The Order to Perform Wudu

Allah said,

إِذَا قُمْتُمْ إِلَى الصَّلوةِ

(When you stand for (intend to offer) the Salah,) Allah commanded performing Wudu' for the prayer. This is a command of obligation in the case of impurity, and in the case of purity, it is merely a recommendation. It was said that in the beginning of Islam, Muslims had to perform Wudu' for every prayer, but later on, this ruling was abrogated. Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal recorded that Sulayman bin Buraydah said that his father said, "The Prophet used to perform Wudu' before every prayer. On the Day of Victory, he performed Wudu' and wiped on his Khuffs and prayed the five prayers with one Wudu'. `Umar said to him, `O Messenger of Allah! You did something new that you never did before.' The Prophet said,

«إني عمدا فعلته يا عمر»

(`I did that intentionally O `Umar!)"' Muslim and the collectors of the Sunan also recorded this Hadith. At-Tirmidhi said,"Hasan Sahih." Ibn Jarir recorded that Al-Fadl bin Al-Mubashshir said, "I saw Jabir bin `Abdullah perform several prayers with only one Wudu'. When he would answer the call of nature, he performed Wudu' and wiped the top of his Khuffs with his wet hand. I said, `O Abu `Abdullah! Do you do this according to your own opinion' He said, `Rather, I saw the Prophet do the same thing. So, I do what I saw the Messenger of Allah ﷺ doing."' Ibn Majah also recorded this Hadith. Ahmad recorded that `Ubaydullah bin `Abdullah bin `Umar was asked; "Did you see `Abdullah bin `Umar perform Wudu' for every prayer, whether he was in a state of purity or not," So he replied, "Asma' bint Zayd bin Al-Khattab told him that `Abdullah bin Hanzalah bin Abi `Amir Al-Ghasil told her that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was earlier commanded to perform Wudu' for every prayer, whether he needed it or not. When that became hard on him, he was commanded to use Siwak for every prayer, and to perform Wudu' when Hadath (impurity) occurs. `Abdullah (Ibn `Umar) thought that he was able to do that (perform Wudu' for every prayer) and he kept doing that until he died." Abu Dawud also collected this narration. This practice by Ibn `Umar demonstrates that it is encouraged, not obligatory, to perform Wudu' for every prayer, and this is also the opinion of the majority of scholars. Abu Dawud recorded that `Abdullah bin `Abbas said that when the Messenger of Allah ﷺ once left the area where he answered the call of nature, he was brought something to eat. They said, "Should we bring you your water for Wudu" He said,

«إنَّمَا أُمِرْتُ بِالْوُضُوءِ إِذَا قُمْتُ إِلَى الصَّلَاة»

(I was commanded to perform Wudu' when I stand up for prayer.) At-Tirmidhi and An-Nasa'i also recorded this Hadith and At-Tirmidhi said, "This Hadith is Hasan." Muslim recorded that Ibn `Abbas said, "We were with the Prophet when he went to answer the call of nature and when he came back, he was brought some food. He was asked, `O Messenger of Allah! Do you want to perform Wudu" He said,

«لِمَ؟ أَأُصَلِي فَأَتَوَضَّأ»

(`Why Am I about to pray so that I have to make Wudu'.)"'

The Intention and Mentioning Allah's Name for Wudu

Allah said;

فاغْسِلُواْ وُجُوهَكُمْ

(then wash your faces...) The obligation for the intention before Wudu' is proven by this Ayah;

إِذَا قُمْتُمْ إِلَى الصَّلوةِ فاغْسِلُواْ وُجُوهَكُمْ

(When you stand (intend) to offer the Salah then wash your faces...) This is because it is just like the Arabs saying; "When you see the leader, then stand." Meaning stand for him. And the Two Sahihs recorded the Hadith,

«الْأَعْمَالُ بِالنِّــيَّاتِ وَإِنَّمَا لِكُلِّ امْرِىءٍ مَانَوَى»

