Author
By Ibn Haider
Translation
Foreword
Preface.
Introduction.
Hadhrat Uthman‟s (r.a) method of wuhdu.
Hadhrat Abdullah ibn Zaid‟s (r.a) method of wudhu.
Hadhrat Abdullah ibn Abbas‟s (r.a) method of wudhu.
Abu Hurayra‟s strange (r.a) method of wudhu.
Hadhrat Abdullah ibn Umar‟s (r.a) method of wudhu.
Mother of believers, Hadhrat Ayesha‟s (r.a) method of wudhu.
Muawiya Ibn Abu Sufyan‟s 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.
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 Mun‟im 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).
Allah‟s 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.
FOREWORD
And this is my straight path, then follow it and do not go after other
paths lest you leave the path of God. It is this that the Lord has
commanded, that you may be pious.
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.
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 is
sufficient 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 monotheism
will fly over the whole world.
7, March 2011
PREFACE
This is the reason, the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a) had advised in his
will…
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.
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
I was perplexed at how the people didn‟t 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?
One of our scholars said that among the Muslims, there are two
hundred 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. Today‟s 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 don‟t we start directly
with 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
claimed that he saw the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a) perform wudhu in
that particular way.
FIRST METHOD:
SECOND METHOD:
Abu Alqama narrates that Hadhrat Uthman asked for water and
performed wudhu. First he put water on his left hand with his right
hand and washed both the arms up to the elbows then he put water
in his nostrils thrice and wiped his head. Then washed his feet and
said that I have seen Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a) perform wudhu in the
way you have seen me perform. (Abu Dawud V 1pg 76)
FOURTH METHOD:
SUMMARY:
FIRST METHOD:
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:
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;
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 water
in 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:
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 the
washing 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:
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 didn‟t 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.
FIRST METHOD :
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 :
THIRD METHOD :
FOURTH METHOD:
SUMMARY:
FIRST METHOD :
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
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:
FIFTH METHOD:
Abdullah ibn Umar used to take water on his fingers for wiping his
ears. (Muta V 1 pg 37)
SUMMARY:
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)
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
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 the
feet. I wonder how he started the wudhu.
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.
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
and take it under his chin and wipe his beard and say “This has
been ordered by my Lord.”(Abu Dawud V1 pg 87)
SUMMARY:
A STRANGE JOKE
1)It is narrated from Hakam ibn Sufyan that he saw the Holy
Prophet (s.a.w.a.) perform wudhu and after that he sprinkled water
on his private parts.(Sunan Nisai V1 pg 51)
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)
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:
If this is the reality of wudhu, then why didn‟t the people act on the
command and obey Allah and the Prophet? What is the reason that
the Prophet‟s 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
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
doesn‟t. If he follows the method of Abdullah ibn Zaid, he
sometimes blows his nose and sometimes doesn‟t. Sometimes he
uses one handful and sometimes two. He doesn‟t 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 doesn‟t like to wash his
feet. 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 doesn‟t 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, makes
do 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.
The four Imams and other jurists have said, “Don‟t 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 traditions
which 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 these
laws 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 bearing
the 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
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.
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.
2) One handful should be used for both, gargling thrice and then for
putting water in the nostrils thrice.
5) He should take six handfuls, the first three handfuls for gargling
and the other three handfuls for putting water in the nostrils.
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
Layla, Hammad and Ishaq ibn Rahawiya and there is also a
narration regarding it from Ata.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
AN ASTONISHING REVELATION
Since childhood we have been hearing in sermons and reading in
books that the foundation of all deeds is intention. If the intention
is sincere the deeds will be accepted, otherwise not. Whenever we
stood up to pray we were told, “First make intention”. We make
intention for fasting, for going for Haj, in short in every aspect of life
we first made the intention, either aloud or in the heart. The
respected reader must have read the traditions about wudhu
narrated in the previous pages. How surprising it is! How
astonishing! There was no mention in any of the traditions of any of
the companions making intention. I am astounded! Not only was
intention ignored, no one even said Bismillah.
How strange! The Maulana said “If you wish to understand the
religion, refer to the Quran and the traditions of the Holy Prophet
(s.a.w.a.).” I asked “Where will we find the traditions of the Holy
Prophet (s.a.w.a.)? I was told “Look at the practice of the
companions. They are the mirror of the traditions of the Holy
Prophet (s.a.w.a.)”. I asked “Maulana, where will I find the practice
of the companions?” “In the traditions.” I asked “In which book of
traditions? I was told “Refer to the Sihah Sitta because these six
books narrate the correct traditions. There are other books but they
are doubtful.” I asked “Maulana, from where did these doubtful
traditions come? Maulana wiped the sweat off his brow, took a deep
breath and said “Son, these are intellectual concepts which are
attained through a lifetime of research. You people read a few books
and ask a thousand questions. Do as you are told.” Seeing the
uneasiness of the Maulana I remained silent, although I had not
come to the main question yet, which was “Why did the companions
not start their wudhu with Bismillah? Why did they perform wudhu
without making the intention? With this question in mind, I began
going through accounts of history. I found an enlightening
revelation in them.
