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THE REALITY OF WUDHU
Author
By Ibn Haider
Translation
By Sayyeda Tanveer F.Rizvi
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CONTENTS
ForewordPreface.Introduction.
Hadhrat Uthmans (r.a) method of wuhdu.
Hadhrat Abdullah ibn Zaids (r.a) method of wudhu.
Hadhrat Abdullah ibn Abbass (r.a) method of wudhu.
Abu Hurayras strange (r.a) method of wudhu.
Hadhrat Abdullah ibn Umars (r.a) method of wudhu.
Mother of believers, Hadhrat Ayeshas (r.a) method of wudhu.
Muawiya Ibn Abu Sufyans method of wudhu.
Wiping between the toes.
Wiping through the beard.
A strange joke.
Conclusion.
Effects of terminology of traditions.
Disagreement about gargling and putting water in the nostrils.
Disagreement about taking water.
Is it obligatory or recommended to gargle and wash the nostrils?
Disagreement about washing of ankles and elbows.
Disagreement about wiping the head.
Disagreement about wiping the ears.
Disagreement about wiping over the socks.
Disagreement about washing the feet.
Disagreement about the extent to which the foot should be washed.
Disagreement about brushing the teeth.
An astonishing revelation.
Wudhu of the 20th century.
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Method of wudhu of Maulana Ashraf Ali Thanwi Sahab.
Method of wudhu of Imam Ahmad Raza Sahab Barelvi.
Method of wudhu of Maulana Mukhtar Ahmad Nadwi Sahab.
Method of wudhu of Maulvi Abdul Munim Nazir Sahab.
Method of wudhu of Janab Mohammad Asim al Haddad.
Five wudhus.
Conclusion.
Conclusive wudhu.
Universal wudhu.
Wudhu of Saudi Arabia.
Reason for disagreements.
Who should be referred to?
Who are these chosen ones?Reason for not referring to Ahlul bayt (a.s).
Loss due to refusing to refer to them (a.s).
Allahs command regarding wudhu.
Unveiling.
The method of wudhu of Mohammad (s.a.w.a) and his progeny (a.s).
Difference between Mohammad (s.a.w.a) and his progeny (a.s) and
the companions.
Wiping the whole head.Wiping the ears.
Wiping the neck.
Washing the feet.
Those traditions which caused the washing of the feet.
Abu Hurayra.
Abdullah ibn Amr ibn Aas.
Mother of believers Ayesha (r.a).
Abdullah ibn Umar (r.a)Traditions regarding wiping the feet.
Prejudice of Allamah Ibn Kathir.
Interpretation of verses regarding wudhu by Ahlul bayt (a.s).
Conclusion.
Bibliography.
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FOREWORD
In the name of Allah the Beneficent the Merciful
And this is my straight path, then follow it and do not go after otherpaths lest you leave the path of God. It is this that the Lord has
commanded, that you may be pious.
(Sura Anam verse.154)
The Commander of the Faithful Imam Ali ibn Abi Tabib (a.s.) said,
Know that Allah has made Islam the most sublime path for the
attainment of His supreme pleasure and the highest standard of His
worship and obedience. He has favored it with noble laws, exalted
principles, irrefutable arguments, unchallenged supremacy and
undeniable wisdom.
It is up to you to maintain the dignity granted to it by the Lord, to
follow it sincerely, to obey its tenets and orders and give it the
proper place in your lives.
Islam is the religion of belief in One God. It is the religion of unity
and brotherhood. In this age of knowledge and progress, Muslims
should rise above the petty prejudices of the dark past. They should
discard blind loyalties based on ignorance and move forward
together on the straight path of enlightenment. This is only possible
if they dedicate themselves to follow the truth, however much it
contradicts the beliefs of the forefathers.
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And when it is said to them, come to what Allah has revealed and
to the Apostle, they say: That on which we found our fathers issufficient for us. What! Even though their fathers knew nothing and
did not follow the right way. (Surah Maidah v 104)
It is the promise of Allah that He will make Islam triumph over all
other tyrannical powers and establish this religion in the east and
the west. When Allah permits the reappearance of the promised
Mahdi (a.s.) he will bring about the universal revolution of truth
against falsehood, to fill the earth with justice and equity as it was
filled with oppression and wickedness. The banner of monotheismwill fly over the whole world.
The truthful believers should remain committed to the two precious
things (thaqalain), the Book of Allah and the Prophets holy progeny
(a.s.) and pray for the reappearance of the Promised One of Allah
(a.s.) and to be granted the tawfeeq to unite under his leadership
and be included among his followers.
Success is with Allah, upon Him do we rely and unto Him do we
return.
Sayyeda Tanveer F. Rizvi
7, March 2011
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PREFACE
I am returning to the world,
whatever it gave me,
from experiences and occurrences.
Thanks to Allah, religious ideas are spreading very rapidly among
the modern youth. It is very satisfying to see that a lot of work is
being done from this aspect, in the city of Bombay. If some topic is
mentioned in front of someone, he immediately quotes a few
traditions regarding it, but it is very sad when conflicting traditions
appear on a particular topic. This confuses the mind and after a
little study, a person finds himself entangled in the variations in thetraditions and loses sight of the straight path.
I said to a Salafi, Whenever I mention a tradition, you label it weak.
Name one book which contains only correct traditions. We will refer
to it, alone. Maulana replied, There is no such book. All contain
some reliable and some unreliable traditions. I exclaimed, Why
dont we collect all the correct traditions in one book? This way wecan resolve all conflicts. The Maulana softly replied, This is
impossible. I too, asked softly, Why? The Maulana remained
silent for a while and then said, Our elders have collected these
traditions after a lot of struggle and effort. Now it is our duty to
select the correct traditions and ignore the others. I asked, Who
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will perform this task? The Maulana replied, It is the intellectual
obligation of every Muslim to investigate his faith.
Today, every Muslim understands religion according to his own
mentality and gives rulings. These rulings and traditions are so
confusing that a group of Muslims have declared themselves,
People of the Quran (Ahle-e-Quran). They have presented a lot of
proofs to show that traditions contradict the Quran. Thus they
refuse to accept any traditions. An example of this is wudhu. Today,
all Muslims have different methods of wudhu. When these methods
are presented to the Maulana, he says with a slight smile, The Holy
Prophet (s.a.w.a) has said, Differences among my nation are amercy. You can adopt whichever way satisfies your heart. God sees
your intention. Actually, if someone asks the Maulana in private,
you will find his heart too is uneasy. These differences in the nation
have increased to such an extent that till today, no one has been
able to describe the correct wudhu.
This is the reason, the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a) had advised in hiswill
I am leaving two precious things among you. One, the Book of
Allah, which is guidance and light, the other is my progeny. I
remind you of Allah with regards to my progeny I remind you of
Allah with regards to my progeny. (Sahih Muslim)
How sad it is that the Muslims have not honored even the will of the
Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a) and became attached to the Quran and
traditions and not the Quran and the progeny.
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In this short book, I have tried to make a small effort to show that
every religious act is based on Quranic text (nass) and whenever
anyone has left the Quran and made traditions his leader, he has
become deviated. The same thing applies to wudhu. Muslims have
left the command of the Quran and became entangled in the
traditions, thus becoming deprived of the correct wudhu.
Ibn Haider
Night of Ascension (30-07-2008)
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INTRODUCTION
I was sitting at my desk, lost in contemplation of the doubtful and
the evident matters, when suddenly the sound of the doorbell
interrupted my reverie. There was no one at home so I had to open
the door myself. Standing at the door, was one of my old friends
Nasir Bhai, accompanied by three strange men dressed in kurtapyjama, their red hair covered by skull caps, their beards growing
wild in all directions. Seeing the cuffs of their trousers reaching
only to their shins, I understood that these men have come to
reform me. After greetings, Nasir Bhai introduced them to me
saying, These men have come from London. I remarked,
Mashallah, have they brought something new in religion? Ignoring
my comment, he said, No, they wish to speak to you. I said,
Bismillah. Receiving my go ahead, he launched into a tirade onthe topic of the sacred pledge (kalema). After enduring this for two
or three minutes, I sneaked a look at Nasir Bhai who was sitting
with his head lowered, busy playing with the straps of his slippers.
The mans passionate tirade convinced me that he would continue
for quite some time. The manner in which he was twisting the Urdu
pronunciations recklessly, made me interrupt him, Excuse me sir.
Please state the purpose of your talk because you still have to visit
several more houses. Nasir Bhai sensed my irritation and
immediately said, Actually we have come to invite you to the world
Ijtema to be held at Kalyan. We wish that you too attend it and
benefit from it. At first, I brushed them off saying, Inshallah, Ill
try. Then I said to myself, why not visit this world Ijtema?
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poured it backwards over his arms. I was extremely surprised but
because this man was elderly, I couldnt say anything. After the
wudhu, he took out a gray towel and wiped his face and hands with
it. I looked carefully and saw that it was a white towel but because
of this wiping, it had turned gray. Then the third man came and the
fourth and the fifth. Thus several people performed their ablutions
but each one with some variation.
