Verily, all praise is for Allāh, we praise Him and seek His aid and ask for His forgiveness, and we seek refuge with Allāh from the evils of ourselves and our evil actions. Whomever Allāh guides there is none who can misguide him, and whomever Allāh misguides there is none who can guide him, and I bear witness that none has the right to be worshiped except Allāh Alone, having no partner, and I bear witness that Muḥammad is His slave and His Messenger.
!quran() (O mankind! Revere your Guardian-Lord, Who created you from a single person, created, of like nature, his mate, and from them twain scattered countless men and women; revere Allāh, through Whom you demand your mutual (rights) and (revere) the wombs (that bore you): for Allāh ever watches over you.) (al-Nisā, Q4:1)
!quran() (O you who believe! Fear Allāh as He should be feared, and die not except in a state of Islam.) (Āl ʿImrān, Q3:102)
!quran() (O you who have believed, fear Allāh and speak words of appropriate justice. He will [then] amend for you your deeds and forgive you your sins. And whoever obeys Allāh and His Messenger has certainly attained a great attainment.) (al-Aḥzāb, Q33:70--71)
As for what follows: Verily the most truthful speech is the Word of Allāh and the best guidance is the guidance of Muḥammad BPBUH, and the worst of affairs are the novelties and every novelty is an innovation and every innovation is a going astray and every going astray is in the Fire.
I desired to write this as a completion for the treatises which are in circulation amongst the people today---about the different fields---especially of worship such as prayer and fasting, etc. which have made easier that which is difficult with regard to religious rulings and being guided thereby, as it maybe difficult these days for some to read, research, and extract these rulings from their places within the source books, either because of the ignorance of the Muslims, laziness, or some other worldly problems. I sincerely advise all the Muslims to read and research until they come to know and understand their true Dīn.
I wished to write this in order to complete the series of the types of worship, especially since no one has particularized this topic in a treatise---except what occurs within the books of reference as we have explained---but I have not found this in the form of a treatise.
My method for this treatise has been not to quote except what is authentic from the ḥadīth of the Messenger of Allāh BPBUH---if Allāh wishes---ordering it according to the order of the wuḍū of the Messenger of Allāh BPBUH, and I have commented on some of the points about which there is difference of opinion, stating that which is correct therefrom in our view after replying to the other opinions.
I ask Allāh to guide us to that which is proper. Verily He is the One having authority over that and having the Power to do so.
[Shaykh Fahd ʿAbd al-Raḥmān al-Shuwayb]{.smallcaps}
Linguistically, wuḍū is the action, and waḍū the water used therefore---and it is also a verbal noun; or they are two forms of the same word, both meaning the verbal noun and maybe both referring also to the water used.
According to Sharīʿah, wuḍū is using clean and cleansing (ṭahūr) water upon certain body parts as Allāh has prescribed and explained.