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 Hadhrat
Uthman‟s reign and during Muawiyah‟s 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.
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 the
intention 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
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 asked
Imam 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) Hearing
this 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”
„Once Mutrif ibn Abdullah ibn Shakhir and Imran ibn Haseen
followed in prayers led by Imam Ali (a.s.) After the prayers, Imran
ibn 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)
Yes! It was the hatred of Ali (a.s.) that made them remove Bismillah
from wudhu and prayers. See how silently hypocrisy overcomes the
people!
„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
or for a woman he wishes to marry, will be for the world or the
woman. (Nisai V1 pg 26)
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:
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 “They too are correct.”
“Then why did you give preference to that wudhu?” Maulana replied
“This way has been accepted by a majority.” I said “Maulana, but
the 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 “The correct 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 took
his 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 don‟t they make intention?
After being disappointed with the Maulana I thought, modern
scholars have derived the method of wudhu from the traditions.
Why don‟t I refer to them? Let us see how modern scholars have
described the method of wudhu.
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? Isn‟t 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
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?
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 is
the 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 the
elbow 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
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.).
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
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:
5) Brushing the teeth: Ashraf Ali Thanwi Sahab orders gargling after
brushing the teeth and Abdul Mun‟im 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 be
brushed before wudhu. Ahmad Raza and Mukhtar Ahmad Nadwi
Sahab have not mentioned brushing.
7) Washing the face: All agree that it should be washed thrice but
they differ in the method.
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 Mun‟im al Haddad has not mentioned it.
10) Wiping between the fingers: Besides Ahmad Raza and Abdul
Mun‟im, 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 with
both hands. Ahmad Raza Sahab uses three fingers for wiping the
head and Abdul Mun‟im Sahab takes fresh water and wipes thrice.
12) Wiping the ears: All agree for wiping once but Abdul Mun‟im
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 Mun‟im 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 Mun‟im and Ahmad Raza Sahab wash only once.
15) Wiping between the toes: Thanwi, Nadwi and Muhammad Asim
wipe between the toes but Ahmad Raza and Abdul Mun‟im have not
given any importance to it.
CONCLUSION
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)
UNIVERSAL WUDHU
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.
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
don‟t know whether he is doing wudhu in the masjid or in his
bathroom). 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.
“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 hands
starting 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
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).
After sending His prophet and Book, it has always been Allah‟s
practice to appoint a successor who may continue to convey the
divine laws to the people and Allah never changes His practice.
“Such has been the practice of Allah with respect to those who have
gone before; and you shall not find any change in the practice of
Allah.” (Surah Ahzab v.62)
He states:
َ َش ُح١َ خ
ِ ٌْ ُُ اُٙ ٌَ ْ
َ خزَب ُس َِب وَب
ْ ٠َ َٚ شَآء٠َ ك َِب
ُ ٍُخ
ْ ٠َ ه
َ َسُثَٚ
عجَب ِدَٔب
ِ ِِْٓ َٕب١ْ َٓ اصْغَ َف٠ِْ َس ْثَٕب اٌْ ِىزَبة اٌَزٚثَُُ َأ
ََُْٛ اٌّصَبٌِحِٞعجَبد
ِ َبَُٙ ِشث٠ َسِ ِِٓ ثَعْذِ اٌزِّوْشِ أََْ اٌْؤَسْضُٛ اٌ َضثٌََِٟمَذْ َو َز ْجَٕب فٚ
“And certainly We wrote in the Book after the reminder that (as for)
the land, My righteous servants shall inherit it.”(Surah Anbiya v
105)
ِفٌ ثِبٌْ ِعجَبدَُٚاهللُ َسإٚ ِ َٔفْغَُٗ ا ْثزِغَبء َِ ْشضَبدِ اهللَِٞشْش٠ َِٓ ََِِِٓ إٌَبطٚ
“Allah has promised to those of you who believe and do good that
He will most certainly make them rulers in the earth as He made
rulers those before them.”(Surah Nur v 55)
ْ َٓ١ٌَِّالَ اٌضَبٚ ُِٙ١ٍََةِ عُٛشِ اٌَّغض١َُِْ غٙ١ٍَََٓ أَٔعَّذَ ع٠ِصِشَاطَ اٌَز
“The path of those upon whom Thou hast bestowed favors. Not (the
path) of those upon whom Thy wrath is brought down, nor of those
who go astray.”(Surah Fateha v 7)
These are the few servants whom Allah has chosen with His own
will and repeatedly pointed towards them and ordered the people to
refer to them in the event of any dispute after the departure of the
Prophet (s.a.w.a.). These are the ones who will decide the matters
justly and equitably between you.
