Part 4

Whoever among you who can lengthen his portions of radiance should do so.” [Recorded by al-Bukhari and Muslim.]

The prerequisites [or the required aspects that one must meet in order for his ablution to be valid] are ten:

(3) The person must be old enough that he is able to discern matters.

(4) The person must have the intention to perform the ablution. This intention must remain with him throughout the act, in the sense that he may never have the intention to stop performing the ablution.

(5) The actions that require one to make ablution are no longer going on.

(6) Al-istinjaa or al-istijmaar [these are the washing of the remains of urine or feces after relieving oneself, as described earlier; these acts must have been performed prior if one had relieved himself since the last time he made ablution].

(7) The water being used must be of the “purifying” category.

(8) The water must be permissible [that is, received through permissible means].

(9) Anything that would keep the water from reaching the skin must first be removed.

(10) The time of the prayer must have begun for those people who are in a continual state of nullifying the ablution.!

Ablution becomes obligatory after those acts that negate ablution [that shall be described shortly and before performing an act which requires one to be in a state of purity].

' For example, those suffering from enuresis (bladder control diseases) or a prolonged flow of blood from the vagina.

(1) Washing the face, including the mouth and nose. (2) Washing the arms [from the hands] to the elbows. (3) Wiping the head, including the ears.

Allah has said, ow , fe 7 ¥ 0 woe 4% oad os? -&- wb gry Vplnbid Bad Scab 13! Lgl Guill ply

“O you who believe! When you prepare for prayer, wash your faces, and your hands (and arms) to the elbows; rub your heads (with water); and (wash) your feet to the ankles” (a/-Maaidah 6), [thus establishing the above mentioned obligatory acts of the ablution].

(5) The above stated acts must be done in the proper order as Allah has mentioned them in order and has stated an act of wiping in between two parts that need to be washed.

(4) Putting water through a thick beard and between the fingers and toes.

(5) Starting with the right side in all of the acts.

' The argument that the author is making is that if the order was not intended, all of the parts that are to be washed would be mentioned first and then what is to be wiped would be mentioned afterwards —JZ

(6) Washing [the appropriate parts] two or three times.

(7) Using new water for the ears [that is, not just using the water leftover from wiping the head].

(8) The [specific] supplication that comes after the ablution.

(1) Making ablution in a place that has impurities with the fear that such impurities may fall upon the person.

(2) Washing the different bodily parts more than three times. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said [after performing the ablution and washing each part three times],

pbs sai y pl G5 1m ge obj Cyd “(That is how the ablution is to be performed.) Whoever adds to that has done evil, transgressed and done wrong.” (Recorded by al-Nasaai.!)

(3) Being wasteful with respect to the amount of water used. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) used to make ablution with an amount of water equivalent to what a person can hold with his two hands cupped together. Furthermore, extravagance and waste in any matter is prohibited.

(4) Leaving one or more of the recommended acts of the ablution. Not performing them means that one will miss the reward of that act and one should be very keen upon getting such rewards. Therefore, he should not leave that act.

' Recorded by al-Nasaai and others. According to al-Albaani, it is basan sabib. See Muhammad Naasir al-Deen al-Albaani, Sabeeb Sunan al-Nasaai (Riyadh: Maktab alTarbiyyah al-Arabi li-Duwal al-Khaleej, 1988), vol. 1, p. 31—JZ

(1) Anything that comes out of the body via the private parts.

(2) Losing consciousness [or sanity] through temporary insanity, fainting or intoxication.

(3) The person, him or herself, touching his or her sexual organ.

(4) A man touching a woman with desire or a woman touching a man with desire.

(6) Everything that obligates ghusl (the complete washing) also obligates ablution, such as accepting Islam, releasing sperm and so forth— except for death which mandates ghus/ only and not ablution. ;

Lexically, ghusl (}.) is the water; ghasl is the act; and ghis/ is the cleaning agent.

Technically, it refers to putting water over all of the body, from the top of the head to the bottom of the feet, with purifying water in the specified manner. Men and women are the same with respect to ghus/ except that after menses or postpartum bleeding, the woman must completely remove all of

‘ For some reason, perhaps simply a printing mistake, this was not included in the Arabic text but it is definitely one of the agreed upon and established acts nullifying the ablution — JZ

the traces of blood and clean that area with something that will remove the scent of the blood.

(2) Placing of the man’s sexual organ into the woman’s sexual organ.

(3) Ifa Muslim dies, ghus/ must be made on his body, except in the case of the one who dies as a martyr on the battlefield.

(4) A non-Muslim becoming Muslim or an apostate repenting.

(2) Upon entering into the inviolable state of the pilgrimage.

(3) By the one who washed the dead body.

(5) Upon losing one’s consciousness through temporary insanity or fainting.

(7) For the eclipse prayer and the prayer for rain.

(8) For each prayer by the woman who has a prolonged flow of blood.

[The following must be met for the ghus! to be considered proper:]

(1) The factor obligating the ghus! has stopped, for example, the menses have come to an end, the sexual fluid has been all emitted.

One must mention the name of Allah. If one forgets it, it is then overlooked but it is not pardonable if one intentionally does not mention it.

