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) related that the Prophet (peace be upon him) would perform Wudu for every prayer. When asked how they manage, he said: “Wudu suffices as long as one does not invalidate it.”
- The Prophet (peace be upon him) advised: “Be steadfast, and you will not be able to do so perfectly, and know that the best of your deeds is prayer, and none will maintain Wudu except a believer.”
- He (peace be upon him) mentioned: “My followers will come on the Day of Resurrection with luminous faces and limbs due to the traces of Wudu. So, whoever of you can lengthen his brightness, let him do so.”
- The Prophet (peace be upon him) assured: “No Muslim performs Wudu appropriately, then prays two rak’ahs focusing all his heart and face towards them, but Paradise becomes his due.”
- He (peace be upon him) affirmed: “Anyone who performs Wudu and completes it well, then declares: I bear witness that there is no deity but Allah and that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger; the eight gates of Paradise are opened to him, and he may enter through whichever he wishes.”
Ablution as Expiation for Sins
Ablution possesses a profound merit in that it expiates the sins and misdeeds of the servant. The following hadiths elaborate on this concept:
- The Prophet (peace be upon him) stated: “When a Muslim or believer performs Wudu and washes his face, every sin his eyes have looked at washes away with the water, or with the last drop of water. When he washes his hands, every sin the hands have committed washes away with the water, or with the last drop of water. When he washes his feet, every sin his feet have walked towards washes away with the water, or with the last drop of water, until he emerges purified from sins.”
- He (peace be upon him) said: “Should I not guide you to that through which Allah erases sins and elevates ranks?” They replied: “Yes, O Messenger of Allah.” He continued: “Completing Wudu in difficult conditions, taking many steps to the mosques, and waiting for prayer after prayer; these practices are your fortification.”
- The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “Whoever performs Wudu in this manner, his previous sins are forgiven, and his prayer and walking to the mosque become voluntary acts.”
- He (peace be upon him) noted: “Whoever performs the Wudu as commanded and prays as commanded, his past deeds will be forgiven.”
- Additionally, he (peace be upon him) stated: “Whoever performs Wudu well, then attends Friday prayers, listening and paying attention, will have his sins forgiven between that Friday and the next, along with an additional three days.”
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