What are the sunnah acts of wudu? What are the obligatory of minor ablution? How to make wudu?
According to the Ḥanafis, there is a difference between sunnah and mandūb. The term sunnah refers to the mu’akkad acts which are the acts, apart from farḍ and wājib, that the Prophet did constantly and rarely neglected, and in that case, just to show that they were not required. For instance, while performing wuḍū rinsing the mouth with water and drawing water through the nose, and performing a two-cycle prayer before the farḍ cycles of the dawn (fajr) prayer. Those who perform such sunnahs gain rewards, and those who abandon them, although they do not deserve punishment, are subject to condemnation and scolding. Among such acts, some sunnahs are highly symbolic in the religion, such as reciting the adhān and performing the prayer in congregation, which, if they are abandoned collectively by a group of Muslims in a region, Muslim society has the right to take precautions against them, since they would have made the sunnah insignificant.[1]
Furthermore, there are other acts of obedience to Allah that the Prophet sometimes did and sometimes abandoned, which are called non-mu’akkad sunnah, mandūb, mustaḥab, or adab. The four-rak’ah prayer performed before the late afternoon (‘aṣr) and night (‘ishā) prayers, and occasional donations to the poor, apart from the payment of zakāt, are of this nature. Those who observe such acts will earn rewards, and those who do not, will not be subject to condemnation or scolding.
Subsequently, the sunnahs of wuḍū are as follows:
1) Intention: It means to perform the ablution with the intention of performing ritual prayers, removing the absence of the state of wuḍū, or fulfilling the order of Allah Almighty. It is mustaḥab (recommended) to say with the tongue: “I intend to perform wuḍū for the sake of Allah”. According to the majority of jurists, other than the Ḥanafis, the intention is mandatory (farḍ) for the validity of wuḍū.
The Ḥanafis, on the other hand, use as evidence that the intention is not mentioned in the verse of wuḍū or in the hadiths, and they also compared the fact that the intention is not a requirement for the other acts that are required to perform a ritual prayer, such as cleansing from the physical impurities and covering certain parts of the body. As for the other schools, in addition to the Prophet’s saying “Actions are judged by intentions”[2], they compared its requirement to the requirement of intention for performing ritual prayer and dry ablution (tayammum). Moreover, the fact that sincerity is fulfilled in worship by intention and that the minor ablution is ordered for prayer are among the proofs that they relied upon in this matter.[3]
The time for stating the intention is the time to start washing the hands or face.
2) To start performing wudu by reciting “aūdhu-basmalah”: According to the narration related by Abu Said and Abu Huraira (r.anhuma), the Prophet (saw) said: “There is no ablution for anyone who does not mention the name of Allah.”[4] Another hadith is as follows: “Whoever performs ablution and says basmala, it becomes a cleanser for his whole body. And whoever performs ablution and does not mention the name of Allah, ablution will only be a cleanser for the limbs of the ablution.”[5]
3) Washing hands up to the wrists when starting to perform ablution: If the hands are not clean, it is obligatory to wash them first so that they do not contaminate the other limbs. The Prophet (saw) said: “Whoever wakes up from his sleep should wash his hands before putting them in the water for ablution because nobody knows where his hands were during sleep.”[6]
4) To clean the mouth and nose by drawing water three times: Drawing water into the mouth and rinsing it is called “maḍmaḍa”, and drawing water into the nose and cleaning it is called “istinshāq”. In cleaning the mouth and nose, first, the mouth and then the nose is cleaned and the right hand is used to draw the water.[7] The following is stated in the hadith: “Whoever among you prepares to perform wuḍū, and then performs maḍmaḍa, istinshāq and istinsār (throwing out the water that is taken into the nose), no doubt, the sins of his mouth and nose will be washed away with water.”[8] According to the Ḥanbali school, maḍmaḍa and istinshāq are mandatory because the mouth and nose are parts of the face.
5) Cleaning the teeth: In the time of the Prophet (saw), the cleaning of teeth was carried out with a tree stick called miswāk. In fact, Miswāk is the branch of a tree called araq. It is usually finger-thick and a span-long stick. It cleans teeth, removes bad breath, and helps to protect the health of the mouth and stomach. Recently, it has been scientifically discovered that it contains fluoride, which is beneficial for both teeth and gums. On this subject, it is important to highlight that if one cannot find miswāk, one may use other cleaning tools such as toothpaste and toothbrush, etc. What is necessary is to give importance to oral hygiene by means of oral hygiene tools.