The obligatory aspects are the intention and ensuring that the water reaches all of the parts of the body, including inside the mouth and nose. It is sufficient for one to suspect [without absolute certainty] that the water has reached all the parts.

If a person intends both a recommended or obligatory ghusi, then one [act of ghusl] suffices for the other.

If a person needs to make ghus! for both sexual defilement and menses, one ghus/ with one intention suffices.

(2) Beginning by first removing any filth from one’s body.

(3) Washing one’s hands before entering them into the water container.

(5) Beginning with the right side of one’s body.

(6) Following each act immediately with the succeeding act.

(7) Passing one’s [wet] hand over the remainder of one’s body.

(3) Washing without having some kind of barrier [that prevents others from seeing the person].

Acts Forbidden for the Person Required to Make Ghus!

(3) Touching or carrying the Quran except in its container.

Lexically, tayammum (+25) means intent, purpose and aim. Technically, it refers to wiping the face and hands with clean soil in a particular fashion. It is from the things that have been sanctioned by Allah only for this Nation [the followers of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him)]. It is a substitute for purifying with water.

(1) The one who has no water available to him, either because it is not present or it is far away.

(2) The one who has an injury or disease and he fears that water may cause him more harm.

(3) The one who only has extremely cold water available to him and he has no means to heat it.

(4) The person who is in need of his water for himself or others to drink and he fears dying of thirst.

(2) The person must have the means to use the soil [in the way described below].

(3) The act obliging ablution [or ghus/] has occurred.

(2) Ending of the bleeding of menstruation or postpartum bleeding.

(1) Intention. (2) Pure soil. (3) The first strike on the earth. (4) Wiping the face and hands.

(3) Performing it when one is intending to pray. (4) A second striking of the earth.

(2) It is nullified by all the things previously mentioned that nullify the ablution; similarly, what nullifies the ghus! also nullifies the sayammum. This is because it is a replacement for them and what nullifies the replaced act also nullifies its replacement.

The person has the intention, then mentions the name of Allah, then strikes the soil with his hands and wipes them over his face and hands in the proper order and right after the other.

If a person has a broken bone or wound and he fears that he will harm himself by washing and it is difficult for him to wipe over those areas, then he may make tayammum for them and wash the remaining parts of his body.

If a person has no access to water or soil, he may pray in whatever situation he is and he does not have to later repeat his prayer.

(1) Tbn al-Mubaarak, “There is no difference of opinion about [the permissibility] of wiping over the sandals.” Imam Ahmad said, “There are no [qualms] in my heart about wiping over the sandals. There are forty hadith from the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) about it.” He [Imam Ahmad] also said, “It is better than washing because he [the Prophet (peace be upon him)] used to seek doing it and they would only seek what is best.”

(2) Its time length: For the non-traveler, he may wipe over his sandals for a period of one day and night. The traveler may do it for three days with their nights. This timing begins with the first time a person invalidates his ablution after wearing his sandals.

(3) Its prerequisites: What is being worn is permissible and pure, covering the required area, staying up on its own and put on while in a state of purity.

(4) The manner in which to wipe over the sandals: The person puts his hand into the water and wipes the top of the sock from the toes to the back [of the top of the foot], one time, without wiping the bottom of them or the heels.

(5) What negates the wiping: (a) Removing the piece of clothing from the foot; (b) what requires one to make ghusl, such as sexual defilement; (c) having a large hole in them, beyond what is customarily acceptable; (d) the permissible time limit expiring.

It is permissible to wipe over a cast wherever it may be and no matter how long it may be there, even if one becomes sexually defiled.

This chapter is comprised of an introduction and the following eight topics:

Topic Seven: The prayer for rain and the eclipse

Linguistically, the word al-salaat (2\—J\) means supplication. Allah says,

one s “ge oe ie o ° °7- . 7 . 5 ¥ “Supplicate on their behalf, verily your supplications area source of security for them” (al-Taubah 103). Technically, the word refers to specific statements and actions beginning with

the takbeer (saying “Allahu akbar’) and ending with the salutations with its particular prerequisites.

The prayer was made obligatory during the Night of Ascension to heaven before the migration to Madinah. It is one of the pillars of Islam. It was the first act required by the Prophet (peace be upon him) after proper belief in Allah. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said,

JSro + 3B - Se 4 Stel aslin & 892°) Meal 03 aby Oley! aN oy “The head of the matter is Islam. Its pillar is prayer. And its apex is jihad.”!

Prayer is in gratitude to the great blessings that Allah has bestowed upon his servants. Similarly, it is one of the clearest demonstrations of the meaning of worship, as it displays one turning to Allah and submission and humility in front of Him and a private conversation with Quranic reciting, words of remembrance and supplications. Furthermore, it establishes a relationship and connection between the servant and his Lord; by it, the person rises above the materialistic world [and moves on] to the purification of the soul and its tranquillity. Furthermore, [in this world,] the person becomes immersed in the throngs of life and its attractions and the prayer rescues him before he becomes drowned and, instead, places him in front of the reality of which he was beforehand negligent. He realizes that there is something greater [than this life]. He realizes that this life could not have been created with such perfection and [this world] subjugated to mankind just so that man can live a life of uselessness, without purpose, just moving from one pleasure to another. [Instead, there must be a