(Actions are judged by their intentions, and each person will earn what he intended.) It is also recommended before washing the face that one mentions Allah's Name for the Wudu'. A Hadith that was narrated by several Companions states that the Prophet said, n

«لَا وُضْوءَ لِمَنْ لَمْ يَذْكُرِ اسْمَ اللهِ عَلَيْه»

(There is no Wudu' for he who does not mention Allah's Name over it.) It is also recommended that one washes his hands before he puts his hands in the vessel of water, especially after one wakes up from sleep, for the Two Sahihs recorded that Abu Hurayrah said that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said,

«إِذَا اسْتَيْقَظَ أَحَدُكُمْ مِنْ نَوْمِهِ فَلَا يُدْخِلْ يَدَهُ فِي الْإِنَاءِ قَبْلَ أَنْ يَغْسِلَهَا ثَلَاثًا، فَإِنَّ أَحَدَكُمْ لَا يَدْرِي أَيْنَ بَاتَتْ يَدُه»

(If one of you wakes up from his sleep, let him not put his hand in the pot until he washes it thrice, for one of you does not know where his hand spent the night.) The face according to the scholars of Fiqh starts where the hair line on the head starts, regardless of one's lack or abundance of hair, until the end of the cheeks and chin, and from ear to ear.

Passing the Fingers through the Beard While Performing Wudu

Imam Ahmad recorded that Abu Wa'il said, "I saw `Uthman when he was performing Wudu'... When he washed his face, he passed his fingers through his beard three times. He said, `I saw the Messenger of Allah ﷺ do what you saw me doing."' At-Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah also recorded this Hadith. At-Tirmidhi said "Hasan Sahih." while Al-Bukhari graded it Hasan.

How to Perform Wudu

mam Ahmad recorded that Ibn `Abbas once performed Wudu' and took a handful of water and rinsed his mouth and nose with it. He took another handful of water and joined both hands and washed his face. He took another handful of water and washed his right hand, and another handful and washed his left hand with it. He next wiped his head. Next, he took a handful of water and sprinkled it on his right foot and washed it and took another handful of water and washed his left foot. When he finished, he said, "This is how I saw the Messenger of Allah ﷺ (performing Wudu')." Al-Bukhari also recorded it. Allah said,

وَأَيْدِيَكُمْ إِلَى الْمَرَافِقِ

(and your hands (forearms) up to (Ila) the elbows...) meaning, including the elbows. Allah said in another Ayah using Ila,

وَلاَ تَأْكُلُواْ أَمْوَلَهُمْ إِلَى أَمْوَلِكُمْ إِنَّهُ كَانَ حُوباً كَبِيراً

(And devour not their substance to (Ila) your substance (by adding or including it in your property). Surely, this is a great sin.) It is recommended that those who perform Wudu' should wash a part of the upper arm with the elbow. Al-Bukhari and Muslim recorded that Abu Hurayrah said that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said,

«إِنَّ أُمَّتِي يُدْعَوْنَ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ غُرًّا مُحَجَّلِينَ مِنْ آثَارِ الْوُضُوءِ، فَمَنِ اسْتَطَاعَ مِنْكُمْ أَنْ يُطِيلَ غُرَّتَهُ فَلْيَفْعَل»

(On the Day of Resurrection, my Ummah will be called "those with the radiant appendages" because of the traces of Wudu'. Therefore, whoever can increase the area of his radiance should do so.) Muslim recorded that Abu Hurayrah said, "I heard my intimate friend (the Messenger ) saying,

«تَبْلُغُ الْحِلْيَةُ مِنَ الْمُؤْمِنِ حَيْثُ يَبْلُغُ الْوَضُوء»

(The radiance of the believer reaches the areas that the water of (his) Wudu' reaches.)" Allah said next,

