Baab Furood al-Wudhoo wa
Sifaatihi (Obligations of Wudhoo and Its Description)
Definition of Fardh and
Waajib
-Fardh means obligation. Here it
refers to pillars of Wudhoo as its part of the action. So sometimes Fardh can
mean Rukn (pillar) and sometimes Rukn is Fardh.
-The
difference between Wajib and Rukn is that the Waajib is an obligation which may
be excused or made up for, however a Rukn (a pillar) is an actual part of an
act of worship and without it, the whole act of worship will cease to exist.
-Linguistically Fardh means “to
express” or “to imply”.
-Technically: a command which is obligatory.
Its ruling is that if a person does it, he is eligible for reward and for not
doing it, he is eligible for punishment.
Abu Haneefah held the opinion that
there is a difference between Fardh and Wajib: Fardh is an explicit obligation
(Qat’ee) in the texts whereas Fardh is a perceived obligation (Dhunnee), but
obligation nevertheless.
The example they give is the command
to pray the obligatory prayers is unquestionable, thus this is Qat’ee. However,
the command to pray the Witr pray is an obligation which is Dhunnee, as the
command is not clear but perceived to be an obligation.
Definition of Wudhoo
-Linguistically : cleanliness.
-Technically: To draw closer to
Allaah by washing specific parts of the body in a specific manner.
Pillars of Wudhoo
They are all found in the following
Aayah of Surah al-Maa’idah:
“When you intend to offer As-Salat (the
prayer), wash your faces and your hands (forearms) up to the elbows, rub (by
passing wet hands over) your heads, and (wash) your feet up to ankles” [5:6]
So the pillars or obligations of
Wudhoo are six:
1-Intention. Uthaymeen says ones
intention necessitates Ikhlaas or sincerity for Allaah and in following the
Prophet. Also, intention differentiates Wudhoo from others forms of washing.
2-To wash the face, from the hair
line at the top of the forehead to the bottom of the beard of the chin or the
bottom of the beard, because this is what is called a face in the Arabic
language.
-The mouth and nose. Uthaymeen
explains that this is the opinon of Ahmad as the mouth and nose are part of the
face, thus being Waajib. The majority state that washing the mouth and nose is
Sunnah and not Waajib.
-The
evidence for the Hanbalees is where the Prophet described the Sujood as being
connected to the nose and the forehead, both being part of the face.
-Washing your hands up to your
elbows. Uthaymeen explains that in Arabic this is called the Maraafiq (elbow)
because it is used for resting upon (يرتفق or يتكئ). Note, the elbow is included in the washing as this was the
action of the Prophet, however the word ‘until’ or ‘to’ (الى in Arabic), usually doesn’t include the area in between. (TN: the
Awrah is from the navel to the knee, thus the majority hold the opinion that
the Awrah is the area between and doesn’t include the navel nor the knee).
-Wiping the head. Uthaymeen says
that this organ must be wiped and not washed. It is the exception in Wudhoo
where wiping is commanded. The scholars differed on wiping or washing:
-some
said washing instead of wiping is permitted. Others said Makrooh and others
said it wouldn’t be counted as the command is to wipe and not wash. Thus
washing would be an innovation here. Uthaymeen indicates that it is Makrooh.
-Wiping
is from the peak of the hairline at the top of the forehead to the back of the
hairline near the neck. The whole head must be wiped and not a part of it or
most of it.
-This
command shows ease of Allaah, the Most High, upon us. Had washing being legislated
this would’ve created great hardship, especially for those with long hair and
living in cold countries and scarcity of water etc.
-Wiping the ears because the Prophet
said in a Hadeeth that is Hasan, “The ears are part of the head in wiping.”
However, some said the ears are not part of the head, making Qiyaas with
shaving the head in hajj. Just as we don’t shave our ears in Hajj and Umrah we
are not required to wipe our ears in Wudhoo. However, ‘Uthaymeen responds by
saying the shaving is clearly connected to the hair, that’s why we’ve been
commanded to either shave or shorten the hair.
-Washing the two feet up to ones
ankles. The Raafidah reject this, they say Ka’b (ankle) refers to heels but the
response to this is:
-The
Prophet washed up to his ankles.
-Also, O
Raafidah, you don’t wash your feet which is a greater sin. So how can you talk
about explaining the Aayah when you left out the first part, which is the
command to wash.
-You don’t
wipe over your socks even though ‘Alee (Allaah be Pleased with him) the wiping
over the socks as being Sunnah.
-All parts must be washed/wiped in
sequence. Uthaymeen says that the evidence for this is that Allaah, the Most
High, Starts with what is most important and the Prophets Wudhoo explained the
Aayah. Linguistically, an obligation that has order (i.e. wash the face, then
the arms etc) shows that this makes the sequence a condition.
The
scholars differed, what if one forgets or is ignorant about the sequence:
-some
said he is excused just as making up missed prayers can be done in any order
for the one who doesn’t know he has to pray or forgets.
-others
said it is not excused as it is a condition for the act of worship to be correct.
‘Uthaymeen says this view is correct as the analogy above is false, rather analogy
to the pillars of prayer would be more appropriate. Therefore, if a person
misses a part of the Wudhoo, he must start again from the beginning because the
Wudhoo is a sequence and not separate acts of washing.
To be continued.
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