The Wuduu’
Q. What is wuduu’?
A. Wuduu’ is a special way of washing the exposed parts of the person. When one intends to perform wuduu’ for namaaz or otherwise, he should, with clean water, first wash his hands up to the wrists. Then gargle three times and clean the teeth with a miswaak or brush or with the fingers. Then put water in the nose and clean it with the left hand. Then wash the face three times. Then wash both hands up to the elbows and perform masah of the head, ears and neck. Then wash both the feet up to the ankles. You have already read the complete method of wuduu’ in the first part of this book.
Q. Are all these things necessary to perform the wuduu’?
A. There are certain things that are necessary and without them wuduu’ will not be complete. These are called fard (compulsory). There are other things which may be left out and the wuduu’ will be complete, though it will be naaqis (improper) - they are called sunnah. There are certain other things which bring more blessings of Allah or thawaab but if left out, they do not make much difference - these things are called mustahab (recommended and desirable).
Q. How many things are fard in wuduu’?
A. There are four things fard in wuduu’:
- Washing the face from the forehead to the lower portion of the chin and from one ear to the other;
- Washing both the arms, up to the elbows;
- Doing masah, covering at least a quarter of the head; and
- Washing of both feet up to the ankles.
Q. How many things are sunnah in wuduu’?
A. Wuduu’ has 13 things that are sunnah:
- Niyyah (intention);
- Saying the bismillaah before starting;
- Washing the hands three times up to the wrists;
- Brushing the teeth by miswaak or fingers;
- Gargling three times;
- Passing water into the nostrils three times;
- Khilaal – i.e. to pass wet fingers into the beard;
- Khilaal of fingers and toes;
- Washing of each part three times;
- Masah of the whole head;
- Masah of both ears;
- Wuduu’ done systematically, in order; and
- Washing of each part one after the other without pause, so that no part dries up before you finish the whole wuduu’.
Q. What is mustahab in wuduu’?
A. Five things are mustahab in wuduu’:
- To begin with the right (i.e. the right hand, right arm, etc. - Many ‘ulamaa (scholars) consider this as sunnah with very strong opinion);
- Masah of the back of the neck;
- Doing everything by oneself without taking someone else’s help;
- Facing the qiblah; and
- Doing the wuduu’ at a clean and elevated or high place.
Q. How many things are makrooh (undesirable and obnoxious) in wuduu’?
A. Four things are makrooh in wuduu’:
- Doing wuduu’ at a dirty place;
- Cleaning the nose with the right hand;
- Talking unnecessarily while doing wuduu’;
- Doing wuduu’ in a way that is against the sunnah.
Q. How many things break the wuduu’?
A. Eight things break the wuduu’. They are called nawaaqid (breakers) of wuduu’:
- Discharging of urine or stool, or the coming out of anything from the mentioned parts;
- Discharging gases;
- Flowing of blood or pus out of any part of the body;
- Vomiting in mouthful;
- To sleep lying down or while resting the body against something;
- To faint due to some illness or by any other reason;
- Become insane or going mad; and
- Laughing during the salaah also breaks wuduu’.