I was perplexed at how the people didnt even know the correct
method of wudhu. Who is responsible for this? The scholars? Have
they neglected their duties? My interest was aroused. On coming
home, I began searching all the books.
From Ashraf Ali Thanwi Sahab to Ahmad Raza Sahab and from
Mohammad Ilyas Sahab to Mukhtar Ahmad Nadwi Sahab, I
searched all the books. I found a different method with each
scholar. My curiosity increased and I combed through the Sihah
Sitta and even Muta. The result?
Oh! I seek refuge in Allah. I was besieged by the bees of rulings as
soon as I put my hand in the hive of disagreements. But each bee
had a difference story and a different tale to tell. I was perplexed.
After all, if such a small aspect of religion i.e. wudhu has so many
disagreements, what is the fault of the poor Muslims? No wonder,
every man performed a different wudhu.
There is no doubt that prayer is the pillar of faith. If prayers are
accepted, all the deeds are accepted and if not, all deeds are
wasted. The soul of prayers is wudhu. If your wudhu is correct,
your prayer will be accepted, otherwise it is just exercise. It has
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been related from Abu Hurayra in Bukhari and Muslim that Holy
Prophet (s.a.w.a) said, When your wudhu lapses, your prayers are
not accepted by Allah until you perform your wudhu again.
In brief, it would not be wrong to say that if your wudhu is correct,
then all your deeds are accepted or else, everything is rejected
because prayer is the pillar of faith and wudhu the pillar of prayer.
Now when we look closely at this pillar, wudhu, we find it has
become moth eaten and hollow due to the disagreements in the
rulings of the jurists. Each jurist presents a new method of wudhu.
Each traditionalist narrates a new concept. Each interpreter was
found performing the wudhu in a different way. Wudhu has beenwashed away in the flood of disagreements of the four Imams and
the new sects. We find ourselves on an island surrounded on all
sides by an ocean of rulings. We dont find a single secure boat
which can take us to the shore of salvation. Now, tell me where
should the simple Muslim go?
One of our scholars said that among the Muslims, there are twohundred disagreements on the topic of two units of prayers. I
thought this was an exaggeration. But when I saw the multitude of
differences on the topic of wudhu, I realized that he was right.
There are so many differences on the topic of wudhu, that I would
require a voluminous book to list them all. Todays writers are very
smart. After mentioning a new concept, they simply refer it to the
Sihah Sitta and absolve themselves of all responsibility. Thus,
instead of wandering here and there, why dont we start directlywith the Sihah Sitta?
The Sihah Sitta has described the method of wudhu from the
companions of the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a) and each companion has
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claimed that he saw the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a) perform wudhu in
that particular way.
Come let us examine the truth of this claim.
METHOD OF WUDHU OF HADHRAT UTHMAN IBN AFFAN (R.A)
FIRST METHOD:
Umran ibn Abaan narrates, I saw Hadhrat Uthman perform wudhuso first he washed both his hands thrice, then he gargled and put
water in his nostrils then washed his face thrice, then washed his
arms up to his elbows thrice, then the same for his left arm then he
wiped his head then he washed his right foot thrice and likewise his
left foot. Then he said, I have seen the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a)
perform wudhu in this way. (Muslim V. 1 pg 364, Abu Dawud V 1
pg 74)
SECOND METHOD:
Ibn Abi Maleeka narrates, I saw Hadhrat Uthman. Someone asked
him about wudhu. He ordered water which was brought in a pot.
He poured water on his right hand, then he put his right hand
inside the pot and took out water. He then gargled thrice and put
water in his nostrils thrice and then washed his face thrice then he
washed his right arm thrice and similarly the left arm. Then he put
his hand into the water and wiped his head and ears, the inner part
once and the outer part once. Then he asked, Where are those who
are asking about wudhu? I have seen Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a)
perform wudhu in this way. (Abu Dawud V 1 pg 75)
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to his elbows and left out the wiping of the head and the ears. None
of the traditions show him brushing his teeth nor wiping his beard
nor wiping his toes.
METHOD OF WUDHU OF ABDULLAH IBN ZAID
FIRST METHOD:
Abdullah ibn Zaid ordered a vessel of water. First he lowered his
hands and washed them thrice and then he put his hand inside the
vessel and gargled and blew his nose thrice, using one handful of
water. Then he put both his hands inside the vessel and took out
the water with cupped hands and washed his face thrice. Then he
washed both his arms up to his elbows twice. Then he took water
with both his hands and wiped his head, taking his hands towards
the back of the head and then to the front. Then he washed his feet
and said, I have seen the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a) perform wudhu in
this way.
SECOND METHOD:
Abdullah ibn Zaid ordered water for wudhu and then he put water
on his hands and washed both hands twice, then he gargled and
put water in his nostrils thrice then he washed his arms up to his
elbows twice. Then he wiped his head with both his hands taking
them backward and then forward i.e. he began wiping by taking
both hands from his forehead to the nape of his neck and then back
from the nape of his neck to his forehead then he washed his feet.(Bukhari V 1 pg 181, Ibn Maja V 1 pg 151, Muta pg 27)
THIRD METHOD:
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He ordered water then washed both his hands thrice then
put his hand inside the vessel and took it out and gargled and put
water in his nostril with the same handful of water. He did this
thrice. Then he put his hand inside the vessel and took water and
washed his face thrice. Again he put his hand inside the vessel and
took it out and washed his arms up to his elbows twice. Then he
put his hand inside the vessel and took it out and wiped his head,
first bringing his hands towards the front then taking them
backwards then he washed his feet up to his ankles. Then he said
the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a) used to perform the wudhu in this
way.(Muslim V 1 pg 373)
FOURTH METHOD:
Abdullah ibn Zaid said that I saw the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a) that
when he performed wudhu, he washed his face thrice and washed
his arms twice and washed his feet twice and wiped his head twice.
(Sunan Nisai V 1 pg 37)
SUMMARY;
The above mentioned traditions state that there is a difference in
the four methods of Abdullah ibn Zaid. In the first method, he
washed his hands twice, in the second method twice. In the first
method, he blew his nose, in the second and third he didnt. In the
second and third method, he gargled and put water in his nostrils
with the same handful. He has left out wiping the ears in all the
four methods and washed his feet only once (not thrice). In thefourth method, he washed his feet twice and wiped his head twice
too. Here he washed his feet first and wiped his head last.
METHOD OF WUDHU OF ABDULLAH IBN ABBAS (R.A)
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FIRST METHOD:
Ibn Abbas said, Shall I show you how the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a)
used to do wudhu? Then he ordered a vessel of water and took one
handful of water in his right hand and gargled with it and put waterin his nostrils. Then he took another handful of water and washed
his face using both hands, then he took another handful and
washed his right arm and then took a handful of water to wash his
left arm, then he took a handful of water and threw it and wiped his
head and ears then he took a handful of water and sprinkled it on
his left foot while he was wearing his shoes. Then he passed his
hand over his foot and another hand under his shoe. He repeated
this with his left foot. (Abu Dawud V 1 pg 85)
SECOND METHOD:
Ibn Abbas performed wudhu and he washed his face. Taking a
handful of water, he washed his left hand then he wiped his head
then he took another handful of water and he sprinkled it over his
right foot and washed it. Then he took another handful of water and
washed his left foot and said, I have seen Holy Propket (s.a.w.a)perform wudhu in this way. (Bukhari V 1 pg 166)
THIRD METHOD:
Rabi (r.a) says that Ibn Abbas came to me and he asked me about
the tradition which states that Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a) performed
wudhu and washed his feet. Ibn Abbas said, People reject thewashing of the feet and I too have not seen anything except wiping
of the feet in the Quran. (Ibn Maja V 1 pg 156)
FOURTH METHOD:
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Ibn Abbas narrates that Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a) said that you should
blow your nose well, twice or thrice (Abu Dawud V 1 pg 86)
FIFTH METHOD:
It is narrated from Ibn Abbas that Holy prophet (s.a.w.a) wiped his
ears by putting his forefinger and index finger in his ears and put
his thumbs on the outer portion of his ear in such a way that both
the inner and outer parts were wiped.( Ibn Maja V 1 pg 152)
SUMMARY:
In all these five methods, Ibn Abbas first began his wudhu by
gargling and putting water in his nostrils and he didnt wash his
hands. Then, instead of washing his feet, he sprinkled water on
them and wiped them while wearing his shoes. In the second
method, he left out washing the hands and began by gargling. For
washing his face, he took water in one hand and then transferred it
to the other hand and then washed his face (the logic of this is
incomprehensible) and he did not wipe his ears and sprinkled water
on his feet. In the third method, he considers washing the feet to be
wrong. In the fourth method, he has ordered for the nose to be
blown. Also, he has done all the acts only once and he has never
blown his nose. The method of wiping the ears which he has
described in the fifth method is not included in any of his wudhu.
