‘Umar
reported that the Prophet, upon whom be peace, said, “If one completes (and
perfects) the ablution and then says, ‘I testify that there is no god except
Allah, the One Who has no partner, and that Muhammad is His slave and
Messenger,” the eight gates of paradise will be opened for him and he may enter
any of them that he wishes.” (Related by Muslim.)
Abu
Sa’eed al-Khudri reported that the Prophet said, “Whoever makes ablution and
says, ‘Glory be to Thee, O Allah, and the praise be to Thee. I bear witness
that there is no god except You. I beg your forgiveness and I repent unto you,’
will have it written for him, and placed on a tablet which will not be broken
until the Day of Resurrection. This hadith is related by at-Tabarani in
al-Ausat. Its narrators are of the sahih. An-Nasa’i has it with the wording.
“It will be stamped with a seal, placed below the throne, and it will not be
broken until the Day of Resurrection.” The correct statement is that it is
mauqoof.
As
for the supplication, “Allah, cause me to be from among the repentant, and
cause me to be from among the pure,” it has been narrated by at-Tirmizhi who
said, “Its chain is muzhtarib and there is nothing authentic concerning this
(supplication).”
Praying two rak’ah after ablution
Abu
Hurairah reported that the Messenger of Allah, upon whom be peace, said to
Bilal, “O Bilal, tell me what good deed you have done in Islam that I hear the
sound of your footsteps in Paradise?” Bilal said, “That after I purify myself
during the day or night, I pray with that purification as much as Allah has
destined for me.” (Related by al-Bukhari and Muslim.) ‘Uqbah ibn ‘Aamr related
that the Messenger of Allah, upon whom be peace, said, “If one performs and
perfects his ablution and prays two rak’ah with his heart and face (completely
on his prayer), Paradise becomes his.” (Related by Muslim, Abu Dawud, Ibn Majah
and Ibn Khuzaimah in his Sahih.) Khumran, the client of ‘Uthman, added, “I saw
‘Uthman
Call
for water for ablution, pour it from the pot onto his right hand and wash it
three times. He then put his right hand into the container, rinsed his mouth
and nose and blew the water out. Then he washed his face three times, followed
by his arms up to the elbows. Then he washed his feet three times and said ‘I saw
the Messenger of Allah, upon whom be peace, make ablution like this.’ And then
he would say, ‘Whoever makes ablution like this and then prays two rak’ah
without having any other concern on his mind, all his past sins will be
forgiven.” (Related by al-Bukhari, Muslim and others.)
Other
practices (protecting the eyes and wrinkles, removing any rings, wiping the
neck, and so on) have not been mentioned here as their narrations are still
questionable. But, one may follow them as part of general cleanliness.
Nullification
of ablution
It
is not desirable that one who is making ablution should leave any of the sunan
that have just been mentioned. The person would then lose the great reward of
these (simple) acts. Anytime one abandons the Sunnah, he has done a disliked
deed.
An excretion of the penis, vagina or anus
This
would include urine, feces (Allah says, “...or one of you comes from relieving
himself,” thus proving that such an act obligates a new purification), and
releasing gas from the anus. Abu Hurairah reported that the Messenger of Allah
said, “Allah does not accept the prayer of a person who has released gas until
he makes a new ablution. A person from Hazhramaut asked Abu Hurairah, “What
does releasing gas mean?” He answered, “Wind with or without sound.” (Related
by al-Bukhari and Muslim.) He also narrated that the Prophet said, “If one of
you finds a disturbance in his abdomen and is not certain if he has released
any gas or not, he should not leave the mosque unless he hears its sound or
smells its scent.” (Related by Muslim.)
Hearing
the escaping gas or smelling it is not a condition for nullifying ablution, but
he stressed that one should be certain of the action. As for al-Mazhi
(prostatic fluid), the Prophet said, “Make ablution.” Concerning sperm or
al-mani, said Ibn ‘Abbas “It requires ghusl and for al-mazhi and al-wadi, wash
your sex organs and make ablution.” This was related by al-Baihaqi in his
Sunan.
Deep
sleep that makes a person completely unaware of his surroundings
If
the person did not keep his buttocks firmly seated on the floor while sleeping,
he must make a new ablution. Safwan ibn ‘Asal said, “The Prophet, upon whom be
peace, used to order us while we were travelling not to take our socks off
unless we were in post-sex impurity (i.e. not for defecation, urination or
sleep).” (Related by Ahmad, an-Nasa’i and at-Tirmizhi, who graded it sahih.) If
one’s buttock has remained firmly on the floor during his sleep, no new
ablution is necessary. This is implied by the hadith of Anas who said, “The
companions of the Prophet were waiting for the delayed night prayer until their
heads began nodding up and down (from drowsiness and sleep). They would then
pray without performing ablution.” (Related by ash-Shaifi, Muslim, Abu Dawud
and at-Tirmizhi.) The wording that at-Tirmizhi recorded from the chain of
Shu’bah is, “I have seen the companions of the Prophet sleeping to the extent
that one could hear some of them snoring. But, they would stand for prayer
without a new ablution.” Said Ibn al Mubarak, “In our opinion, this happened
when they were sitting.”
Loss
of consciousness
This
nullifies the ablution regardless of whether it was owing to insanity,
fainting, drunkenness, or some medicine. It also does not matter if one was
unconscious for a short or long period of time, or if one was sitting, or fell
to the earth, and so on. The aspect of unawareness here is greater than that of
sleeping. The scholars are agreed on this point.
Touching the sexual organ without any
“barrier” between the hand and the organ
Busrah
bint Safwan narrated that the Prophet, upon whom be peace, said, “Whoever
touches his sexual organ cannot pray until he performs ablution.”
This
hadith is related by “the five.” At-Tirmizhi classified it as sahih and
al-Bukhari called it the most authentic report on that topic. Malik,
ash-Shaifi, Ahmad and others also narrated it. Abu Dawud said, “I asked Ahmad,
‘Is the hadith of Busrah authentic?’ He said, ‘Certainly it is authentic.” In
the narration of Ahmad and an-Nasa’i, Busrah heard the Prophet saying,
“Ablution is to be made by the one who touches his sexual organ.” This is
general and encompasses touching one’s own sexual organs or touching somebody
else’s.
Abu
Hurairah reported the Prophet as saying, “Whoever touches his sexual organ
without any covering (between them) must perform ablution.” (Related by Ahmad,
Ibn Hibban and al-Hakim, who classified it as sahih, as did Ibn ‘Abdul-Barr.)
Said Ibn as-Sakin, “That hadith is from the best of what has been related on this topic.” Ash-Shaf’i related: “Any man who touches his penis must perform ablution. Any woman who touches her vagina must perform ablution.” Commenting on its authenticity, Ibn al Qayyim quotes al-Hazimi who says, “That chain is sahih.” The Hanifiyyah are of the opinion, based on the following hadith, that touching the sexual organ does not nullify the ablution: “A man asked the Prophet if a man who touches his penis has to perform ablution. Said the Prophet, upon whom be peace, “No, it is just a part of you.” (Related by “the five.” Ibn Hibban classified it as sahih, and Ibn al-Madini said, “It is better than the hadith of Busrah.’’)
To
be continued