وَامْسَحُواْ بِرُؤُوسِكُمْ

(Rub your heads.) It is recorded in the Two Sahihs that Malik bin `Amr bin Yahya Al-Mazini said that his father said that a man said to `Abdullah bin Zayd bin `Asim, the grandfather of `Amr bin Yahya and one of the Companions of the Messenger ﷺ, "Can you show me how the Messenger of Allah ﷺ used to perform Wudu"' `Abdullah bin Zayd said, "Yes." He then asked for a pot of water. He poured from it on his hands and washed them twice, then he rinsed his mouth and washed his nose with water thrice by putting water in it and blowing it out. He washed his face thrice and after that he washed his forearms up to the elbows twice. He then passed his wet hands over his head from its front to its back and vice versa, beginning from the front and taking them to the back of his head up to the nape of the neck and then brought them to the front again from where he had started. He next washed his feet. A similar description of the Wudu' of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was performed by `Ali in the Hadith by `Abdu Khayr. Abu Dawud recorded that Mu`awiyah and Al-Miqdad bin Ma`dikarib narrated similar descriptions of the Wudu' of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. These Hadiths indicate that it is necessary to wipe the entire head. `Abdur-Razzaq recorded that Humran bin Aban said, "I saw `Uthman bin `Affan performing Wudu', and he poured water over his hands and washed them thrice, and then rinsed his mouth and washed his nose by putting water in it, and then blowing it out. Then he washed his face thrice, and then his right forearm up to the elbows thrice, and washed the left forearm thrice. Then he passed his wet hands over his head, then he washed his right foot thrice, and next his left foot thrice. After that `Uthman said, `I saw the Prophet performing Wudu' like this, and said,

«مَنْ تَوَضَّأَ نَحْوَ وُضُوئِي هَذَا، ثُمَّ صَلَّى رَكْعَتَيْنِ لَا يُحَدِّثُ فِيهِمَا نَفْسَهُ، غُفِرَ لَهُ مَا تَقَدَّمَ مِنْ ذَنْبِه»

(If anyone performs Wudu' like that of mine and offers a two-Rak`ah prayer during which he does not think of anything else, then his past sins will be forgiven.)"' Al-Bukhari and Muslim also recorded this Hadith in the Two Sahihs. In his Sunan, Abu Dawud also recorded it from `Uthman, under the description of Wudu', and in it, that he wiped his head one time.

The Necessity of Washing the Feet

Allah said,

وَأَرْجُلَكُمْ إِلَى الْكَعْبَينِ

(and your feet up to ankles.) Ibn Abi Hatim recorded that Ibn `Abbas stated that the Ayah refers to washing (the feet). `Abdullah bin Mas`ud, `Urwah, `Ata', `Ikrimah, Al-Hasan, Mujahid, Ibrahim, Ad-Dahhak, As-Suddi, Muqatil bin Hayyan, Az-Zuhri and Ibrahim At-Taymi said similarly. This clearly indicates the necessity of washing the feet, just as the Salaf have said, and not only wiping over the top of the bare foot.

The Hadiths that Indicate the Necessity of Washing the Feet

We mentioned the Hadiths by the two Leaders of the Faithful, `Uthman and `Ali, and also by Ibn `Abbas, Mu`awiyah, `Abdullah bin Zayd bin `Asim and Al-Miqdad bin Ma`dikarib, that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ washed his feet for Wudu', either once, twice or thrice. It is recorded in the Two Sahihs that `Abdullah bin `Amr said, "The Messenger of Allah ﷺ was once late during a trip we were taking, and he caught up with us when the time remaining for the `Asr prayer was short. We were still performing Wudu' (in a rush) and we were wiping our feet. He shouted at the top of his voice,

«أَسْبِغُوا الْوُضُوءَ وَيْلٌ لِلْأَعْقَابِ مِنَ النَّار»

(Perform Wudu' thoroughly. Save your heels from the Fire.)" The same narration was also collected in the Two Sahihs from Abu Hurayrah. Muslim recorded that `A'ishah said that the Prophet said,