ABU HURAYRAS METHOD OF WUDHU
FIRST METHOD :
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It is narrated from Abu Hazim that I was behind Abu Hurayra while
he was preparing for prayer. He was washing his arms right up to
his underarms. I asked Abu Hurayra, what kind of wudhu is this?
Abu Hurayra replied O son of Farookh, are you present? If I knew
that you are here, I would not have done wudhu in this way. I heard
my friend (Holy Prophet s.a.w.a) say that on the day of Judgement,
the believer will be adorned with ornaments upto the part included
in the wudhu. (Muslim V 1 pg 380, Sunan Nisai V 1 pg 55)
SECOND METHOD :
Naeem ibn Abdullah narrates that he saw Abu Hurayra while he
was performing wudhu; he washed his face and both arms until he
reached his shoulders. Then he washed both feet until he reachedthe shins. After this he said that I have seen the Holy Prophet
(s.a.w.a.) perform wudhu in this way. (Muslim V1 pg 380)
THIRD METHOD :
It is narrated from Abu Hurayra that he said Whenever you
perform wudhu, you should clean your nostrils and then blow your
nose. Then he said Whenever you wake up you should blow your
nose thrice because the Satan lives inside the nose. (Muslim V 1 pg376, Sunan Nisai V1 pg 33)
FOURTH METHOD:
It is narrated from Abu Hurayra that Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) said
Whenever you perform wudhu you should sprinkle water on the
front portion of your trousers.(Ibn Maja V1 pg 158)
SUMMARY:
Here we come across the strange method of Abu Hurayra which is
neither mentioned nor applied by anyone. In the first method he
was seen (secretly) performing wudhu and washing his arms up to
his underarms. In the second method when he openly performed
wudhu, he neither washed his hands nor did he gargle or put water
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in his nostrils. He begins by washing his face and washes his arms
up to his shoulders and feet up to the shins. Neither does he wipe
his head nor his ears. In the third method he advises blowing the
nostrils but is not seen applying his own advice. The fourth method
is such which no decent person would ever follow it, which is that
after wudhu, water should be sprinkled on the urinary organ so
that self control is attained (and he makes an exhibition of himself
from house to masjid)
METHOD OF ABDULLAH IBN UMAR (R.A.)
FIRST METHOD :
It is narrated from Ibn Umar that once he performed wudhu and
said This is the wudhu without which Allah will not accept prayers.
Then he performed wudhu again and said This wudhu is
sufficient. Then he did wudhu the third time and said This is the
complete wudhu and my wudhu is the same as the wudhu of
Ibrahim, the friend of Allah. (Ibn Maja V1 pg 147)
SECOND METHOD:
Nafe narrates that Abdullah ibn Umar urinated in the market and
then performed wudhu and washed his face and hands and wiped
his head. Then he was called for performing burial prayers. When
he arrived at the Masjid, he wiped his feet over his socks and then
performed the burial prayers. (Muta V 1 pg 39)
THIRD METHOD:
It is narrated from Saad Ibn Abi Waqqas that Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a)
wiped his feet over his socks and when Abdullah ibn Umar asked
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Hadhrat Umar about it, he replied, Yes, the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a)
did wipe his feet over his socks. (Bukhari V 1 p 186)
FOURTH METHOD:
It is narrated from Ubaid ibn Jarrah that I said to Abdullah ibn
Umar, I have seen you wearing leather shoes and wiping your feet
while wearing them. He replied, I saw the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a)
wearing shoes and doing wudhu while wearing them. (Sunan Nisai
V 1 pg 44)
FIFTH METHOD:
Abdullah ibn Umar used to take water on his fingers for wiping his
ears. (Muta V 1 pg 37)
SUMMARY:
Abdullah ibn Umar is seen doing wudhu in five different ways. Inthe first method, he is seen doing wudhu once and then three
times. In the second method, neither did he wash his hands
although he had come from the toilet nor did he gargle or put water
in his nostrils. He only washed his face and hands and wiped his
head. After going a little distance, he reached the masjid, so he
wiped his feet over his socks (God knows from where he got the
wetness on his hands). In the third method, he makes his father
Hadhrat Umar a witness over the act of wiping over the socks. Inthe fourth method, he does wudhu while wearing shoes (i.e. he
must be wiping his feet because no one can wash their feet while
wearing shoes but can wipe). In the fifth method, he tells about
wiping the ears i.e. took water with two fingers while no companion
of the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a) has been seeing doing this.
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METHOD OF WUDHU OF MOTHER OF BELIEVERS HADHRAT
AYESHA (R.A)
It is narrated from Abu Abdullah, whose name was Saam and was
famous as Sablan. Hadhrat Ayesha used to wonder at his
trustworthiness and employed him for her works. He says, Once
Hadhrat Ayesha showed me how the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a) used to
do wudhu. She first gargled and put water in the nostrils thrice
then washed the face thrice then washed the right arm thrice and
the left arm thrice. The she put her hand on her head and pulled it
backwards once. Then she passed her hands over her ears and then
over her cheeks. (Nisai V 1 pg 38)
METHOD OF WUDHU OF MUAWIYAH IBN ABU SUFYAN
Muawiyah ibn Abu Sufyan did wudhu to show the people as he had
seen the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a) do it. When he reached the point of
wiping the head, he took one handful of water and put it on the top
of his head such that it almost began to flow. Then he wiped
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backwards and forwards. It is narrated from Mahmud ibn Khalid
Walid, as the first narrator of the same tradition that Muawiyah did
wudhu thrice and washed his feet innumerable times. (Abu Dawud
V 1 pg 81)
SUMMARY:
The narrator says that Muawiyah did wudhu to show the people
how Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a) used to do i.e he performed this wudhu
while he was very particular about it. God knows how he used to do
wudhu in privacy. It is good that the narrator has only told about
the incomplete wudhu, only wiping the head and washing of thefeet. I wonder how he started the wudhu.
WIPING BETWEEN THE TOES
Mastoor ibn Shaddad saw the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) wipe between
his toes with his little finger. (Ibn Maja V1 pg 153)
SUMMARY:
If this is really a practice of the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) then why did
the other companions not follow it? A number of traditions agree
regarding washing the feet and wiping the feet over the socks. None
of the highly revered companions were ever seen wiping between the
toes except for this tradition.
WIPING THE BEARD
It is narrated from Anas ibn Malik that when the Holy Prophet
(s.a.w.a.) used to do wudhu, he would take one handful of water
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2) Zaid ibn Haritha narrates from the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) that
Jibrael showed me the method of wudhu and instructed me to
sprinkle water on the clothes to avoid doubt of clothes being impure
with urine. (Ibn Maja V1 pg 157)
3) Abu Hurayra narrates that the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) said.
When you do wudhu, sprinkle water on the front part of your
trousers. (Ibn Maja V 1 pg 158)
4) Hakam ibn Sufyan narrates that the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) used
to urinate and after wudhu, sprinkle water (on his private parts).
(Abu Dawud V 1 pg 96)
SUMMARY:
This is so strange! Even Maulana Wahid-uz-Zaman has participated
in this joke. Instead of rejecting this tradition as weak, he has
explained it. He writes. Ahmad and Darqatni have narrated from
Zaid ibn Haritha that in the initial period Jibrael came to the Holy
Prophet (s.a.w.a.) and taught him the wudhu and prayers. When he
finished doing wudhu, he took a handful of water and sprinkled iton his private parts. (Abu Dawud V 1, pg 96)
If this is the reality of wudhu, then why didnt the people act on the
command and obey Allah and the Prophet? What is the reason that
the Prophets companions, the followers (tabeyeen) and the
followers followers (tab-e-tabeyeen), the four Imams and the
modern scholars did not obey the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.)?
CONCLUSION
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Now if the faith of a Muslim awakens and he wishes to follow the
prayers and fasting diligently, which method of wudhu will you
teach him? If you tell him, the method of Hadhrat Uthman, then
sometimes he will gargle first and put water in his nostrils and
sometimes begin by washing the hands. Sometimes, he wipes the
ears and sometimes not, wiping the head, sometimes once and
sometimes twice. He washes the feet sometimes and sometimes he
doesnt. If he follows the method of Abdullah ibn Zaid, he
sometimes blows his nose and sometimes doesnt. Sometimes he
uses one handful and sometimes two. He doesnt wipe his ears. At
times, he washes his feet after wiping the head. At other times, he
first washes his feet then wipes his head. Abdullah ibn Abbas does
wudhu while wearing his shoes because he doesnt like to wash hisfeet. He only wipes his head but does not wipe his ears. He does all
the acts once but blows his nose thrice. Abu Hurayra is so greedy
for rewards that he washes his arms up to his shoulders and his
feet up to his shins and sprinkles water on his private parts so that
people do not know whether this dampness is due to urine or water.
Abdullah ibn Umar doesnt like to wash his hands or gargle. He
begins his wudhu by washing his face. Like ibn Abbas, he does
wudhu while wearing shoes and instead of washing his feet, makesdo with wiping them. Albeit, he uses two fingers for wiping his ears.