“O you who believe! Obey Allah and obey the Apostle and those in
authority from among you; then if you quarrel about anything, refer
it to Allah and the Apostle, if you believe in Allah and the last day;
this is better and very good in the end.”(Surah Nisa v 59)
َٓ٠ُُِْ ٌَعٍََُِّٗ اٌَزِِْٕٙ ِ األَِْشٌِْٟٚ ُأٌََِٝاٚ ِيُٛ اٌشَعٌَُِٖٝ اُْٚ سَدٌََٛٚ ِِٗاْ ثُْٛفِ أَرَاعٛخ َ ٌِْ اَٚاِرَا جَبءُُْ٘ أَِْشٌ َِِّٓ األَِِْٓ َأٚ
ًال١ٍَِْغَبَْ اِالَ ل١ش
َ ٌالَرجَ ْعزُُُ ا
َ َُُٗسَحْ َّزٚ ُُْْى١ٍََْالَ َفضًُْ اهللِ عٌََٛٚ ُُِِْْٕٙ َُُٗٔٛغزَٕجِغْ َ٠
“And when there comes to them news of security or fear they spread
it abroad; and if they had referred it to the Apostle and to those in
authority among them, those among them who can search out the
knowledge of it would have known it, and were it not for the grace of
Allah upon you and His mercy, you would have certainly followed
the Shaitan save a few.” (Surah Nisa v 83)
In the above mentioned verses Allah has called these chosen ones
„Possessors of authority‟ (ulul amr) and equated their obedience
with the obedience of the Prophet (s.a.w.a) and ordered referring to
them.
Here Allah calls these chosen ones by the title of “People of the
Remembrance” (Ahle Zikr) and ordered referring to them.
َٕب١ْ ٍََ} ثَُُ اَِْ ع18{ َُٗٔ} فَبِرَا لَشَ ْأَٔبُٖ فَبَر ِجعْ لُشْآ17{ ََُٗٔلُشْآٚ ََٕٗب جَّْع١ْ ٍََ} اَِْ ع16{ ِِٗالَ رُحَشِّنْ ثِِٗ ٌِغَبَٔهَ ٌِزَعْجًََ ث
ََُٗٔب١َث
“Do not move your tongue with it to make haste with it, surely on
Us (devolves) the collecting of it and the reciting of it. Therefore
when We have recited it, follow its recitation. Again on Us (devolves)
the explaining of it.”(Surah Qiyamat v 16-19)
ٌَُِّْٛال اٌّظَب
َ َِب ِرَٕب ا٠َجْحَذ ثِآ٠ ََِبٚ ٍَُِْا اٌْعُٛرَُٚٓ أ٠ِسِ اٌَزُٚ صُذَِِٟٕبدٌ ف١َّبدٌ َث٠ آُٛ٘ ًَْث
In the above mentioned verses the Almighty Allah tells his beloved
Prophet (s.a.w.a.): O my dear, do not make haste in obeying Me. The
collecting of the Quran, its recitation and its explanation, all are my
responsibility. Your duty was only its conveyance.” The Holy
Prophet (s.a.w.a.) conveyed the Quran, now it is upon Allah to
explain it. Of course, Allah Himself will not descend on earth to do
this. He appointed a select group of servants for this task and called
their act of explaining it, His own act. He instilled the knowledge of
everything in the hearts of these chosen few and crowned them with
the title of „Evident Imam‟ and directed His creatures to refer to
them. At one time He calls them „Firmly rooted in knowledge‟
(Rasekhuna fil ilm) and at other times He calls them „possessors of
wisdom‟ (ulul albaab ), ordering the people to refer to them as they
are their „masters‟ (Surah Maidah v 55)
َٓ١ِاْ َِعَ اٌّصَبدِلَُُٛٔٛوٚ َاْ اهللُٛاْ ارَمَُِٕٛ َٓ آ٠َِب اٌَزُٙ٠َب َأ٠
„O you who believe! be careful of (your duty to) Allah and be with
the true ones.‟(Surah Tawbah v 119)
Allah has described these chosen ones as the truthful and righteous
ones and in Surah Ale Imran, He points out who these pure ones
are.
َُُأَٔفُغَىُُْ ثٚ غَٕب
َ َُأَٔفٚ ُُِْٔغَبءوَٚ ِٔغَبءَٔبَٚ ََُُْأ ْثَٕبءوٚ ْاْ َٔذْعُ َأ ْثَٕبءَٔبٌَِٛٗ ِِٓ ثَعْذِ َِب جَبءنَ َِِٓ اٌْعٍُِِْ فَمًُْ رَعَب١ِفََّْٓ حَآجَهَ ف
َٓ١ِ اٌْىَب ِرثًٍََِْٝ َفَٕجْعًَ ٌَ ْعَٕخُ اهللِ عََٙٔ ْجز
But whoever disputes with you in this matter after what has come
to you of knowledge, then say: Come let us call our sons and your
sons and our women and your women and our near people and
your near people, then let us be earnest in prayer, and pray for the
curse of Allah on the liars.(Surah Ale Imran v 61)
Only those persons, who are truthful themselves, can curse the
liars. We thank Allah that all interpreters and scholars agree that
those intended by this verse are none but the Holy Five (Panjatan).
