- 1st Qualification of Salaah - Cleanliness

Method of performing Ablution (Wudhu)

When you want to perform ablution, follow these steps -:

(a) First of all make the intention of ablution and then say 'Bismillla Hirrahma Nirrahim' and wash both hands upto the wrists.

(b) Then perform Miswak (clean teeth with a wooden stick).

(c) Then by using the right hand, gargle three times and wash the inside of the mouth, ensuring that the water reaches upto the throat and also all the gums and underneath the tongue. If there is anything stuck on or between the teeth, then release it.

(d) Then by using the right hand suck up the water in the nose until it reaches the bone and clean the insides of the nostrils by using the left hand thumb and little finger, three times.

(e) After this, take water into the cup of both hands and wash the whole of the face three times, from the start of the forehead where the hair begins to grow, down to and including the chin. Also from the right hand ear lobe to the left hand one, ensuring that no place is left dry. If you have a beard then also wash this and also run your fingers through it. However, if you are wearing an Ehraam then don't run your fingers through the hair.

(f) Wash both arms upto and including the elbows three times. Washing the right arm first three times, then the left arm three times.

(g) Then perform Masah once, meaning join the fingertips of both hands together leaving out the index fingers and the thumbs on both hands. Then run water on these six fingers and then brush them over the hair, starting from the forehead and ending at the back of the neck. This is done once, ensuring that the palms of the hands and the index fingers and thumbs do not touch the head. Now bring fourth the hands by using the palms and rubbing them at either side of the head. Then clean the inside of the ears by using the index fingers and the back of the ears using the thumbs. Now wash the back of the neck by rubbing the back of the hands on either side of the neck, but ensure that the hands do not go on the throat as this would be Makrooh (disliked).

(h) Then wash the right foot, from the toes upto and including the ankles, three times. Then perform the same three times for the left foot. Ensure that you wash between the toes.

(i) The ablution (Wudhu) is complete and so pray this Dua ;
'Allahummaj 'Alni Minattawwabeena Waj 'Alni Minal Mutatahhireen'

(j) Then take the water and stand up and drink some, as this is cure for the illnesses. Then look towards the sky and pray; 'Subhanaka Alllahumma Wa Bihamdika Ashhadu Alla ilaha illa Anta Astaghfiruka Wa Atoobo ilaik' Also pray the Kalima Shahaadah and Sura Inna Anzalna. It is also better if you pray Bismilla and the Durood/Salawat when washing every part, also pray Kalima Shahaadah.

The above is the method of performing Ablution. Out of these some actions are obligatory and if they were missed the ablution would not count. Some aspects are Sunnah and to miss deliberately would be an act of punishment. Some aspects are Mustahhab and to miss them would mean a reduction in reward.

Obligatory aspects of ablution (Wudhu)

There are four point in ablution that are obligatory.

1. To wash the face. Meaning from the beginning of the forehead where hair starts growing upto the bottom of the chin. Also from one ear to the other ear. To ensure that the skin of the face is washed once leaving no part dry.

2. To wash both hands upto and including the elbows once.

3. To perform Masah of one quarter of the head. Meaning to run wet hands over a quarter of the head and at least so that the hair gets wet slightly.

4. To wash both feet upto the ankles once.

1) The above four aspects are obligatory in ablution. Except for these, whatever methods have been reported are either Sunnah or Mustahhab. There are many Sunnahs and Mustahabs in ablution and if you would like to know these in detail, then consult larger books such as 'Bahar-e-Shariah' or 'Fatawa-e Razvia'.

2) To wash a part means to at least pour two drops of water over each part. To spread water over the parts lightly and not washing the part thoroughly and therefore the ablution or bathing would not count.

3) To wash the skin above and below the lips, nails, eyes, the hair on eyelashes, eyebrows, the skin underneath jewellery and even the hole pierced in the nose, the skin underneath the mouchtache hair and beard hair and every part or every part in the four parts mentioned is obligatory. If a pinpoint of it was left dry then the ablution will not count.

4) It is obligatory to perform ablution for Salaah, Sajda-e-Tilawat or touching the Qur'an and it is necessary (Wajib) to perform ablution to perform Tawaf.

Makroohats (dislikes) of ablution

Meaning the aspects that should not be done in ablution.