The Prophet said: “The miswāk is a cleanser for the mouth and a stimulant for the Lord’s approval.”[9] and, “If I were not afraid that it would be too heavy for my ummah, I would order them to use the miswāk with every ablution.”[10]
However, miswāk is not only used only for ablution or before the prayers, its universal use has been recommended.[11] For instance, using miswāk does not nullify the fast. Moreover, for women when they are not fasting chewing gum is considered like the use of miswāk, because chewing gum is also considered oral hygiene.
6) Observing the order of the acts mentioned in the verse: Observing the order mentioned in the verse, in other words first washing the face, then the arms, then wiping the head, and finally washing the feet, one after the other, is a sunnah according to the Ḥanafis and the Malikis. If one is wearing khuff (a kind of leather socks), they are wiped. Accordingly, if this order is not followed, wuḍū will still be considered valid, but it will be seen as being against the sunnah. Whereas, according to the Shafiʿis and the Ḥanbalis, observing the order in wuḍū is obligatory.[12]
7) To start washing limbs in pairs from the right: Accordingly, the right arm and right foot are washed first when their turn in ablution comes. It was narrated that Aisha (r.anha) said: “The Messenger of Allah (saw) liked to start from the right in wearing shoes, combing hair, cleaning and in all his affairs.”[13] These actions listed in the hadith are like examples that can be applied to all other daily actions. For instance, washing any other parts of the body always commences from the right side. Starting from the right is therefore considered sunnah.
8) Washing the limbs of wuḍū three times: The first wash out of the three times is considered farḍ, and the following two times are considered sunnah. It is against sunnah to wash more than three or fewer times. However, if there is a reason to do it more or less times, such as getting rid of doubt or lack of water, such situations are accepted as exceptions.
While the Prophet was teaching his Companions to perform wuḍū, he washed his body parts once and said, “This is the ablution with which Allah accepts the prayer.” He then washed his limbs twice and said, “This is what Allah has doubled the reward with it.” After performing ablution by washing his limbs three times, he (saw) said, “This is the ablution of me and the prophets before me.”[14]
According to most jurists, it is sufficient to wipe the head once. Because in many hadiths, it is stated that the Messenger of Allah (saw) washed his other limbs two or three times, while it was stated that he wiped his head only once. Only the Shafiʿis are of the opinion that it is also a sunnah to wipe the head three times.[15] They based this view on the practice of some of the Companions as well as the saying “Three is more virtuous”, which is transmitted from Anas (ra).[16]
9) To start washing the hands or feet from the fingertips.
10) To rub between the fingers while washing: While performing ablution, it is necessary to be certain that there is no dry part is left by intertwining the fingers of the hands and by moving a finger between the toes. Submerging the fingers into the water replaces moving the fingers between them. The Prophet said: “Feel between your fingers so that the fire of hell does not come between them and touch them.”[17]
11) Ensuring that water reaches under the beard: It is necessary for those who have a thick beard to touch their beards from the lower side to the upper side by inserting their fingers into the beard while performing the wuḍū. For those who have a thin and short beard, washing is sufficient as water can easily get under it. In the hadith, it has been commanded: “Oppose the polytheists, shorten the mustache and grow the beard.”[18] It is reported that the Prophet swept his beard with a handful of water while performing ablution and said, “My Lord has ordered me to do it this way.”[19]
12) Wiping the entire head at once: This is called a covering “masḥ”. A person who performs ablution wipes his head with two wet palms and fingers, starting from the front of his head to the back, by pulling them backward to cover the entire head. This is the sunnah according to the Ḥanafis and the Shafiʿis.[20] As noted earlier, it is mandatory by the Malikis and the Ḥanbalis.