Allāh BSWT says,
!quran() (O Ye who believe! When ye 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.) (al-Māʾidah, Q5:7)
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Abū Hurayrah BP_HIM said, “The Emissary of Allāh BPBUH said,
:::::: {custom-style="Numlist Arabic Paragraph"} ::: {dir=rtl lang=ar} «لَا تُقْبَلُ صَلَاةُ أَحَدِكُمْ إِذَا أَحْدَثَ، حَتَّىٰ يَتَوَضَّأَ» ::: ::::::
«The ṣalāh of anyone of you breaching purification is not accepted unless he makes wuḍū.»”[-@muslim, vol. 2, p. 7, #216]
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Ibn ʿUmar BP_TWO said, “Indeed, I heard the Emissary of Allāh BPBUH say,
:::::: {custom-style="Numlist Arabic Paragraph"} ::: {dir=rtl lang=ar} «لَا يَقْبَلُ اللهُ صَلَاةً بِغَيْرِ طَهُورٍ، وَلَا صَدَقَةً مِنْ غَلُولٍ» ::: ::::::
«Allāh does not accept ṣalāh without purification, nor ṣadaqah from illegally attained wealth.»”[-@muslim, vol. 2, p. 7, #215]
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Ibn ʿAbbās BP_TWO said, “The Emissary of Allāh BPBUH said,
:::::: {custom-style="Numlist Arabic Paragraph"} ::: {dir=rtl lang=ar} «إِنَّمَا أُمِرْتُ بِالوُضُوءِ إِذَا قُمْتُ إِلَىٰ الصَّلَاةِ» ::: ::::::
«Verily I have been ordered to make wuḍū when I stand for ṣalāh.»” [-@abudawud, vol. 6, p. 78, #3713]
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Abū Saʿīd BP_HIM said, “The Emissary of Allāh BPBUH said,
:::::: {custom-style="Numlist Arabic Paragraph"} ::: {dir=rtl lang=ar} «مِفْتَاحُ الصَّلَاةِ الطُّهُورُ، وَتَحْرِيمُهَا التَّكْبِيرُ، وَتَحْلِيلُهَا التَّسْلِيمُ» ::: ::::::
«The key to ṣalāh is purification, its taḥrīm1 is the takbīr2 and its taḥlīl3 is the giving of salām.»”[-@abudawud, vol. 2, p. 54, #60]
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Abū Hurayrah BP_HIM said, “The Emissary of Allāh BPBUH said,
:::::: {custom-style="Numlist Arabic Paragraph"} ::: {dir=rtl lang=ar} «أَلَا أَدُلُّكُمْ عَلَىٰ مَا يَمْحُو اللهُ بِهِ الخَطَايَا وَيَرْفَعُ بِهِ الدَّرَجَاتِ؟» قَالُوا: بَلَىٰ يَا رَسُولَ اللهِ! قَالَ «إِسْبَاغُ الوُضُوءِ عَلَىٰ المَكَارِهِ، وَكَثْرَةُ الخُطَا إِلَىٰ المَسَاجِدِ، وَانْتِظَارُ الصَّلَاةِ بَعْدَ الصَّلَاةِ، فَذٰلِكُمُ الرِّبَاطُ، فَذٰلِكُمُ الرِّبَاطُ، فَذٰلِكُمُ الرِّبَاطُ» ::: ::::::
«Shall I not guide you to that by which Allāh wipes away the sins and raises the ranks?» They said, ‘Certainly O Emissary of Allāh!’ He BPBUH said, «Completing the wuḍū when it is a hardship, many steps to the mosques, and waiting for the [next] prayer after the prayer, that is al-Ribāṭ (defending the frontiers); that is al-Ribāṭ; that is al-Ribāṭ.»” [-@muslim, vol. 2, p. 31, #242]
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Abū Hurayrah BP_HIM reports that Emissary of Allāh BPBUH said,
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“When the Muslim (or 'Believing') servant makes wuḍū and washes his face then the sin of everything he looked at with his eye comes away with the water, or with the last drop of the water, and when he washes his hands then the sin of everything he stretched out his hands to comes away with the water, or with the last drop of the water. And when he washes his feet every sin which his feet walked towards comes away with the water or with the last drop of the water---so that he leaves clean (clear/pure) from sins.”[^8]
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Abū Hurayrah BP_HIM reports that Emissary of Allāh BPBUH came to the graveyard and said, “Peace be upon you, dwelling of Believing People and we will (all) if Allāh wills join you soon. I would have liked to have seen our brothers!” They said, “Are we not your brothers, O Emissary of Allāh?” He BPBUH said, “You are my Companions and our brothers are those who have not yet come!” They said, “How will you know those who have not yet come from your Ummah, O Emissary of Allāh?” He said, “Have you not seen that if a man had a horse with a white blaze and hoof along with a totally jet-black horse, then would he not know his horse?” They said, “Certainly, O Emissary of Allāh.” He said, “So they will come with white blazes and marks from the wuḍū and I am present before them at the Hand (water-tank). Indeed men will be driven away from my water-tank as the lost camel is driven away from their gathering place. ‘Come on.’ So it will be said: ‘Indeed they have made changes after you,’ so I will say, ‘Be off, be off.’”[^9]
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Abū Umāmah BP_HIM said: The Emissary of Allāh BPBUH said,