The mother of believers Hadhrat Ayesha completes wiping her head
by pulling her hands from the front to the back but does not bring
it from the back to the front. Leaving the method of the Holy
Prophet (s.a.w.a.) of wiping the ears, she just puts her hands on her
ears and after this, she wipes her cheeks in the same way.
Muawiyah puts a handful of water on his head (God knows why)
and wholeheartedly washes his feet without counting.
Be honest! After seeing all these methods, is it possible to do a
proper wudhu? Impossible! If all the methods are brought together
and one method of wudhu is compiled, it cant be called wudhu. We
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will have to give it some other name. Now what should we reply to
the people ?
The four Imams and other jurists have said, Dont worry! We will
solve this problem. Actually, this is an intellectual problem and
beyond the purview of common people. Leave it to us and you
manage your own affairs. Then these jurists, using their insight
performed an operation of the traditions. Each jurist tried to
construct a wudhu according to his own knowledge and faith. As a
result, the door of disagreements has opened up. Every scholar
tried to prove his own wudhu as correct and others wrong and used
the Sihah Sitta to justify their views. They termed all the traditionswhich conformed to their ideas, reliable (even if their narrator was
untrustworthy) and stamped the traditions of others as weak (even
if they were unanimously accepted). They also formulated laws for
terminology of traditions so that they could escape all blame. These
laws have nothing to do with the religious principles. They are only
based on speculation of the scholars. It is clear that wherever
speculation is employed, corruption will raise its ugly head. Each
sect formulated laws, according to their own beliefs, although theselaws have neither been mentioned in the Quran nor in the
traditions of the Prophet (s.a.w.a). These are just masks for hiding
their defect. They do not dare to reject a tradition that casts a slur
on the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) and just content themselves with
calling it weak. The only reason for this is that the narrator of that
tradition has related seventy traditions. If they reject him as
unreliable, all those traditions will be termed unreliable. In this
way, the Sihah Sitta will become hollow. The Muslims are bearingthe brunt of these mistakes till this day.
If the Muslims had called truth correct and lie as wrong, then
matters would not have come to this stage. But by using the terms
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stopped (mauquf), unaccepted (ghayr maqbool), weak (dhaif) and
strange (ghareeb), they have confused the religious matters to such
an extent that they could not be resolved till today.
EFFECTS OF TERMINOLOGY OF TRADITIONS
Imam Nadwi has related its benefits and has mentioned its effects,
in the translation of Sahih Muslim,. Mohammad Asim al Haddad
Sahab has written a book Fiqh-us-Sunnah after a lot of effort and
struggle, in which he has stated the details of the Hanafis, the
Malikis, the Shafeis, the Hanbalis and other common schools of
jurisprudence and he has thrown light on these effects. Here is a
summary of the discussions of both these scholars.
DISAGREEMENTS ABOUT GARGLING AND PUTTING WATER IN
THE NOSTRILS
1) Three handfuls of water should be taken and each handful
should be used for gargling and putting in the nostrils.
2) One handful should be used for both, gargling thrice and then for
putting water in the nostrils thrice.
3) One handful should be taken and then first he should gargle
then put water in his nostril and he should gargle then put water in
his nostril and then he should gargle then put water in his nostril.
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4) Take two handfuls and then use each handful for gargling once
and then with the second handful, he should put water in his nose
thrice.
5) He should take six handfuls, the first three handfuls for garglingand the other three handfuls for putting water in the nostrils.
DISAGREEMENT IN TAKING WATER
1) Putting one hand for taking water
2) Putting two hands for taking water
3) Cupping both hands together to take water
4) Right hand should be taken for gargling and putting water in
nostril
5) Both hands should be washed before putting hands in the vessel
IS IT OBLIGATORY OR RECOMMENDED TO GARGLE AND PUT
WATER IN THE NOSTRILS?
1) They are recommended in both wudhu and ghusl, as per the
schools of Malik and Shafei. Among the early scholars, Hasan
Basri, Zuhri, Hakim, Qatada, Rabia, Yahya ibn Saeed Ansari, Uzrai
and Layth ibn Saad have favoured it and Ata and Ahmad have also
narrated it.
2) Both are obligatory and if they are left out, wudhu and ghusl is
not complete. This is the way of Ahmad ibn Hanbal and Ibn Abi
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Layla, Hammad and Ishaq ibn Rahawiya and there is also a
narration regarding it from Ata.
3) Both are obligatory in ghusl but not in wudhu. This is the
opinion of Abu Hanifa and his followers and Sufiyan Sauri.
4) Putting water in the nostrils is obligatory in both wudhu and
ghusl while gargling in both is recommended. This is the opinion of
Abu Saur, Abu Ubayda, Dawud Zahiri and Abu Bakr ibn Munzir
and there is also a narration of Ahmad regarding it.
DISAGREEMENT ABOUT WASHING ANKLES AND ELBOWS
Scholars are unanimous that washing of ankles and elbows is
obligatory while Zafar and Dawud Zahiri do not consider it
obligatory.
DISAGREEMENT ABOUT WIPING THE HEAD
1) According to Imam Shafei, the wiping of the head three times is
recommended just as the other parts are washed thrice.
2) According to Abu Hanifa, Malik, Ahmad and a majority of
scholars, it is recommended to wipe the head once.
3) Regarding the extent of the head to be wiped, Imam Shafei and a
group of scholars consider wiping of the whole head to be
obligatory.
4) Regarding the extent of the head to be wiped, Imam Abu Hanifa
considers wiping one fourth of the head to be recommended.
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DISAGREEMENT ABOUT WIPING THE EARS
1) Wiping of the ears is considered recommended by all except
Imam Ahmad and Ishaq ibn Rahawiya who consider it obligatory.
2) Water can be taken separately for wiping the ears but it is
recommended to wipe the head and the ears with the same wetness.
3) Imam Abu Hanifa, Sufiyan Sauri and others generally prescribe
taking water separately for the wiping of the ears. Imam Ibn Qayyim
states Taking water separately for wiping the ears is not proved.
Although it is established according to Abdullah ibn Umar .
4) As per Imam Malik, Shafei, Ahmad ibn Hanbal and some others,
water should be taken separately for wiping the ears after the
wiping of the head.
5) Abdullah ibn Zaid narrates that the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) took
water separately for wiping the ears after wiping the head.
6) As per a tradition by Ibn Abbas, the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) wiped
the head and ears with the same water.
DISAGREEMENT ABOUT WIPING OVER THE SOCKS
1) According to Nawwi, scholars are unanimous over the validity of
wiping over the socks. It is valid in both travel or otherwise and
whether needed or not.
2) Besides the Shia and the Khawarij, all accept its permissibility.
3) Hasan Basri says that seventy companions told me that they had
seen the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) wipe over his socks.
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4) Our companions (Salafis) state that it is better to wash the feet
and Hadhrat Umar (r.a.) and Abu Ayyub Ansari agree with this.
5) One group of followers (tabeyeen) believes that wiping is better
and this is the opinion of Shabi, Hakam and Hammad.
6) Hanbalis consider it better to wipe over socks than to remove
them and wash the feet. Some Hanafis agree with this.
7) According to Imam Malik it is permissible to wipe over leather
socks, not any other types of socks.
8) Imam Shafei considers it permissible to wipe over shoes worn
with socks, not otherwise.
9) Shafeis and Hanbalis believe that if shoes and socks have holes
in them, it is not permissible to wipe over them.
10) As per Malikis if the hole in the socks is more than one third of
the foot the wiping will not be permissible, otherwise it is allowed.
DISAGREEMENT OVER WASHING THE FEET
1) It is obligatory to wash the feet upto the ankles and wiping the
feet is not sufficient. After washing the feet, it is not necessary to
wipe them.
2) Shia consider it obligatory to wipe both feet.
3) As per Muhammad ibn Jurair and the Motazeli Imam, Jubai, it is
permissible to choose either of the two; washing the feet or wiping
them.
4) Some of the Zahiris state that it is obligatory to wash the feet as
well as wipe them.
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DISAGREEMENT ABOUT THE EXTENT OF THE FEET TO BE
WASHED
1) It should be washed more than the ankles and the elbows. How
much more? There is no limit.
2) Some say that up to half of the upper arm should be washed and
similarly feet up to the shins.
3) Some say that arms should be washed up to the shoulders.
DISAGREEMENT ABOUT BRUSHING THE TEETH.
1) Shaikh Abu Hamid narrates from Dawud Tai that it is obligatory
to brush the teeth but it is such an obligation leaving of which does
not make prayers void.
2) It is narrated from Ishaq ibn Rahawiya that brushing the teeth is
obligatory. If it is left out intentionally, prayers are void.
3) According to Imam Shafei brushing the teeth is disliked for one
who is fasting because Allah likes the smell of his mouth which
occurs due to not eating.
4) Nawwi says brushing is not obligatory.
5) A group of scholars which include most of the jurists, theologians
and companions consider it obligatory to brush the teeth.