No interpreter in the world contests the fact that this verse has
been revealed regarding Lady Fatema (a.s.), Imam Hasan (a.s.),
Imam Hussain (a.s.), Imam Ali (a.s.) and the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.)
himself. These are the same holy personalities towards whom Allah
indicated and ordered “Be with the truthful ones”. The verse of
purification has been revealed in honor of these esteemed persons.
شًا١ِِّْٙشَوُُْ رَغَُٙغ٠َٚ ِْذ١ُ ْزِ٘تَ عَٕىُُُ اٌشِّجْظَ َأًَْ٘ ا ٌْ َج١ٌِ ُذُ اهلل٠ُِش٠ ُ ِأََّب
These are the persons whose love has been made obligatory upon
the Muslims.
ََِٓٚ َٝ اٌْمُ ْشثَِٟدَحَ فَّٛ ٌِْْٗ أَجْشًا اِالَ ا١ٍََا اٌّصَبٌِحَبدِ لًُ الَ أَعْؤٌَُىُُْ عٍََُِّٛعٚ إَُِٛ َٓ آ٠ِعجَبدَُٖ اٌَز
ِ ُجَشِّشُ اهلل٠ُ ِٞرٌِٰهَ اٌَز
ٌسُٛسٌ شَىُٛغًٕب اَِْ اهللَ غَف
ْ َُب حٙ١ِغَٕخً َٔضِدْ ٌَُٗ فَ ََ ْمزَشِفْ ح٠
That is of which Allah gives the good news to His servants, (to)
those who believe and do good deeds. Say: I do not ask of you any
reward for it but love for my near relatives; and whoever earns good,
We give him more of good therein; surely Allah is Forgiving,
Grateful.( Surah Shura v 23)
The Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) was well aware that after his demise the
Muslims would exit the faith as fast as an arrow leaves its bow. This
compelled him to proclaim the tradition of „two precious things‟
(hadith thaqalain): “I am leaving behind two precious things with
you; the Book of Allah and my progeny. Fasten to them and you will
never be deviated and both of them will be reunited with me at the
fountain of Kauthar.”
The Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) declared not once, but several times
“Look if you ever get involved in any trouble or dispute, refer to
them. These are the „firmly rooted in knowledge‟, they have
knowledge of everything. On one side is Asif ibn Barkhiya who had
„a little of the knowledge of the Book‟ and he was able to bring the
throne of Bilquis to the presence of Sulayman(a.s.) in the blink of
an eye. On the other side is Ali (a.s.) who has knowledge of the
whole Book, who is immersed in knowledge, about whom the Holy
Prophet (s.a.w.a.) said “I am the city of knowledge and Ali is its
door”. How much more powerful would Imam Ali (a.s.) be? This is
the reason Imam Ali (a.s.) repeatedly announced “Ask what you
wish before I go away from your midst. Ask because I know more
about the realms of the heavens than about the earth. My chest is
bursting with knowledge. The Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) filled my chest
with knowledge like a bird feeds its young ones with its beak. Ask
me because I know the situation of descent of each verse.”
Yes! These are the Ahlul Bayt towards whom Allah repeatedly
pointed and commanded to refer to them.
I do not ask for any reply from my brothers from the Ahle Sunnat. I
wish to invite them to contemplate for a moment. Brother! When
you go to bed at night, just pause a minute and think over this
matter. Know that Allah is witness and ask yourself: These Ahlul
Bayt, whose praise has filled the Quran, who are the leaders of
paradise, who are the distributors of paradise and hell, whom Allah
has ordered to refer to, what is the reason that not a single tradition
on wudhu has been quoted from them in Sihah Sitta? How
surprising it is that the mistress of paradise, in whose honor the
Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) used to rise up in his place, has not been
mentioned even once in the whole of the Sihah Sitta. The Imams,
Hasan and Hussain (a.s.) about whom the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.)
used to say “They are from me and I am from them”, about whom
the Christians had declared on seeing their faces, “If these
personalities wish, they can move mountains by pointing towards
them”, are they not worthy of being quoted in the books of
traditions? Brother! Tell me if this is not prejudice, what is? And
prejudice against what? The fact that they were the children of the
Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.)? And that they never submitted to
falsehood? That they always told the truth? Was this their only
crime? How unfortunate it is that the scholars of narration left
these holy and esteemed persons and referred to people who did not
even know the method of Tayammum. They were such people who
lead the Friday prayers on Wednesday and raised the Quran on
spears to save their own skins. They were the ones who sat on the
Holy Prophet‟s (s.a.w.a.) pulpit and cursed his progeny, who sold
their souls for a few coins and fabricated false traditions. On the
other side are such persons who were ready to sacrifice their lives
and their whole family in Kerbala to safeguard this wudhu and
prayers. What could be the reason that no one bothered to ask
them how their grandfather, the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) used to
perform wudhu?