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“When a Muslim makes wuḍū the sins he has committed come away from his hearing and from his sight and from his hand and from his feet, so when he sits he sits down having been forgiven.”[^10]
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Abū Mālik al-Ashʿarī BP_HIM said: The Emissary of Allāh BPBUH said,
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“Purification is half of Īmān; and alḥamdulillāh fills the Scales; and subḥānAllāh and alḥamdulillāh fill whatever is between the heaven and the earth; and Ṣalāh is a light; and Ṣadaqah is a clear proof; and Ṣabr (patience) is a shining light; and the Quran is a proof for or against you. Every person starts the day dealing for his own soul so he either sets it free or destroys it.”[^11]
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ʿUthmān BP_HIM said: The Emissary of Allāh BPBUH said,
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“Whoever makes wuḍū and makes it well, his sins come out from his body, even coming out from under his nails.”[^12]
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Uthmān bin ʿAffān BP_HIM reported that the Prophet said,
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“He who performs wuḍūʾ like this, his previous sins will be forgiven and his ṣalāh and walking to the mosque will be considered as supererogatory act of worship.”
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ʿUthmān BP_HIM said: The Emissary of Allāh BPBUH said,
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“Whoever makes wuḍū like this---then all of his previous sins are forgiven---and his ṣalāh and his walking to the masjid are above and beyond that.”[^13]
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Ibn ‘Umar BP_TWO said: The Emissary of Allāh said,
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“When one of you makes wuḍū and makes it well, then goes out to the masjid---having no purpose except ṣalāh---then his left foot continues to wipe away his evil deeds and his right foot continually writes for him good deeds until he enters the masjid. And if the people knew what there was in the night prayer and Subh prayers, then they would come to them even if they had to crawl.”[^14]
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Abū Hurayrah BP_HIM said: The Emissary of Allāh BPBUH said,
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“Whoever makes wuḍū and makes it well then goes out---and then finds that the people have finished the ṣalāh---then Allāh gives him the same reward as one who had prayed it along with the people without diminishing any of their reward.”[^15]
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Zayd ibn Khālid al-Juhanī BP_HIM relates that the Emissary of Allāh BPBUH said,
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“Whoever makes wuḍū and makes it well, then prays two rakʿahs not letting his mind wander in them---then Allāh forgives him all of his previous sins.”[^16]
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ʿUqbah ibn ʿĀmir BP_HIM said: The Emissary of Allāh BPBUH said,
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“Whoever makes wuḍū and makes it well, then prays two rakʿahs concentrating therein with his heart and his face---then Paradise is obligatory for him.”[^17]
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ʿUthmān BP_HIM said: I heard the Emissary of Allāh BPBUH say,
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“Whoever makes wuḍū for ṣalāh and completes the wuḍū---then walks to the obligatory ṣalāh and prays it with the people---or with the congregation---or in the mosque---then Allāh forgives his sins.”[^18]
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ʿAlī BP_HIM relates that the Emissary of Allāh BPBUH said,
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“Completing the wuḍū when it is a hardship, and walking to the masjid, and waiting for the next prayer after the previous one (greatly) washes away the sins.”[^19]
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Humrān ibn Abān relates that ʿUthmān asked for water to make wuḍū---then he mentioned how the Emissary of Allāh BPBUH made wuḍū. Then he BP_HIM said, “The Emissary of Allāh BPBUH said at the end of the ḥadīth,
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‘Whoever makes wuḍū in the same way that I have just made wuḍū then stands up and prays two rakʿahs, not thinking of other things, then his previous sins are forgiven.’”[^20]