«أَسْبِغُوا الْوُضُوءَ وَيْلٌ لِلْأَعْقَابِ مِنَ النَّار»

(Perform Wudu' thoroughly. Save your heels from the Fire.) `Abdullah bin Al-Harith bin Jaz' said that he heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ saying,

«وَيْلٌ لِلْأَعْقَابِ وَبُطُونِ الْأَقْدَامِ مِنَ النَّار»

(Save your heels and the bottom of the feet from the Fire. ) It was recorded by Al-Bayhaqi and Al-Hakim, and this chain is Sahih. Muslim recorded that `Umar bin Al-Khattab said that a man once performed Wudu' and left a dry spot the size of a fingernail on his foot. The Prophet saw that and he said to him,

«ارْجِعْ فَأَحْسِنْ وُضُوءَك»

(Go back and perform proper Wudu'.) Al-Hafiz Abu Bakr Al-Bayhaqi also recorded that Anas bin Malik said that a man came to the Prophet , after he performed Wudu' and left a dry spot the size of a fingernail on his foot. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said to him,

«ارْجِعْ فَأَحْسِنْ وُضُوءَك»

(Go back and perform proper Wudu'.) Imam Ahmad recorded that some of the wives of the Prophet said that the Prophet saw a man praying, but noticed a dry spot on his foot, the size of a Dirham. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ ordered that man to perform Wudu' again. This Hadith was also collected by Abu Dawud from Baqiyyah, who added in his narration, "And (the Prophet ordered him) to repeat the prayer." This Hadith has a strong, reasonably good chain of narrators. Allah knows best.

The Necessity of Washing Between the Fingers

n the Hadith that Humran narrated, `Uthman washed between his fingers when he was describing the Wudu' of the Prophet . The collectors of the Sunan recorded that Laqit bin Sabrah said, "I said, `O Messenger of Allah! Tell me about Wudu'.' The Messenger ﷺ replied,

«أَسْبِغِ الْوُضُوءَ، وَخَلِّلْ بَيْنَ الْأَصَابِعِ، وَبَالِغْ فِي الِاسْتِنْشَاقِ إِلَّا أَنْ تَكُونَ صَائِمًا»

(Perform Wudu' thoroughly, wash between the fingers and exaggerate in rinsing your nose, unless you are fasting.)"

Wiping Over the Khuffs is an Established Sunnah

Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal recorded that Aws bin Abi Aws said, "I saw the Messenger of Allah ﷺ perform Wudu' and wipe over his Khuffs. He then stood up for prayer." Abu Dawud recorded this Hadith by Aws bin Abi Aws, who said in this narration, "I saw the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, after he answered the call of nature, perform Wudu' and wipe over his Khuffs and feet." Imam Ahmad recorded that Jarir bin `Abdullah Al-Bajali said, "I embraced Islam after Surat Al-Ma'idah was revealed and I saw the Messenger of Allah ﷺ wipe after I became Muslim." It is recorded in the Two Sahihs that Hammam said, "Jarir answered the call of nature and then performed Wudu' and wiped over his Khuffs. He was asked, `Do you do this' He said, `Yes. I saw the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, after he answered the call of nature, perform Wudu' and wipe on his Khuffs."' Al-A`mash commented that Ibrahim said, "They liked this Hadith because Jarir embraced Islam after Surat Al-Ma'idah was revealed." This is the wording collected by Muslim. The subject of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ wiping over his Khuffs, instead of washing the feet, if he had worn his Khuffs while having Wudu', reaches the Mutawatir grade of narration, and they describe this practice by his words and actions.