REASON FOR NOT REFERRING TO THE AHLUL BAYT (A.S.)
Allah had informed His prophet in advance that after you, they will
leave the religion and these predictions proved absolutely accurate.
After the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) disputes spread among the
Muslims and blood shed became the norm. Each person was greedy
for power, obtaining the booties of war became the chief aim. In
such conditions, the Muslims ignored the Ahlul Bayt (a.s.). Matters
reached such a state that the mistress of paradise, Lady Zahra (a.s.)
one day asked Ameerul Momeneen, Ali (a.s.) “O Abul Hasan, is it
true that people have stopped greeting you?” Hiding his grief, Ali
(a.s.) replied “You have heard wrong, Fatema. I greet the people but
they don‟t even reply to me”.
The oppression does not end here. They were not even allowed to
live in peace. Their rights were usurped and they were killed. If
anyone attempted to stand up for them, he too would be killed. Ali
(a.s.) and his progeny (a.s.) were cursed from seventy thousand
pulpits on the orders of Muawiyah (Bukhari). Such was the
condition of fear that people were forced to take refuge in
dissimulation (taqiya).
Today when our brothers from the Ahle Sunnat look at the Shias,
they find their religion to be different from their own. And when
they ask their leaders about the Shias, years of prejudiced views
come pouring out. “They are infidels, polytheists, deviated people.
All their beliefs are wrong. Do not befriend them nor reply their
greetings. Do not read their books or debate with them otherwise
they will misguide you.” They wish to keep the Muslims away from
Shias just like their forbearers kept away from the Ahlul Bayt (a.s.).
Hatred for Ahlul Bayt (a.s.) forced them to struggle in the ocean of
false and unreliable traditions and all their efforts yielded nothing
except stones instead of pearls.
The Ahle Hadith are well aware of this fact. They feel embarrassed
to state that most of the traditions are false and lies. In order to
cover their embarrassment, they use the word „weak‟. In their
efforts to cover up the centuries old mistakes, they have
manipulated the laws of classifications of traditions. Anyway these
laws cannot be justified on the basis of Quran and practice of the
Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.). There are only two things, truth and
falsehood. There is nothing except hypocrisy between the two.
Either they should say that the tradition is correct or that it is false.
These terminologies of weak and strange (gharib) are
incomprehensible.
The Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) has prescribed the method for analyzing
the accuracy of the tradition in a very beautiful manner. In a very
famous tradition, the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) said to Jabir ibn
Abdullah Ansari “O Jabir, after me, many false traditions will be
fabricated and attributed to me. Beware! Do not be deceived by
them.” Jabir asked “O Prophet of Allah, how will we identify the
correct traditions?” He (s.a.w.a) replied “Look, compare the tradition
with the verse of Quran. If you find that its meaning coincides with
the Quran, accept it. And if it deviates even slightly from the
Quranic concept, throw it on the wall. It is false because I never say
anything until the divine order for it is revealed.”
How beautifully has the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) set up the standard
for judging the traditions! It is so simple that even an uneducated
person can apply it. If we apply it to the above mentioned tradition
itself, its reliability becomes evident. If it is compared with the
Quran, we will receive the reply.
َٝحُٛ٠ ٟ
ٌح
ْ َٚ ال
َ ِاَٛ ُ٘ ْ
ْ ِاََٜٛٙ ٌْ ٓ ا
ِعَ ك
ُغِ َٕ٠ َِبَٚ
„He does not say anything out of his own desire. Nay it is a
revelation which is revealed upon him.‟ (Surah Najm v 3-4)00
Ahle Hadith were not satisfied with this standard and they took it
upon themselves to set up a new system of laws of classification of
traditions. In this, they took recourse to conjecture and their carnal
desires. How accurate their system is can be known by applying it
to the above mentioned tradition. According to their system, this
tradition is weak. How unfortunate it is! They publish this tradition
in their books and then proudly claim that it is a weak tradition as
per their laws. (Silsila Ahadith Zaifa wal Mawzoo, V 3 h.1087)
This test clearly proves that their system has nothing to do with
religion.
This is the reason that when the Muslims set out in search of Islam
through these false and baseless traditions, they found nothing
except disputes.