(a) To perform ablution with the leftover water of ablution or bath performed by a female.
(b) To spill water on a dirty place.
(c) To perform ablution inside the mosque.
(d) To spill used ablution water back into the bucket that contains the ablution water.
(e) To spit out water or mucus etc. towards Qibla.
(f) To talk of worldly things without cause.
(g) To waste water unnecessary.
(h) To use so little water so that all or some of the Sunnahs would be missed.
(i) To wash the face with one hand.
(j) To throw water on the face.
(k) To let ablution water drops on clothing or inside the mosque.
(l) To miss any Sunnah of ablution.

Aspects that break the Ablution

(a) Excretion of stools
(b) Urinate
(c) To break wind from behind
(d) For worms or stones to be excreted from the front or rear
(e) For the leaking of semen water or sperm.
(f) For blood, puss to be released and for it to flow from it's position.
(g) For a mouthful of vomiting of food or water, or a slight amount of vomit of blood.
(h) To become insane or to pass out
(i) To faint
(j) To be drunk or lost in control so much that the feet stagger
(k) Except for the Salaah-e-Janaaza, to laugh so loud that the person standing next to you can hear you.
(l) To go to sleep.
(m) Mubashart-e-Fahisha (meaning, for a man to touch a woman's private parts with his erected penis with lust or to touch another man's private parts with his erected penis, or for a woman to touch another woman's private parts with her private parts without a cloth in between these parts.

1 In all the above situations the ablution (Wudhu) will break.

2 If water is released from a hurting eye or puss that is released will break the Wudhu, and it is also an impurity and therefore if it touches an item of clothing, then it is necessary to clean.

3 To laugh in Salaah that only you hear it yourself and no-one near you hears the laughter or voice then the Wudhu has not broken, however, the Salaah will break.

4 If you smile in Salaah so that only your teeth show but no voice whatsoever is heard then neither the Wudhu or Salaah will break.

5 Whatever moisture that leaves a man's body but does not break the Wudhu is not an impurity. For example the blood that stays in it's position or vomit that is not a mouthful are all clean.

6 Saliva, spittle, sweat and dirt are not impurities and therefore clean (Pak). If these items are stuck on the body or clothing, then the Salaah will count but you should have them cleaned as this is better.

7 The tears that come out due to crying do not break the Wudhu nor are they an impurity.

8 By showing your knees or body, or to look at your own or someone else's body or touch someone's body does not break the Wudhu.

9 If a milk drinking child vomited and if it is a mouthful then it is an impurity. If it touches s omething and is more than a Dirham (approx. size of a fifty pence piece) then it will make it impure. If the milk had not gone all the way in the stomach but had come back out from the throat then it is clean.

10 Whilst in the middle of performing Wudhu it breaks then perform the Wudhu again, and if the water that is held in the palm of the hand and you release wind then this water is useless and do not use it to wash any parts.

Method Of Bathing

The method of bathing is as follows;
(a) Perform the intention of bathing (Ghusl) then first of all wash the hands upto the wrists three times.
(b) Then wash the private parts, whether there is any impurity stuck on them or not.
(c) Then wash any part of the body which has impurity stuck on it.
(d) Then perform Wudhu as performed in Salaah but do not wash the feet. However, if you are sat on a stool or a stone etc. then wash the feet also.
(e) Then rub water into the body as you would rub oil.
(f) Then wash the right hand shoulder three times.
(g) Then wash the left hand shoulder three times.
(h) Then wash the head and all of the body three times.
(i) Then move away from the place of bathing and if you did not wash the feet when performing Wudhu, wash them now. 

2 Do not face the Qibla when bathing.

3 Ensure that you rub your hands with water all over the body whilst scrubbing.

4 Do not bathe where someone can see you. If this is not possible then it is necessary for you to cover the body from the navel to the knees (for men). If this is not possible then perform Tayammum (C22.0).

4 Do not talk when bathing or pray any prayers. After bathing, to dry the body with a towel is perfectly allowed.

5 To bath naked in a careful hidden place (where no one can see) is allowed. It is very important that women are very careful of this.

6 After bathing wear clothes as soon as possible.

7 Whatever aspects are Sunnah and Mustahhab in Wudhu are also the same in bathing except, if you are bathing naked then do not face Qibla and if you are wearing a cloth then there is no problem. There are three obligatory aspects in the method of bathing that has been shown, without which the bathing will not count and one will remain unclean and the rest are either Sunnah or Mustahhab and should not be left out, but if they are left out the bath will still count.