AN ASTONISHING REVELATION
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Historians write that after the death of the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.)
whenever anyone quoted or wrote a tradition of the Holy Prophet
(s.a.w.a.) he was told to desist, for fear that they may not be mixed
up with the Quran. At that time, all the companions were busy in
collecting the Quran. It is written that Hadhrat Umar was very
short- tempered and used to go around with a whip, ready to lash
anyone who tried to mix Quran with hadith. This continued till the
time of Hadhrat Uthman. He completed the task of compiling the
Quran. Since all the companions were steeped in the customs and
practices of the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.), no one felt the need to write
and collect the traditions. Whenever any problem came up, people
solved it by consulting each other. The work of collection and
documentation of traditions began in the middle of HadhratUthmans reign and during Muawiyahs time. This is the reason
Muawiyah is called writer of divine inspirations. All the traditions
of the present day are a result of his efforts.
During the reign of Muawiyah, the court used to be full of narrators
of traditions. Each person was rewarded for relating traditions.
Thus some people appeared who used to relate traditions just due
to the greed for rewards. It is mentioned in Sahih Muslim that
Hadhrat Uthman said to his slave, Humran Some people relate
such traditions from the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) which I have never
heard.(Muslim V1 pg 369) This shows that in those times,
fabricated traditions were in circulation to such an extent, that even
the Caliph of the time, Hadhrat Uthman says that people are
relating things which he has not heard.
My heart says and I really believe that the companions of the Holy
Prophet (s.a.w.a.) must have said Bismillah and also made theintention but this was not included in the traditions. What could be
the reason for this? The Media? The real media in those times was
in the hands of Muawiyah. This is the reason that not a single
tradition regarding wudhu has come from the Ahlul Bayt (a.s.).
They have not taken a single tradition from Hadhrat Abu Bakr or
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Hadhrat Umar. Instead they have taken numerous traditions from
Hadhrat Uthman because he was related to Muawiyah.
Once Muawiyah called Jabir ibn Abdullah Ansari and asked him
the explanation of Bismillahir Rahmanir Rahim. Jabir said I askedImam Ali (a.s.) the explanation of Bismillahir Rahmanir Rahim. He
continued explaining until the night passed and it was dawn. Imam
Ali (a.s.) said Jabir, I will shorten the explanation. Know that
whatever is in the Quran is in Surah Hamd and whatever is in
Surah Hamd is in Bismillahir Rahmanir Rahim. whatever is in
Bismillahir Rahmanir Rahim is in the Ba of Bismillah and
whatever is in Ba is in the dot under it and I am that
dot.(Allahumma salle ala Muhammad wa Ale Muhammad) Hearingthis Muawiyah promptly asked Did Ali really say this? Jabir said
Yes Muawiyah said Yes, it is possible that Ali said this, he never
told a lie
After this incident Muawiyah announced (in hatred of Ali) Beware,
No one is permitted to say Bismillah before beginning recitation of
Surah Hamd. He even went as far as removing Bismillah from
prayers. Right up to this day the leader of prayers in the Holy
Kaaba does not recite Bismillah before Surah Hamd. It was in thisenvironment that Zuhri, a companion of the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.)
came from Medina to Damascus (the capital of Muawiyahs
kingdom) and met Anas ibn Malik. There was such an atmosphere
of intrigue, deceit and fear that one had to take precaution even
before calling out to someone. The practice of the Holy Prophet
(s.a.w.a.) had been distorted and deformed in such a way that Anas
ibn Malik burst into tears. When Zuhri saw Anas crying, he was
surprised and asked Areyou all right? Why are you crying? Anasreplied I do not find anything that I found in the time of the Holy
Prophet (s.a.w.a.) except prayer and even that has been destroyed!
(Bukhari V1 pg 301) In another tradition it is written that Anas ibn
Malik said to Gheelan ibn Jurair I do not see anything from the
time of the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) People said Thereare prayers.
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He replied Evenin prayers, you have done what you have done.
(Bukhari V1 pg 301) This sentence shows that there was so much
fear of Muawiyah in Damascus that even a common companion of
the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) could not openly express his views. This
is the reason he cautiously said You people have done what you
have done. Neither did he name Muawiyah out of fear nor did he
say that you have left out Bismillah from prayers. Imam Ali (a.s.) in
the time of his caliphate, conducted prayers in exactly the same
way as the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) used to do. Imam Bukhari has
mentioned this fact in his Sahih in the following way.
Once Mutrif ibn Abdullah ibn Shakhir and Imran ibn Haseen
followed in prayers led by Imam Ali (a.s.) After the prayers, Imranibn Haseen took the hand of ibn Shakhir and said Today this man
(Ali a.s.) has reminded me of the prayers of the Holy Prophet
(s.a.w.a.). (Bukhari V1 pg 387)
Didnt the Imams before him conduct prayers of the Prophet
(s.a.w.a.)?
Yes! It was the hatred of Ali (a.s.) that made them remove Bismillah
from wudhu and prayers. See how silently hypocrisy overcomes thepeople!
When narrators do not find mention of Bismillah and intention for
wudhu in the traditions, they get on with their job by simply adding
something from themselves. A sample of this is found in Sunan
Nisai. When they could not find a single tradition mentioning
intention for wudhu, they simply took a tradition about intention
and put it in the chapter of wudhu.
It is narrated from Umar ibn Khattab that once the Holy Prophet
(s.a.w.a.) said Actions are related to intentions. Each person will
receive (reward) for his actions according to his intention. Thus the
migration of a person for Allah and His Prophet, is for Allah and His
Prophet. And the migration of one who migrated to attain the world
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or for a woman he wishes to marry, will be for the world or the
woman. (Nisai V1 pg 26)
Actually this tradition is from the chapter of migration, but it has
been planted in the chapter of wudhu and on the basis of thistradition, they make the following conclusion It is obligatory to
make intention for wudhu
There is another example of this about Bismillah. The Holy Prophet
(s.a.w.a.) said to his companions Do you have water (for wudhu)?
Then he put his hands in the water and said Do wudhu in the
name of Allah. The companions saw that water was streaming out
from between his fingers. All of them did wudhu and none
remained. (Sunan Nisai V1 pg 28) This tradition clearlydemonstrates the importance of saying Bismillah.
There is no doubt that the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) ordered his
companions to make intention and also to say Bismillah as seen
above. He said Bismillah and water sprang from his hands but the
question arises: Why did the companions not obey his command?
Why was it taken out from the traditions? If the matter had been
confined to the time of Muawiyah, this matter would have beenburied long ago. But the fact that it has persisted shows that his
followers have continued his mission and made every effort to keep
people away from the blessings of Bismillah.
Alas! The hatred of Ali (a.s.) has brought the people to such a point
that they have openly rebelled against the practice of the Holy
Prophet (s.a.w.a.). Those traditions which mentioned Bismillahir
Rahmanir Rahim were altered and the scholars ordered Do not say
Bismillah. Here is an example:
Abu Hurayra narrates that the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) said A
person who does not perform wudhu, his prayers are not valid and
the person who does not say Bismillah, his wudhu is not walid.
(Abu Dawud V1 pg 73)
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It is absolutely clear from the above mentioned tradition that if
Bismillah is not said wudhu is void and thus prayers are
unacceptable. Allama Wahid-uz-Zaman was roused to demonstrate
his love for Muawiyah by opposing the practice of saying Bismillah.
He writes One should not say Bismillahir Rahman Rahim in the
beginning. The apparent meaning of the tradition proves the
necessity of saying Bismillah and according to a group of scholars it
is proved to be the prophetic practice. (Abu Dawud V1 pg 73)
On one side the Allamah accepts that a group of scholars consider
it necessary to say Bismillah and another group of scholars
consider it a prophetic practice. He also accepts that this tradition
proves the necessity of saying Bismillah. One the other hand heshows his loyalty to Bani Umayya by announcing that One should
not say Bismillah in the beginning. But why? Is this also an
innovation?
Sometimes you mingle with us,
Sometimes with others,
This I hesitate to say,
But you too are guilty of betrayal.
WUDHU OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY
After a detailed study of the numerous traditions on the topic of
wudhu, scholars have been able to describe the methods of wudhu.
One jurist says to use one handful for doing wudhu while the other
says to use three handfuls. One said it is obligatory to gargle and
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put water in the nostrils, another said it is recommended. One says
elbows should be included while washing hands while another says
it is not necessary. One considers brushing of the teeth obligatory;
the other says it is recommended. One is satisfied with wiping some
part of the head once while another insists on wiping the whole
head, thrice. One is happy to wash his feet while another wipes
them. Once while relating these differences, Imam Nadwi bursts out
and vents his frustration saying:
The person who considers the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) equal to
himself and does not accept all the commands of the Holy Prophet
(s.a.w.a.) as essential and necessary is the most ignorant, foolish,
dumb and idiotic person. (Muslim V1 pg 388)All right, Imam Nadwi has vented his anger but where should we
go? I asked the Maulana Please show me the way the Holy Prophet
(s.a.w.a.) used to do wudhu. Since the Maulana was affiliated to a
particular school of jurisprudence, he said Do wudhu is so and so
manner, as it is the best way. I asked Does this mean the other
methods are incorrect? He replied Theytoo are correct.