ٌََِٝأَسْجٍَُىُُْ اٚ ُُْعِىُٚاْ ثِ ُشإَُٛاِْغَحٚ ِ اٌَّْشَافِكٌََِٝىُُْ ا٠ْ ِذ٠ََأٚ َُُْ٘ىُُٛجٚ ْاٍُِٛ اٌّصَالحِ فبغْغٌَِٝاْ اِرَا لُ ّْزُُْ إَُِٛ َٓ آ٠َِب اٌَزُٙ٠َب َأ٠
غزُُُ إٌِّغَبء
ْ َِ َْ الْٚ جَبء أَحَذٌ َِٕىُُ َِِّٓ اٌْغَبئِظِ َأٚ عَفَشٍ َأٍََْٝ عٚ َأََٝاِْ وُٕزُُ َِ ْشضٚ ْاَُٚشَٙجُٕجًب فَبع ُ َُُْاِْ وُٕزٚ ِٓ١َاٌْىَ ْعج
ٌََِٓـىٚ ٍْىُُ ِِّْٓ حَشَج١ٍَََجْعًََ ع١ٌِ ُذُ اهلل٠ُِش٠ ىُُ ُِِّْٕٗ َِب٠ِْذ٠ََأٚ ُُِْ٘ىُُٛجٛاْ ِثُِٛجًب فَبِْغَح١ّع
َ ذًا١ِاْ صَعََُّّٛ١اْ َِبء َف َزُٚفٍََُْ رَجِذ
َُْْٚىُُْ ٌَعٍََىُُْ رَشْىُش١ٍََزَُِ ِٔعْ َّزَُٗ ع١ٌَُِٚ َُُْشَوَُٙغ١ٌِ ُذ٠ُِش٠
O you who believe! when you rise up for prayer, wash your faces
and your hands as far as the elbows, and wipe your heads and your
feet to the ankles; and if you are under an obligation to perform a
total ablution, then wash (yourselves) and if you are sick or on a
journey, or one of you come from the privy, or you have touched the
women, and you cannot find water, betake yourselves to pure earth
and wipe your faces and your hands therewith, Allah does not
desire to put on you any difficulty, but He wishes to purify you and
that He may complete His favor on you, so that you may be
grateful.( Surah Maidah v 6)
„And wipe your heads with your hands and the feet too, along with
the ankles.‟ (We are giving only the relevant part of the verse which
has been altered and leaving out the whole verse for the purpose of
brevity)
Please read it carefully once more.
It is clearly written „wipe your heads with your hands and the feet
too, along with the ankles.‟
„and wipe your heads with your hands and ( wash) your feet too
along with the ankles.‟
It is most likely that by the next century they will do away with the
bother of putting the bracket and write directly „wash your feet‟.
Here are some examples of those who have taken the help of the
bracket and in the process have damaged the Quran:
„and wipe your heads and (wash) your feet up to the ankles‟
„And lightly rub your heads and (wash) your feet up to the ankles.‟
„And pass (wet) hands lightly over your head and (wash) your feet
up to the ankles.‟
„And wipe your heads and (wash) your feet to the ankle.‟
Yes! See how beautifully the whole world has been encompassed in
a bracket.
But the Saudi Government did not want to take the trouble of
putting this bracket and finally announced its decision to get rid of
it once and for all. Please note:
The English translation of the Quran „The Noble Quran‟ which has
been published by Dr. Muhammad Taqiuddeen Helali and Dr.
Muhammad Muhsin Khan from Darus Salaam Publication, Riyadh,
Saudi Arabia became popular and found wide acceptance among
the public. It had the translation with the bracket intact. Taking
advantage of its popularity, the Saudi Government reproduced it
along with some corrections based on their own beliefs in the name
of a translator, Umme Muhammad. They published it again through
Sahih International, Abul Qasim Publications and this time the
bracket was absent.
„wipe over your heads and wash your feet up to the ankles‟
„wipe your heads with wet hands and wash your feet to the ankles‟.
„Wipe your hands over your heads and wash your feet‟.
5) Shams Pirzadeh:
6) Ibn Kaseer:
„And wipe your heads and wash your feet up to the ankles‟.
„And rub your heads and your feet upto the ankles‟.
Hopefully it has become clear that those who are unprejudiced and
the non Muslims have translated the verse as it is, while our biased
friends have twisted it to suit their own beliefs.
METHOD OF WUDHU OF MUHAMMAD (S.A.W.A.) AND HIS
PROGENY (A.S.)
The method of wudhu of his progeny (a.s.) was the same as that
applied by Muhammad (s.a.w.a.). Their method is as follows:
Method of wudhu:
1) Wiping the whole head 2) wiping the ears 3) wiping the neck 4)
washing the feet.
1) Wiping the whole head: All Muslim scholars agree that wiping
a part of the head is obligatory as ordered by the Quran. “Then
wipe your head, a part of it.” Meaning one fourth portion.
