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 travels. He caught up with us after we
had delayed the afternoon prayer. We started to make ablution and were wiping
over our feet, when the Prophet said, ‘Woe to the heels, save them from the
Hell-fire,’ repeating it two or three times.” (Related by al-Bukhari and
Muslim.)
Needless
to say, the preceding obligations are the ones that Allah has mentioned in
(al-Ma’idah 6).
a:
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 Arabia would not differentiate items
unless there was some benefit in doing so. The way Allah structured the
ablution made it easier for them to comprehend it. Al-Ma’idah 6 explains what
is obligatory and it falls under the generality of the Prophet’s statement,
“Begin with what Allah began with.” The Prophet used to follow that sequence as
one of ablution’s principles. There is no such report that the Prophet, upon
whom be peace, ever departed from that sequence. Ablution is part of worship,
and in matters of worship there is no room for anything except doing what has
been commanded.
This
section deals with those acts connected with the ablution, but which are not
obligatory, as the Prophet, upon whom be peace, did not rigorously stick to
them or censure anyone for not doing them. They are as follows:
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 any case, it
is a good act in and of itself and, in general, it is part of the Islamic law.
a:
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, helps digestion and facilitates the flow of
urine. This sunnah is fulfilled by using any object which removes yellow stains
on the teeth and cleans the mouth, such as a toothbrush, and so on. Abu
Hurairah reported that the Prophet, upon whom be peace, said, “Were it not to
be a hardship on my community, I would have ordered them to use a toothbrush
for every ablution.” (Related by Malik, ash-Shaf’i, al-Baihaqi and alHakim.)
‘Aishah reported that the Prophet said, “The toothbrush purifies the mouth and
is pleasing to the Lord.” (Related by Ahmad, an-Nasa’i and at-Tirmizhi.)
Using
a toothbrush is liked at any time, but there are five times in which it is
especially liked:
1
ablution,
2
prayer,
3
reading the Qur’an,
4
rising from sleep, and
5
when the taste in one’s mouth has changed. Fasting and non-fasting people may
use it at the beginning, the end, or at any other time during the day. ‘Amr ibn
Rabi’ah said, “I have seen the Messenger of Allah, upon whom be peace, on
countless occasions using a toothbrush while fasting.” (Related by Ahmad, Abu
Dawud and at-Tirmizhi.)
When
one uses a toothbrush, it is Sunnah to clean it afterwards. Said ‘Aishah, “When
the Prophet, upon whom be peace, used his toothbrush, he would give it to me. I
would wash it, use it, wash it again and give it back to him.” (Related by Abu
Dawud and alBaihaqi.)
It
is part of the Sunnah that one who has no teeth may use his fingers to clean
his mouth. Asked ‘Aishah, “O Messenger of Allah, how should a toothless person
cleanse his mouth?” “By putting his fingers into his mouth,” he replied.
(Related by at-Tabarani.)
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 Ahmad
and an-Nasa’i.) Abu Hurairah reported that the Prophet, upon whom be peace,
said, “When one of you rises from his sleep, he should not put his hand into a
pot until he has washed it three times, for he does not know where his hand was
(while he slept).” (Related by “the group”, al-Bukhari did not mention the
number of times.)
a:
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.)
b:
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 by al-Bukhari, Muslim and Abu Dawud.)
The
sunnah is to put the water into the nostrils with the right hand and blow it
out with the left. ‘Ali once called for water for ablution, rinsed his mouth,
sniffed up water into his nostrils and blew it out with his left hand. He did
that three times and then said,
“That
is how the Prpohet, upon whom be peace, would purify himself.” (Related by
Ahmad and an-Nasa’i.)s sunnah is fulfilled by putting water into the mouth and
nostrils in any way. The practice of the Prophet was to do both acts at the
same time. ‘Abdullah ibn Zaid said, “The Prophet would rinse his mouth and nose
with just one hand (at one time, together). He did that three times.” In one
narration it says, “He would rinse his mouth and nose with three scoops of
water.” (Related by al-Bukhari and Muslim.) It is also sunnah to be plentiful
(with water) while performing this sunnah, except if one is fasting. Laqit
asked the Prophet, “Inform me about your ablution.” He replied, “Complete and
perfect the ablution and (put water) between your fingers. Use lots of water
while sniffing it up your nostrils, unless you are fasting.” (Related by “the
five.” At-Tirmizhi said it is sahih.)
To be continued