Then why did you give preference to that wudhu? Maulana replied
Thisway has been accepted by a majority. I said Maulana, butthe Quran says that the majority is deviated and the minority is
always on truth. This has been proved from the traditions too.
The Maulana changed his stance and said What do you want?
I said Thecorrect method of wudhu of the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.).
Trying to brush me off, Maulana said You can use whichever
method you feel comfortable with, because Allah does not see your
wudhu, he sees your intention. If the intention is good all deeds are
good, otherwise it is all wasted. I thanked the Maulana and tookhis leave but I was not convinced. Till today, we have been told that
if wudhu is incorrect all deeds are void but here Maulana is telling
me that Allah sees only your intention. If intention is so important
then why dont they make intention?
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After being disappointed with the Maulana I thought, modern
scholars have derived the method of wudhu from the traditions.
Why dont I refer to them? Let us see how modern scholars have
described the method of wudhu.
1-MAULANA ASHRAF ALI THANWIS METHOD OF WUDHU
Maulana Ashraf Ali Sahab is connected with the Deoband ideology.
The Tablighi Jamaat and other Deobandis consider him their
patron. He writes the method of wudhu in his book Beheshti Zevar
pg 52:
Say Bismillah at the beginning of wudhu. First wash the hands up
to the wrists, then gargle thrice and brush the teeth. If tooth brush
is not available, a rough cloth or clean finger should be used to
clean the dirt off the teeth. If he is not fasting, he should put water
in all corners of his mouth and gargle thoroughly. If he is fasting he
should abstain, as water may reach his throat. Then he should put
water in his nose thrice and clean the nose with the right hand. If
he is fasting he should not put water in the portion beyond the soft
fleshy part. Then he should wash his face making the water flowfrom the hair on his head to the part below the chin and from the
lobe of the ears, from one side to the other. The water should soak
the skin below the eyebrows too and it should not remain dry. Then
he should wipe between the fingers of his left hand with his right
hand by twining his fingers through them, thrice. He should remove
the rings and anything else he is wearing, so that the part under it
does not remain dry. Then he should wipe the whole head once and
after that wipe the ears. He should wipe the inner part of the earwith the forefinger and the upper part with the thumb. Then he
should wipe the nape of the neck with the back of the hand but he
should not wipe the neck as this is wrong and forbidden. There is
no need to take new water for wiping the ears. The water remaining
on the fingers after wiping the head, should be used. Then he
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should wash his right foot up to the ankles thrice. Then he should
wash the left foot in the same way thrice, and then wipe between
his toes with the little finger of his left hand, starting from the toes
of the right foot and ending with the toes of the left foot. This is the
method of wudhu.
SUMMARY: Thanwi Sahab has not given importance to making
intention and not even mentioned it. Brushing the teeth after
gargling thrice is like drinking water before eating food. Cant the
teeth be brushed before wudhu? Doesnt brushing in between result
in a gap between the actions of wudhu? And doesnt its
performance in the middle of the wudhu imply its being essentialfor it? Actually it is recommended and gargling by circulating water
in the throat is not seen in the traditions. Doesnt such an action
cause discomfort to those in the vicinity? Isnt it impolite to do so in
civilized company? Our religion is the straightforward religion and
there is no defect in it. Religion (deen) means law. The laws relating
to everyday life are extremely balanced and there is no discrepancy
in it. These are such laws which apply in summer, winter, rainy and
every other season. The laws which keep changing like the seasoncan not be called Islamic. One wudhu for the fasting person and
another for the non fasting person, this matter looks shaky. It is
found neither in the Quran nor the practice of the Holy Prophet
(s.a.w.a.).
The Quran only orders wiping the head and there is no mention of
the ears or the neck. If the ears and neck are parts of the head,
then why not the throat? It is enough to just say Wipe the head
and include all the actions in this. This separate mention proves
that it is not included among the obligatory actions. If it is included
then why has the throat been left out? Isnt it part of the head?
Nearly all jurists have ruled that it is obligatory to wipe one fourth
of the head and it is recommended to wipe the whole head. All of
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them have mentioned wiping of the whole head. Would someone
please explain what is one fourth of the head and where do the ears
and neck come?
2-METHOD OF WUDHU OF IMAM AHMAD RAZA SAHAB BARELVI
The personality of Imam Ahmad Sahab does not require an
introduction. He is one of the foremost elders of the Barelvi school.
He describes the method of wudhu in the following way in his book
Al Malfuz-e- Kamil :
When you first sit to do wudhu, you should say Bismillah because
the wudhu which is commenced with the name of Allah will purify
the whole body, otherwise only that part will be purified on which
the water falls. Then he should wash his arms up to his shoulders
thrice, by first putting water on his right hand with his left hand
and putting water on his left hand with right hand and he should
be careful not to miss the web of his fingers. Then he should gargle
in such a way that water reaches the roots and gaps between the
teeth because this is the established practice. Then he should put
water in his nostrils till it reaches the soft flesh inside as this too isthe established practice. It there is a beard it should be thoroughly
soaked and if even one hair root remains dry, the wudhu is not
correct. The face should be washed lengthwise from the hair root on
the forehead to under the chin and breadth wise from one ear lobe
to the other. Then both arms should be washed up to the elbows in
a continuous stream of water. Water should not be poured from the
upper arm thrice in such a way that it follows to the elbows because
there is the possibility that water will not reach the inner part of theelbow or even the wrist. Care should be taken that not even a single
hair root is left dry. If water flows on the skin in such a way that the
root is wetted but the ends of the hair remains dry, wudhu will not
be valid. Then he should wipe the hair on the head. Wiping a fourth
of the head is obligatory while including the whole head is
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recommended. Leaving out the forefinger and the thumbs, he
should wipe both hands, fingers along with the palms from the
forehead to the nape of the neck. Then he should take the rest of
the palm from the nape of the neck towards the forehead. Then he
should wipe behind the ear with the back of his forefingers and
under the ear with the back of the thumbs and wipe the back of his
hands on the nape of his neck. He should not bring his hands
towards the throat because it is an innovation. Then he should
wash his feet up to his ankles. Each part should be washed first the
left side then the right and after each washing he should send
salutations on the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.).
SUMMARY: Ahmad Sahab has greatly emphasized saying Bismillahbut he too has been deprived of making intention. First he washes
the upper arms with six handfuls of water, taking water in his left
hand to wash the right arm, gargles and puts water in the nostrils
and then thoroughly soaks the beard. Then he washes the face.
Instead of washing once, twice or thrice he makes the water flow on
his face. He forbids flowing the water backwards. He uses three
fingers to wipe his head and neck. The number of times the feet are
to be washed is not specified. Wiping between the fingers and toes,
like wiping through the hair of the beard is left out.
3-METHOD OF WUDHU OF MAULANA MUKHTAR AHMAD NADWI
Maulana Mukhtar Ahmad Nadwi is connected with the Ahle Hadith.
In his book Namaz-e-Masnun whose 72 editions have been
published by Dar al Salafiyah, the method of wudhu has been
described as follows: It is necessary to say Bismillah before wudhu.After that the hands should be washed thrice up to the upper arms.
Then taking a handful of water, half should be used for gargling
and half for putting in the nostrils. Then the nose should be struck
with the right hand. This should be repeated thrice. Then the face
should be washed thrice and while washing, the water should be
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his face thrice from the hair on his forehead up to the chin and
from one earlobe to the other. Then he should wash his arms thrice
along with the elbows, first the right hand, then the left. Then he
should wipe the head thrice, by first wetting his hands then wiping
all over the head and then wipe the ears. Then he should wash both
feet along with the ankles, first the right one, then the left. Then
read the supplication after wudhu.
SUMMARY: We thank Allah that Maulavi Sahab has mentioned
both intention and Bismillah. After washing hands thrice, he orders
the brushing of teeth. Cant the teeth be washed before wudhu?
Like Ashraf Ali Thanwi Sahab, he has made a gap between theactions of wudhu. After gargling, water should be immediately put
in the nostrils. First gargle, then put water in the nostrils, then
gargle and put water in the nostrils, then again gargle and put
water in the nostrils. Similarly the head should be wiped thrice and
the ears should be wiped thrice and he takes fresh water for this.
5-METHOD OF WUDHU OF JANAB MUHAMMAD ASIM ALHADDAD
Janab Haddad is connected to the Jamaat Islami. He died after
writing the path breaking book Fiqh al Sunnah. It was completed
under the supervision of Markazi Maktabe Islami Publishers. Before
describing the method of wudhu, he has emphasized making
intention and says: Intention is necessary for wudhu. (meaning if it
is left out, wudhu is incomplete) because all religious acts require
intention. First he relates Hadhrat Uthmans method and further
elaborates in these words:( We bring here in brief)
In wudhu some things are obligatory and some are recommended.
The obligatory acts are : 1) Washing the arms 2) Wiping the head 3)
Washing feet up to ankles.