According to Imam Abu Hanifa, it is one fourth portion and
according to Imam Shafei, it is the portion covered by four
fingers.(Fiqh al Sunnah pg 43) Modern scholars agree with
this. Imam Ahmad Raza Barelvi in his book „Malfuz-e- Kamil‟
states “Wiping one fourth of the head is obligatory and the
whole head is recommended”. Some of the Salafis also accept
it but a majority states that the whole head should be wiped (I
wonder why?) In the Sihah Sitta, the respected companions
and the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) have been seen wiping one
fourth of the head.
c) Jaffer ibn Amr ibn Umayyah Zamri quotes from his father
that he said “I saw that the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) used to
wipe over his turban and his socks. (Bukhari V 1 pg 187)
This tradition became the basis for washing the feet. The
majority has overlooked this little detail, „Who taught Abdullah
ibn Amr ibn Aas to wipe his feet? And why only the feet? Why
didn‟t he wipe his face and hands too, like tayammum? If
wiping is forbidden, who is responsible for this innovation?
Did people disobey the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) in his lifetime
itself? Abdullah was not alone in this error; his companions
also took part in it. The truth is that wiping the feet is correct
and the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) himself had taught it to them.
Abdullah and his companions were not in a hurry for any
reason. It is the translator of Bukhari and Muslim who has
included the bracket with the word „hurriedly‟ in it; otherwise
they were doing wudhu in the correct manner. Have we ever
found the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) ever do such a thing, give his
companions an order and himself act contrary to it?
Impossible! In fact, he was particular about acting upon the
laws so that the companions could be trained. Is it possible
that he (we seek refuge in Allah) disobeyed Allah? He used to
start articulating the commands as soon as they were
revealed. “O Prophet! Do not speak with the intention of
making haste in conveying. It is our responsibility to collect
and convey it” (Surah Qiyamah). Wherever Allah said “Say” to
him, he did not leave it out from the Quran.
After such care, such fear of God, can the Holy Prophet
(s.a.w.a.) do such a thing that he orders them to wash their
feet and himself just wipes them? There are innumerable
traditions mentioning him wiping on his feet and over his
socks. The point is not whether it is lawful to wipe over the
socks or not. It is proved that the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) did
not wash his feet, he only wiped them.
The truth is that this tradition was fabricated during the time
of Muawiyah in opposition of the Shias. There are many proofs
of it being false and a lie. Let us take a look at the tradition
which has been narrated with different words and under
different names.
THE TRADITIONS WHICH BECAME THE BASIS FOR WASHING
THE FEET.
1) Abdullah ibn Amr ibn Aas narrates “Once the Holy Prophet
(s.a.w.a.) lagged behind us in a journey. Then he met us when the
time for Asr prayers was running out. We were (hurriedly) wiping
our feet when he announced in a loud voice “Beware! The heels
will be destroyed by the fire of hell.” He did it two or three times.
(Bukhari V 1 pg 172, Muslim V 1 pg 377, Ibn Maja V 1 pg 155)
The truth is that this is religion. Yes, wiping the feet is religion but
a few unclean people spoilt it. As discussed before, the process of
collecting the traditions began in the second half of Hadhrat
Uthman‟s reign and the beginning of Muawiyah‟s rule. This was the
period when the companions had split into two groups. One group
which gave allegiance to Imam Ali (a.s.) and accepted him as the
fourth caliph and the other group which deserted Ali (a.s.) and gave
their allegiance to Muawiyah and came to fight at his side against
Ali (a.s.) in the battle of Siffeen. Among those persons to whom this
tradition has been attributed are Abdullah ibn Amr ibn Aas and
Abu Hurayra who joined the fold of Islam in the last stages. They
were in the company of the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) for a brief period
of not more than two or two and a half years.
ABU HURAYRA
Abu Hurayra arrived from Yemen after the battle of Khaybar and
accepted Islam. After the caliphate of Hadhrat Uthman, he paid
allegiance to Muawiyah who appointed him his governor in many
regions (Sarwar-e-Qaynat (s.a.w.a.) ke Pachas Sahabi pg 164). He
fabricated a mountain of traditions by the orders of Muawiyah.
After a lot of sorting and screening this number was brought down
to five thousand by Bukhari and Muslim. Finally they quoted only
half of them in their books and for fear of causing a riot, left out the
rest.
Abdullah ibn Amr ibn Aas was the son of Amr ibn Aas. Khalid ibn
Walid and Amr ibn Aas, both accepted Islam a little before Mecca
was conquered. (Sarwar-e-Qaynat(s.a.w.a.) ke Pachas Sahabi pg
346). All their life they fought against the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.).
