The ablutions is the term used in Islam to designate the ritual washing that the Muslim performs before each prayer. The method of purification necessary for the accomplishment of the daily prayer that Muslims must perform each day is mentioned in the Holy Book of Allah. It is also complemented by the hadiths drawn from the Tradition of the Prophet of Islam, Muhammad, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him. How does one wash correctly and perfect one's wudhu, or ablution, before prayer? What are the situations in which the faithful must perform their ablutions? That is the theme of this article.
What does the expression "the ablutions" mean ?
In the Arabic-French dictionary, the different translations of the term wudhu mean ablutions, but also cleanliness, neatness, radiance.
Indeed, the ablution is much more than the mere act of washing to attain a state of cleanliness, since it is itself an act of worship performed for the purpose of accomplishing another act of worship such as prayer, the Tawaf (circumambulations around the Kaaba in Mecca), the use of a Mushaf (a copy of the Quran in Arabic and not a translation of the Quran into another language). To perform the wudhu is to resort to water with the intention of regaining a state of ritual purity.
The ablutions are therefore the way of purifying certain parts of one's body in order to remove impurities (hadaths) and any uncleanliness, respecting a precise order and certain conditions that we will enumerate below so that the ablutions are valid and accepted. This is of very high importance because the validity of the obligatory prayer or prayers performed just afterward depends on it.
As a reminder, one speaks of minor ablutions, also called small ablutions, those performed on certain parts of our body before each prayer, and major ablutions, or Ghusl, those that must be done by means of a ritual bath, washing the entire body after certain specific situations such as the state of janaba (after having ejaculated following sexual intercourse), or, after having had her menses for a woman, to cite only these. Other articles have dealt or will deal with the subject of the major ablution in more detail.
Finally, one speaks of dry ablution, or in Arabic Tayammum, when the Muslim uses clean earth or a stone to purify himself when he cannot find water for his ablutions, whether major or minor ablutions, or if he suffers from a wound, a skin disease, or finds himself with a limb covered by a bandage following an accident, or an injury preventing the use of water.
What state requires (re)performing one's ablutions ?
There are situations that make us "lose" our ablutions. It then becomes obligatory to redo one's wudhu in order to regain a state of ritual purification, in order, among other things, to perform one's prayer. The nullifiers of the minor ablutions are therefore:
- Urine
- Stool
- Intestinal gas
- The emission of pre-ejaculatory fluid or prostatic fluid (madhy)
- Having slept deeply
- Having lost consciousness
- but also losing one's mental faculties (such as being in a state of intoxication, drug use, etc.)
- Having touched one's private parts without clothing (or those of someone else without clothing)
- Touching and kissing with carnal desire or leading to desire
What conditions to validate one's wudhu and how to perform one's ablutions ?
Beforehand, the believer must make sure that he has rid himself of any impurity from the natural passages by washing himself with water. The small ablutions should also not be performed while feeling a pressing need.
To be valid, the minor ablutions must respect certain criteria and a certain order of washing:
1. The intention to perform one's ablutions (inwardly, not aloud)
2. The use of clear, colorless, odorless, tasteless water
3. Pronouncing the name of Allah by saying " Bismillah "
4. Wash the hands 3 times
5. Wash the mouth by drawing in the water that one brings to one's lips with the right hand, rinsing thus 3 times in a row
6. Wash the nose 3 times, introducing the water with the right hand into one's nostrils (inhaling lightly) and exhaling the water. Clean what comes out with the left hand
7. Wash the face 3 times
8. Clean the right forearm up to the right elbow 3 times, rubbing
9. The same with the left forearm up to the left elbow 3 times
1. Pass water over the hands and remove the excess, then pass them over the head, going from the forehead to the nape. There is no point in letting too much water into one's hair, and without undoing the braid for a woman. Only 1 time
1. Wash the ears in 1 single pass, passing one's fingers well into the inside of the ear until coming out. Take water with one's hands, remove the excess and put one's right hand in one's right ear and one's left hand in one's left ear to wash them in a single pass.
1. Wash the feet in 1 single pass as well, taking care to rub up to the ankles, starting of course with the right foot and then the left foot last.
1. Pronounce the testimony of faith to finish :
In Arabic : أشهد أن لا إله إلا الله وأشهد أن محمدا رسول الله
In phonetics : Ach ha dou an la Ilaha Illa Lah, wa ach ha dou enna Muhammadan Rassoula Lah.
In English : I testify that there is no deity other than Allah and I testify that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.
Are the ablutions mentioned in the Quran ?
What are the recommended acts for the minor ablutions ?
It is recommended to brush one's teeth after the small ablutions, as this hadith reported by Bukhari reminds us:
Were it not for the fact of not imposing a difficulty on my Community, I would have commanded it to brush the teeth with every ablution.
It is the same for the use of water in small quantity, positioning oneself facing the Qibla (in the direction of Mecca) as much as possible, and placing one's vessel on the right side.
May Allah enable us to perfect our ablutions and to accomplish all our acts of worship with sincerity for Him. Amin