Three obligatory aspects of bathing

There are three obligatory aspects in bathing, and are as follows;

1. To perform mouthwash so that every single part of the inside of the mouth from the beginning of the lips upto the throat is cleaned with water. Water must reach the gaps between the teeth, the gums, all the sides of the tongue and the edge of the throat. If you are not fasting then you must gargle so that the water reaches clearly all parts. If there is anything stuck in the teeth (like strands of meat, the skin of a betel nut, the leaf of a paan etc.) then unless it is impossible to release or would cause serious pain it is necessary that they are removed, because without doing this the bath won't count and therefore the Salaah won't count.

2. To clean the nose out with water. Meaning to suck up water into both nostrils until it reaches the bone, so that not even a hair or it's equivalent size remains dry, otherwise the bath will not count. If the nose is pierced then the water must reach the hole as this is also necessary. If mucus has dried in the nose then to release it is necessary and to wash the nostril hair is also necessary.

3. To wash every single part of the body. Meaning to make sure water washes all the body upto and including the soles of the feet, ensuring that every hair and every pimple is washed, because even if only one hair or it's point's equivalent remains dry, the bath will not count.

C8.1 A lot of people bathe by wearing an unclean cloth and think by bathing they will become clean and at the same time wash the cloth that they are wearing. This is not the case because when they rub their hands on it they actually spread the impurity all over and therefore make the whole body, cloth and the container of water unclean. This is why before bathing it is important to wash the impurity stuck on the body or on the clothing, otherwise they won't clean the body but in fact make everything that they touch unclean. This is possible if they are bathing in a river or sea and the impurity is such that it will flow away without the need for rubbing or scrubbing, if this is not so then it will remain a problem.

  What aspects makes it obligatory to bathe

There are five aspects that make it obligatory for a person to have a bath, and they are as follows;
1. The ejaculation of sperm from it's place with lust.
2. To have a wet dream. Meaning nocturnal emission that is the releasing of sperm whilst sleeping.
3. The head of the penis to enter the vagina, whether it be with or without lust, with or without orgasm, the bathing would be obligatory on both.
4. To become clean from menstrual pause (period).
5. To become clean from blood after child birth. 

1 If sperm was ejaculated from it's place but not due to lust, i.e. it was done by lifting a heavy load or falling from a height, then to bathe is not obligatory, however, the Wudhu is broken.

2 If semen dropped but was very thin and it came out whilst urinating or on it's own accord without lust then the bath does not become necessary but the Wudhu will break.

3 To bathe on Fridays, Eid days, on the day of Arafah (9th Zil Hajj) or when wearing the Ehraam is Sunnah.

Things that can and cannot be done when bathing is obligatory

1 It is strictly forbidden to enter a mosque, to perform Tawaf (of Kabah), to touch the Qur'an, or any part of the Qur'an whether it is in sections or volumes [Hadiya, Alamgiri] , to pray the Qur'an whilst viewing it without touching it, to pray the Qur'an verbally, to wear or touch a ring with a word of the Qur'an written on it when it is obligatory for you to bathe.

2 If the Qur'an is wrapped in it's cloth (Juzdaan) or has a napkin wrapped around it, then there is no problem touching it without bathing [Hadiya, Hindiya]. If a verse of the Qur'an is prayed but the intention was not to pray as part of the Qur'an, then there is problem. For example, to say 'Bismilla Hirrahma Nirrahim' for auspiciousness, or to say 'Alhamdu Lillahe Rabbil Aalameen' for thankfulness or to pray when in trouble or worried 'Inna Lillahe Wa Inna Ilahi Raji'oon' or for praise the Surah Fatiha was prayed or Aayatul Qursi was prayed or another verse was prayed, however, the intention was not to pray a verse of the Qur'an, then there is no problem [Hindiya etc.].

3 To touch the Qur'an or any verse of the Qur'an without ablution (but not in need to bathe) is forbidden, however to pray it verbally is no problem.

4 To see the Qur'an, whether the words are seen and then prayed in the heart is allowed in any situation.

5 To touch the Fiqha, Hadith or Tafseer books is Makrooh.

Which water is allowed to bathe or perform ablution and which is not

Rainwater, sea water, ocean water, river water, stream water, canal water, well water, large pool or large lake or flowing water, snow and hailstone water is all allowed to be used to bathe or perform ablution or to clean impurities.