Performing Tayammum with Clean earth When There is no Water and When One is Ill

Allah said,

وَإِن كُنتُم مَّرْضَى أَوْ عَلَى سَفَرٍ أَوْ جَآءَ أَحَدٌ مِّنْكُم مِّنَ الْغَائِطِ أَوْ لَـمَسْتُمُ النِّسَآءَ فَلَمْ تَجِدُواْ مَآءً فَتَيَمَّمُواْ صَعِيداً طَيِّباً فَامْسَحُواْ بِوُجُوهِكُمْ وَأَيْدِيكُمْ مِّنْهُ

(But if you are ill or on a journey or any of you comes from the Gha'it (toilet), or you have touched women and you find no water, then perform Tayammum with clean earth and rub therewith your faces and hands.) We discussed all of this in Surat An-Nisa', and thus we do not need to repeat it here. We also mentioned the reason behind revealing this Ayah. Yet, Al-Bukhari mentioned an honorable Hadith here specifically about the Tafsir of this noble Ayah. He recorded that `A'ishah said, "Upon returning to Al-Madinah, a necklace of mine was broken (and lost) in Al-Bayda' area. Allah's Messenger ﷺ stayed there and went to sleep with his head on my lap. Abu Bakr (`A'ishah's father) came and hit me on my flank with his hand saying, `You have detained the people because of a necklace' So I wished I were dead because (I could not move) the Messenger ﷺ was sleeping on my lap and because of the pain Abu Bakr caused me. Allah's Messenger ﷺ got up when dawn broke and there was no water. So Allah revealed,

يَـأَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ إِذَا قُمْتُمْ إِلَى الصَّلوةِ فاغْسِلُواْ وُجُوهَكُمْ

(O you who believe! When you stand (intend) to offer As-Salah (the prayer), then wash your faces) iuntil the end of the Ayah. Usayd bin Al-Hudayr said, `O the family of Abu Bakr! Allah has blessed the people because of you. Therefore, you are only a blessing for the people." Allah said,

مَا يُرِيدُ اللَّهُ لِيَجْعَلَ عَلَيْكُم مِّنْ حَرَجٍ

(Allah does not want to place you in difficulty,) This is why He made things easy and lenient for you. This is why He allowed you to use Tayammum when you are ill and when you do not find water, to make things comfortable for you and as mercy for you. Allah made Tayammum in place of Wudu', and Allah made it the same as ablution with water for the one who it is legitimate for, except for certain things, as we mentioned before. For example; Tayammum only involves one strike with the hand on the sand and wiping the face and hands. Allah said,

وَلَـكِن يُرِيدُ لِيُطَهِّرَكُمْ وَلِيُتِمَّ نِعْمَتَهُ عَلَيْكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَشْكُرُونَ

(but He wants to purify you, and to complete His favor on you that you may be thankful.) for His bounties on you, such as His easy, kind, merciful, comfortable and lenient legislation.

Supplicating to Allah after Wudu

The Sunnah encourages supplicating to Allah after Wudu' and states that those who do so are among those who seek to purify themselves, as the Ayah above states. Imam Ahmad, Muslim and the collectors of Sunan narrated that `Uqbah bin `Amir said, "We were on watch, guarding camels, and when my turn to guard came, I took the camels back at night. I found that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was giving a speech to the people. I heard these words from that speech:

«مَا مِنْ مُسْلِمٍ يَتَوَضَّأُ فَيُحْسِنُ وُضُوءهُ، ثُمَّ يَقُومُ فَيُصَلِّي رَكْعَتَيْنِ مُقْبلًا عَلَيْهِمَا بِقَلْبِهِ وَوَجْهِهِ، إِلَّا وَجَبَتْ لَهُ الْجَنَّة»

(Any Muslim who performs Wudu' properly, then stands up and prays a two Rak'ah prayer with full attention in his heart and face, will earn Paradise.) I said, `What a good statement this is!' A person who was close by said, `The statement he said before it is even better.' When I looked, I found that it was `Umar, who said, `I saw that you just came. The Prophet said,