13) Wiping the ears: According to the majority of jurists, it is sunnah to wipe the ears inside and out with fresh water. Their evidence is that the following hadith was reported from Abdullah b. Zayd (ra), “He saw the Messenger of Allah (saw) performing ablution, and he took fresh water for his ears in addition to the water he had taken to wipe his head.”[21] However, based on the hadith stating that “Ears are from the head”[22], the Ḥanbalis accept wiping the ears as obligatory. However, this hadith has been considered weak by most other scholars.[23]
14) Rubbing the limbs of the ablution while pouring water on them: According to the majority of jurists, rubbing is sunnah because rubbing is not commanded in the Qur’anic verse, nor is it clearly established by the sunnah. The Malikis, on the other hand, consider rubbing obligatory.[24]
15) To wash the limbs of wuḍū without interruption: It means to start washing a limb before the water poured over the previously washed limb dries. This is called “muwalāt” or “wilā”. However, dryness due to excessive heat does not affect the validity of the wuḍū. According to some jurists, without interruption denotes not being busy with any other task while performing the wuḍū. Whilst the Ḥanafis and the Shafiʿis consider having no interruption during the wuḍū as sunnah, the Malikis and the Ḥanbalis consider it farḍ.[25]
16) Wiping the neck: According to the Ḥanafis after wiping the head and ears, the neck is wiped with the backs of both hands and with three fingers each, without the need for taking freshwater. In some sources, wiping the neck is mentioned among the recommended or mandūb acts.[26]
[1] Shaʿbān, ibid, p. 214.[2] Al-Bukhari, Bad’ al-waḥy, 1; Muslim, ‘Imāra, 155.[3] See al-Maydanī, ibid, I, 16; al-Kāsānī, ibid, I, 17; Ibn Abidīn, ibid, I, 98-100; al-Shirazī, ibid, I, 14; Ibn Rushd (Averroes), ibid, I, 21; Ibn Qudāmah, ibid, I, 110 ff.; al-Zuhaylī, ibid, 225 ff.[4] Ibn Maja, Ṭaḥāra, 41.[5] Al-Shawkanī, Nayl al-Awṭār, I, 135.[6] Al-Bukhari, Wuḍū’, 26, Bad’ al-khalq, 11; Muslim, Ṭaḥāra, 87, 88; Abū Dawūd, Ṭaḥāra, 50; al-Tirmidhī, Ṭaḥāra, 19; Al-Nasā’ī, Ṭaḥāra, 72.[7] Ibn Abidīn, ibid, I, 108.[8] Muslim, Musafirūn, 294; Ibn Maja, Ṭaḥāra, 6.[9] Al-Shawkanī, ibid, I, 102; al-Bukhari, Ṣawm, 27; al-Nasā’ī, Ṭaḥāra, 4.[10] Muslim, ‘Imāra, 103, 106-108; Ṭaḥāra, 42, Masājid, 219; al-Bukhari, Imān, 26, Mawāqīṭ, 24, Jumʿa, 8, Ṣawm, 27; Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal, I, 80, 120, II, 245.[11] Ibn al-Humām, ibid, I, 15 ff.; al-Maydanī, ibid, I, 14; al-Shirazī, ibid, I, 13; Ibn Qudāmah, ibid, I, 95-97.[12] Al-Kāsānī, ibid, I, 17vd., Ibn al-Humām, ibid, I, 23; Ibn Rushd (Averroes), ibid, I, 16.[13] Al-Bukhari, Salat, 47, Aṭ’ima, 5; Muslim, Ṭaḥāra, 66, 67.[14] Al-Bukhari, Wuḍū, 22-24; Abū Dawūd, Ṭaḥāra, 52-54; al-Tirmidhī, Ṭaḥāra, 32-35; Ibn Maja, Ṭaḥāra, 45-47.[15] See al-Bukhari, Wuḍū, 7, 24, 28, 38-42, Ṣawm, 27; Ibn Maja, Ṭaḥāra, 6, 51-53; Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal, I, 58, 59.[16] Al-Zuhaylī, ibid, I, 247, 248.[17] Abū Dawūd, Ṭaḥāra, 56, 59; Al-Tirmidhī, Ṭaḥāra, 30, Ṣawm, 68; Al-Nasā’ī, Ṭaḥāra, 91.[18] Muslim, Ṭaḥāra, 56; Abū Dawūd, Ṭaḥāra, 29; Al-Tirmidhī, Adab, 14; Al-Nasā’ī, Zīnah, 56.[19] Al-Zaylaī, ibid, I, 23; Al-Shawkanī, ibid, I, 148.[20] Al-Shawkanī, ibid, I, 158.[21] Al-Zaylaī, ibid, I, 22.[22] Al-Shawkanī, I, 180.[23] Al-Zuhaylī, ibid, I, 249.[24] Al-Shawkanī, ibid, I, 244; al-Zuhaylī, ibid, I, 235.[25] Ibn Abidīn, ibid, I, 113; Ibn Rushd (Averroes), ibid, I, 17.[26] See al-Mawṣilī, Ikhtiyār, I, 9; al-Zuhaylī, ibid, I, 253; Ibn Abidīn, ibid, I, 115.
Source: Basic Islamic Principles (ʿilmi ḥāl) According to the Four Sunni Schools With Evidence From The Sources of Islamic Law, Prof. Hamdi Döndüren, Erkam Publications