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The recommended acts are as follows : 1) Saying Bismillah 2)
Brushing the teeth 3) Washing hands up to wrists thrice 4) Gargling
thrice 5) Snorting water into nostrils thrice 6) Wiping between the
fingers and toes 7) Wiping through the hair of the beard 8) Washing
all parts thrice 9) Tayammum ie. Twin organs should be washed
first the right side, then the left 10) All parts should be rubbed well
while washing 11) Mawalat ie. All actions should be performed at
once and each part should be washed immediately, one after
another 12) Order (Tarteeb) 13) Wiping the ears 14) Wiping the
neck. This has not been proved from the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) but
some companions have been proved acting on it. Some Salafis
consider it recommended but a majority believes it is innovation.
15) Precaution in using water 16) It is recommended to sprinklewater on the private parts after wudhu. 17) Reading supplications
18) Reciting at least two units of prayer after wudhu.
After this the writer mentions some of the practices of Abu Hanifa.
1) Sitting on a raised place 2) Facing Qibla 3) Water container of
clay 4) Keeping the vessel on the right 5) Saying Bismillah and
making intention before every act 6) Remembering Allah and
speaking nothing else while performing wudhu 7) At the end of
wudhu, facing the Qibla and drinking the water left over from
wudhu.
FIVE WUDHUS
You have just seen the method of wudhu among the five
contemporary schools of jurisprudence. These include the Tablighi
Jamaat (Deobandi), Jamaat Islami, Barelvis, Shafei and Salafis (al
Hadith). These methods have been evaluated on the basis of Quran
and traditions. They have been compiled by trustworthy persons
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who have millions of followers. It is surprising that such sensible
persons have not been able to agree over one method of wudhu. Let
us review these methods once again:
1) Making intention: Only Jamaat Islami and Shafeis have givenimportance to making intention. Ashraf Ali Thanwi, Ahmad Raza
and Mukhtar Ahmad Nadwi have disapproved of it.
2) Reading Bismillah: All agree to it, May Allah be praised!
3) Washing hands up to wrists: They agree to wash thrice. Ahmad
Raza Sahab takes water in one hand to wash the other and uses six
handfuls.
4) Gargling: Ashraf Ali Thanwi, Ahmad Raza and Muhammad Asim
al Haddad agree on gargling separately but Mukhtar Ahmad Nadwi
and Abdul Munim Shafei use the same handful for gargling as well
as putting water in the nostrils.
5) Brushing the teeth: Ashraf Ali Thanwi Sahab orders gargling after
brushing the teeth and Abdul Munim Shafei brushes after gargling
but both brush during wudhu and make a gap in the actions of
wudhu. Only Muhammad Asim Sahab rules that teeth should bebrushed before wudhu. Ahmad Raza and Mukhtar Ahmad Nadwi
Sahab have not mentioned brushing.
6) Putting water in the nostrils: Thanwi Sahab puts water in the
nostrils with one hand and brushes them thrice, Al Haddad puts
water in the nostrils thrice and instead of striking them, blows
them. Ahmad Raza Sahab puts water right into the nostrils. The
Shafeis and Salafis use half a handful for gargling and half for
putting in the nostrils. Neither do they blow their noses nor do theystrike them.
7) Washing the face: All agree that it should be washed thrice but
they differ in the method.
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8) Wiping through the beard: Thanwi Sahab left out the wiping
through the beard although he does wiping for other parts. Instead
of this, Ahmad Raza Sahab soaks the beard well before washing the
face. Mukhtar Ahmad Nadwi Sahab splashes water on the beard
from below while washing the face and then wipes through it,
meaning he uses six handfuls of water, three for the face and three
for the beard. Abdul Munim al Haddad has not mentioned it.
9) Washing the hands: All agree on washing three times. Thanwi
Sahab, Nadwi and Abdul Munim Sahab have only mentioned it but
Ahmad Raza Sahab pours water on the hands and does not rub
them. They also consider it wrong to take water in the hands and
pour it backwards. According to Muhammad Asim Sahab it shouldbe rubbed properly or the wudhu will be invalid.
10) Wiping between the fingers: Besides Ahmad Raza and Abdul
Munim, all perform this.
11) Wiping the head: According to Shafei, wiping the head thrice is
necessary. Others agree on wiping once but their methods differ.
Thanwi, Nadwi and Muhammad Asim Sahab consider it incorrect to
take fresh water for wiping the head and wipe the whole head withboth hands. Ahmad Raza Sahab uses three fingers for wiping the
head and Abdul Munim Sahab takes fresh water and wipes thrice.
12) Wiping the ears: All agree for wiping once but Abdul Munim
Sahab wipes the ears thrice.
13) Wiping the neck: Ashraf Ali Thanwi and Ahmad Raza Sahab
consider it a recommended action but Mukhtar Ahmad Nadwi,
Muhammad Asim and Abdul Munim consider it an innovation and
forbid it.
14) Washing the feet: All have ordered for washing the feet up to the
ankles but Ahmad Raza Sahab washes above the ankles. Nadwi,
Thanwi and Muhammad Asim Sahab wash the feet thrice and
Abdul Munim and Ahmad Raza Sahab wash only once.
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15) Wiping between the toes: Thanwi, Nadwi and Muhammad Asim
wipe between the toes but Ahmad Raza and Abdul Munim have not
given any importance to it.
CONCLUSION
It is extremely unfortunate that the door of contention has been
reopened. My only objective was to seek out the wudhu which the
Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) used to do. Instead I found nothing except
disagreement. Here I am reminded of the remarks of Imam Nawwi
which he has made in connection with the Sahih Muslim. After
enumerating all the different opinions about the method of wudhuhe writes It is recommended to learn the conditions of wudhu and
then act upon them. Man should try to perform wudhu in such a
way that it is deemed correct by all the Imams and should leave out
the conflicting aspects while taking note of them and he should do
such a wudhu which is unanimously considered a purification.
(Sahih Muslim V1 pg 368)
According to Imam Nawwi, man should do wudhu in such a way
that it is approved by all the Imams. Look how he is asking thepeople to do such a wudhu which would be true purification
although he could not solve the problem himself. Has he handed
over such an important matter to the decision of the public?
Actually he is forcing all Muslims to give a ruling themselves. Is it
surprising that we see all kinds of wudhu among the people? Whom
should I blame for this? Today man is thinking of building
settlements on the moon while we are still struggling with the
method of wudhu. We have just seen the methods of five reliablemen. They were full of differences. So what can you expect from the
common people? Can they perform the correct wudhu?
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DECISIVE WUDHU
Maulana Ashraf Ali Thanwi Sahab called out in fervor of faith Stop
making a noise. Be silent! I will solve this problem right now. People
are unnecessarily complicating matters to prevent Muslims from
following the religious commands. See how easy it is to comply with
the religious obligations. I am going to present a very simple wudhu
which none will dispute. Listen carefully. When these four parts,
whose washing is obligatory are washed (face, hands feet and head),
the wudhu will be complete. Even if there is no intention of wudhu,
if someone has a bath and pours water over his body and does not
do wudhu, or falls into a pool or steps out in the rain and all the
parts of wudhu get washed, he will have wudhu although he will
not get the reward of doing wudhu. (Beheshti Zevar pg 52)
Really, Thanwi Sahab has made religion so easy. It is clear, in this
computer age, how could these old methods last long? Maybe in thefuture another Thanwi will appear who will make religion even
easier. For example all the five times prayers could be performed at
one time. Prayers will be performed but no reward will be obtained.
Thirty fasts can be kept any time of the year. Fasts will be
completed, only there will be no reward. Make a replica of the
Kaaba in your own city and circumambulate around it. You will
have circled it but reward will not be obtained.
Honestly, who needs such a religion?
UNIVERSAL WUDHU
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Saudi Arabia has taken over the guardianship of the religion and
announced a universal wudhu. Taking some part of one tradition
and some part from another tradition and in this way they have put
together a sample wudhu. They have relied on the muscle power of
their wealth and distributed posters with pictures of it all over the
world. Since they formerly used to condemn taking pictures, they
have printed the following statement to cover up their
embarrassment There is no harm in publishing pictures on posters
which aim to educate and benefit the Muslims. They have put their
signature and seal below this, so that the world may know that
Sheikh Abdullah has put the official stamp of approval on this
method of wudhu. This poster was distributed in every corner of the
world.
Darul Kutub al Islamiya Delhi has also published this poster and
labeled it The method of wudhu as per the Sunnah. This method
has been explained along with pictures. Let us take a look at it.