«مَا مِنْكُمْ مِنْ أَحَدٍ يَتَوَضَّأُ فَيُبْلِغُ أَوْفَيُسْبِغُ الْوُضُوءَ، يَقُولُ: أَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللهُ وَأَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا عَبْدُهُ وَرَسُولُهُ، إِلَّا فُتِحَتْ لَهُ أَبْوَابُ الْجَنَّةِ الثَّمَانِيَةِ، يَدْخُلُ مِنْ أَيِّهَا شَاء»

(When any of you performs Wudu' properly and says, `I bear witness that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah and that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger', the eight doors of Paradise will be opened for him so that he can enter from any door he wishes.)" This is the wording collected by Muslim.

The Virtue of Wudu

Malik recorded that Abu Hurayrah said that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said,

«إِذَا تَوَضَّأَ الْعَبْدُ الْمُسْلِمُ أَوِ الْمُؤْمِنُ فَغَسَلَ وَجْهَهُ، خَرَجَ مِنْ وَجْهِهِ، كُلُّ خَطِيئَةٍ نَظَرَ إِلَيْهَا بِعَيْنَيْهِ مَعَ الْمَاءِ أَوْ مَعَ آخِرِ قَطْرِ الْمَاءِ، فَإِذَا غَسَلَ يَدَيهِ خَرَجَ مِنْ يَدَيْهِ كُلُّ خَطِيئَةٍ بَطَشَتْهَا يَدَاهُ مَعَ الْمَاءِ أَوْ مَعَ آخِرِ قَطْرِ الْمَاءِ، فَإِذَا غَسَلَ رِجْلَيْهِ خَرَجَتْ كُلُّ خَطِيئةٍ مَشَتْهَا رِجْلَاهُ مَعَ الْمَاءِ أَوْ مَعَ آخِرِ قَطْرِ الْمَاءِ، حَتَّى يَخْرُجَ نَقِيًّا مِنَ الذُّنُوب»

(When the Muslim or the believing servant performs Wudu' and washes his face, every sin that he looked at with his eyes will depart from his face with the water, or with the last drop of water. When he washes his hands, every sin that his hands committed will depart from his hands with the water, or with the last drop of water. When he washes his feet, every sin to which his feet took him will depart with the water, or with the last drop of water. Until, he ends up sinless.) Muslim also recorded it. Muslim recorded that Abu Malik Al-Ash`ari said that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said,

«الطُّهُور شَطْرُ الْإِيمَانِ، وَالْحَمْدُ للهِ تَمْلَأُ الْمِيزَانَ، وَسُبْحَانَ اللهِ وَاللهُ أَكْبَرُ تَمْلَأُ مَا بَيْنَ السَّمَاءِ وَالْأَرْضِ، وَالصَّوْمُ جُنَّةٌ، وَالصَّبْرُ ضِيَاءٌ، وَالصدَقَةُ بُرْهَانٌ، وَالقُرْآنُ حُجَّةٌ لَكَ أَوْ عَلَيْكَ، كُلُّ النَّاسِ يَغْدُو، فَبَائِعٌ نَفْسَهُ فَمُعْتِقُهَا أَوْ مُوبِقُهَا»

(Purity is half of faith and Al-Hamdu Lillah (all the thanks are due to Allah) fills the Mizan (the Scale). And Subhan Allah and Allahu Akbar (all praise is due to Allah, and Allah is the Most Great) fills what is between the heaven and earth. As-Sawm (the fast) is a Junnah (a shield), Sabr (patience) is a light, Sadaqah (charity) is evidence (of faith) and the Qur'an is proof for, or against you. Every person goes out in the morning and ends up selling himself, he either frees his soul or destroys it.) Muslim recorded that Ibn `Umar said that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said,

«لَا يَقْبَلُ اللهُ صَدَقَةً مِنْ غُلُولٍ، وَلَا صَلَاةً بِغَيْرِ طُهُور»

(Allah does not accept charity from one who commits Ghulul, or prayer without purity.)