WUDHU OF SAUDI ARABIA
When a Muslim decides to do wudhu he makes the intention in the
heart and then says Bismillah and washes both hands up to the
upper arms.(Bukhari, Muslim, Nisai, Abu Dawud) . There is no
harm if someone forgets to say Bismillah. While washing his hands
he should wipe between the fingers (Abu Dawud), then taking one
handful of water, he should use half for gargling and half for
putting in the nostrils, then he should strike his nose thrice. It is
recommended to be excessive in the matter of gargling and putting
water in the nostrils but not if he is fasting. Then he should wash
the face thrice (Bukhari and Muslim) .The length of the face to be
washed should be from the hairline on the forehead up to the throat
below the beard. Breadth wise it should be from one ear to the
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other. Then the right hand should be washed up to the elbow
thrice, then the left hand in the same way. (Surah Maidah v 6,
Bukhari and Muslim). Then he should wipe the whole head with
both hands, starting with the front of the head, backwards to the
nape of the neck, and then he should take the hands from the back
to the front, to the place where he started wiping, in the same way
(Surah Maidah v 6, Bukhari and Muslim). Then the ears should be
wiped by taking the forefinger from the ear hole over the back of the
ears and meeting the thumbs (Ibn Maja, Ibn Khazim) Note: Some
people wipe the nape of their necks with the backs of their hands
after wiping their ears. This is innovation). Then he should wash
the right foot up to the ankles, thrice. While washing both feet he
should wipe between the toes. (Surah Maidah v 6, Bukhari, Muslimand Tirmidhi)
Our brothers from the Ahle Hadith have wholeheartedly embraced
this method and implemented it in their masjids. Each action is
accompanied by its reference from the Sihah. They have pieced it
together from seven different places. This is absolute proof that this
wudhu is not present in all the Sihah or any other book. Instead the
scholars have made great efforts to arrive at a consensus and give it
a practical shape. While appreciating their achievement, we are
faced with this question: Why didnt it occur to the scholars to do
this, during all these 1400 years? Well, better late than never! Now
if the consensus grants their seal of approval to this wudhu and
confirm that this is the wudhu which the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.)
used to do, then what will become of the people who have done a
different wudhu all these years? It would not be right to gloss over
the matter saying Allah sees your intention, whatever you do with a
good intention is accepted. If this was true there would be no need
for Allah to send a prophet to teach wudhu to the people. Each
person could have worshipped as per his own whims (as was the
condition before) Then religion itself will become meaningless.
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Our religion is the straightforward religion. No defect will be found
in it, even if one tries hard to do so. The above mentioned wudhu
cannot be from Allah and his Prophet (s.a.w.a.) because there are
many defects in it. Let us review it step by step:
1)When a Muslim decides to do wudhu, he makes the intentionin the heart and then says Bismillah and washes both hands
up to the upper arms- One really felt happy after reading this
statement. How nicely they have begun the wudhu! They have
included intention and Bismillah in it.
2)There is no harm if someone forgets to say Bismillah- It iswritten in reliable books that if one forgets to say Bismillah he
should say it whenever he remembers it. Who gave them theright to say There is no harm in it? Dont you smell a whiff of
rebellion in this? It is mentioned in the honorable book of
Tirmidhi that Ribah ibn Abdul Rahman narrates that the Holy
Prophet (s.a.w.a.) said Wudhu is not valid if a person does not
say Bismillah before it. (Tirmidhi V1 pg 60) Abu Hurayra
narrates from the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) Prayers are not valid
for a person whose wudhu is not valid. And wudhu would not
be valid of a person who did not take the name of Allah beforeit. (Abu Dawud V1 pg 72) Abu Said Khudri narrates The Holy
Prophet (s.a.w.a.) said Ifa person does not take the name of
Allah before wudhu, it will not be valid.(Ibn Maja V1 pg 142)
Are all these traditions weak? It is on the basis of these
traditions that Imam Hasan Basri, Ishaq and one more
tradition as per Imam Ahmad, have considered it binding to
say Bismillah. Meaning if it is left out, wudhu is invalid. (Fiqh
al Sunnah) In spite of all these traditions, this group hasdecided there is no harm in omitting it and thus betrayed their
loyalty to Muawiyah.
3)While washing his hands he should wipe between the fingers(Abu Dawud) This ruling is attributed to Abu Dawud. Even
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used. Now! How much water can one handful contain? It is to
be used, half for gargling and half for putting in the nose.
Then they talk of excess in this matter. Taking off the goggles
of prejudice, tell me, is it possible? If not, they should not have
written about excess. If they have written it, they should have
mentioned that separate handfuls can be used in order to use
excessive water. Actually it has come in Abu Dawud that it is
forbidden to use the same handful for both gargling and
putting in the nose. The topic of this tradition is Separately
gargling and putting water in the nose. Then this tradition is
narrated by Talha from his grandfather I went to the Holy
Prophet (s.a.w.a.), he was performing wudhu, water was
flowing from his face and beard over his chest and he did bothactions, gargling and putting water in the nose, separately.
(Abu Dawud V1 pg 85) If, as per their habit, this group puts
the label of weak on this tradition, even then, it is impossible
to do both in one handful. Then it will be like the wudhu of
Imam Ahmad Raza that Touch the tip of the nose to the water
It is repeatedly said in all books that wudhu should be done
thoroughly. Is it possible to do wudhu thoroughly with one
handful?Incidentally a young man died in our neighborhood and his
burial prayers were announced. I rushed to the masjid. When I
reached the washrooms, I suddenly remembered the issue of
one handful of water for gargling and putting in the nose. I sat
down in the washroom for sometime and watched the people
doing wudhu, trying to spot someone who performed wudhu in
this manner. All the groups, Tablighi Jamaat, Jamaat Islami
and Ahle Hadith prayed there. I could not find a single personwho performed wudhu in this way. Each person took separate
handfuls for gargling and putting in the nose. Why do they
make laws which the common man cannot comply with?
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5) Then he should wash the face thrice. The length of the face tobe washed should be from the hairline on the forehead up to
the throat below the beard. Breadth wise it should be from one
ear to the other- All schools agree to this, but the majority
used both hands for washing the face although it is correct to
wash with only one hand. Even the poster shows one hand
being used to wash the face.
6)Then the right hand should be washed up to the elbow thrice,then the left hand in the same way- The method of washing
the hand is to take water in the left hand and put it on the
elbow of the right hand and the hand should be rubbed in the
direction of the upper arm then he should wipe between thefingers, It is narrated from Abdullah ibn Zaid that
approximately half a kilo of water was brought to the Holy
Prophet (s.a.w.a.). He performed wudhu and began to wash his
arms by rubbing them. (Musnad Imam Ahmad 3)
But the poster shows contrary to it. Closing the fist and
bringing it under the tap, the water is made to flow from the
upper arm to the elbows. (He is still wearing the slippers. I
dont know whether he is doing wudhu in the masjid or in hisbathroom). There was only one aim in adopting this method
which is that the whole verse of the Quran could be applied to
it, meaning wash the hands up to the elbows. Using exactly
the same words, they have prescribed washing hands from the
palms to the elbow.
It is sad that they have still not understood the word up to.
The word up to is used for specifying the extent, limit or
period of something. It is used in everyday language to specify
the extent, for example, I tell the painter, Paint this wall with
green color from the floor up to the ceiling. This means that
the painting will start not from the floor but from the ceiling
up to the floor.
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In the monsoon, lightning illuminated everything from the
forest up to the mountains. This does not mean that lightning
travels from the floor to the sky. Guests came to my house, I
welcomed them all, from the elders to the children. Actually,
first the elders are honored then the children. The verse of the
Quran was revealed in this way. Wash your hands up to the
elbows. We saw the tradition of Abu Hurayra that he was
excessive in washing his hands and washed up to his
shoulders. Water from the fingers does not go up to the
shoulders. Instead the hand is washed from the shoulders up
to fingers. This is while washing under the tap. What if the
person is doing wudhu in a pool, how will he put the water
backwards? The verse regarding washing the feet is similar,then wipe some part of your head and the feet up to the
ankles. Those who wash their feet, how do they do it? From
the toes to the ankles or from the ankles to the toes?
7)Then he should wipe the whole head with both his handsstarting from the front of the head to the nape of the neck,
going backwards, and then bring the hands back to the place
where he has begun. He should do this once-The Quran orders
to wipe some part of the head. Hadhrat Mughirah ibn Shoba
narrates that the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) wiped the front part
of the head, the turban and over his socks. (Muslim) Imam
Nawwi writes, Although it is correct to wipe the front part of
the head and over the turban, as seen in the above tradition
the early scholars agree that it is better to wipe the whole
head. (Fiqh al Sunnah). Please note that all the early scholars
agree to it.
This means that now it is necessary after obey Allah and the
Prophet, we have to add obey the consensus (ijma). First, it is
accepted that wiping one fourth of the head is proved from the
Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.), then written that the early scholars
agree upon wiping the whole head, meaning now what is
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better and what is not, will be decided not by the Holy Prophet
(s.a.w.a.) but by consensus (We seek refuge in Allah).
A majority of traditions confirm wiping one fourth of the head
but until today, no scholar, traditionalist or jurist hasspecified what this one fourth part of the head is and what
part of the ears and neck is included in it? It is for the purpose
of hiding this secret that the jurists have decided to agree to
wipe the whole head.
8) Then the ears should be wiped by taking the forefinger fromthe ear hole over the back of