After Hadhrat Uthman, he joined Muawiyah and fought against Ali
(a.s.) at Siffeen and raised the Quran on spears. Ali (a.s.) appointed
Muhammad ibn Abu Bakr the governor of Egypt. By the command
of Muawiyah, Amr ibn Aas attacked Egypt and killed Muhammad
ibn Abu Bakr.( Sarwar-e-Qaynat(s.a.w.a.) ke Pachas Sahabi pg
381). He stuffed the pieces of the dead body in a donkey‟s skin and
burnt it. (There is no sign of Muhammad ibn Abu Bakr‟s grave)
Then he himself took control of Egypt. Along with his son Abdullah,
he fabricated many traditions at the instigation of Muawiyah. Ali
(a.s.) was seen wiping his feet in wudhu in several traditions.
Therefore Muawiyah accumulated a heap of traditions against him
and tried his best to fix the idea of washing the feet instead of
wiping them. Other companions used to wash two or three times
but Muawiyah used to wash innumerable times so that it could be
established among the people.
If the tradition regarding the destruction of heels had been true, the
mother of believers would have immediately told him that wiping
over the socks is forbidden and she would never have instructed
him to go to Ali (a.s.) who used to wipe his feet in wudhu.
Five traditions have been related from Abdullah ibn Umar where it
is seen that he repeatedly, either wiped his feet or over his socks
instead of washing them. If the tradition of destruction of heels had
been from him, he would never have done it himself.
JABIR IBN ABDULLAH ANSARI
Jabir was the only companion who had a long life. He received the
honor of conveying the salutations of the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) to
his great grandson Imam Muhammad Baqir (a.s.). He always
remained close to the Ahlul Bayt (a.s.) and always wiped his feet in
wudhu. It is wrong to attribute the tradition of destruction of heels
to him.
1) Nezaal ibn Seerah narrates that he saw Imam Ali (a.s.) when
the time for Asr prayers approached, a vessel of water was
brought. He took a handful of water and washed his face and
hands and wiped his head and both feet. (Sunan Nisai V 1 pg
49)
2) Rabi Anha says that Ibn Abbas came to her and asked her
about the tradition in which the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) did
wudhu and washed his feet. Ibn Abbas said “People deny
everything except washing and I see only wiping in the Quran. (
Ibn Maja V 1 pg 156)
4) Saad ibn Abi Waqqas narrates that the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.)
said that there is no harm is wiping over the socks. ( Sunan
Nisai V1 pg 46)
7) Bilal narrates that the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) wiped over his
socks and his turban. ( Muslim V 1 pg 403)
9) Hadhrat Umar said that when you put your feet in the socks
and they are clean, then wipe over your socks. Abdullah asked
“What if we have come from the toilet?” He confirmed “Yes,
even then”. (Muta V 1 pg 28)
12) Abu Dawood writes that Ali ibn Abi Talib wipes over his socks
as well as Masood, Burad ibn Azib, Anas ibn Malik, Abu Amama,
Suhail ibn Saad and Amr ibn Hareeth and it is narrated by Umar
ibn Khattab and Abdullah ibn Abbas. (Abu Dawood V 1 pg 94)
Now what can be said about this fabricated tradition which states
“Save the heels from the hell fire”?
2) Then he mentions Qatada and says that he too agrees with Ibn
Abbas.
3) Then he announces that Abdullah ibn Abbas used to wipe his
feet.
Some of the Salafis have accepted the truth but the Allamah
calls this their „estimate‟ thereby lowering its value. He says
that the Salafis have mentioned this estimate which points to
wiping. In this way he implies they have made a mistake.
It is written in Tahzeeb and Al Kafi that Imam Jaffer Sadiq (a.s.) was
asked whether it was necessary to make the water reach under the
beard. He said “No.” Regarding the extent of face to be washed he
said “The area extending between the middle finger and the thumb,
from the part where the hairline begins up to the chin should be
covered and no other part is included in the face. Someone asked
him “Are the corners of the forehead included in the face?” He
replied “No. The rest of the areas should be wetted well and
anything which prevents the wetness from reaching the skin should
be removed. Wiping the head and feet over the cap or the socks is
not sufficient.” Imam Muhammad Baqir (a.s.) states that once Umar
ibn Khattab collected the companions of the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.)
among whom Imam Ali (a.s.) was also present. He began
questioning them about their opinion about wiping over the socks.
Mughira ibn Shaiba stood up and said “I have seen the Holy
Prophet (s.a.w.a.) wipe over the socks”. Imam Ali (a.s.) replied “The
book of Allah has superseded that. Surah Maidah was revealed two
or three months before the demise of the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.).”
The verses of Quran and the traditions of the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.)
prove that as per religious law, it is obligatory to wipe one fourth of
the head and the feet. These proofs have been presented by the
Shias for 1400 years and several books have been written on this
topic. The argument has been completed but the respected scholars
have refrained from putting it before the simple Muslims and
continued the practice of the view of the majority. The members of
this majority had their own compulsions as they had declared the
reliability of the narrators of the traditions of wudhu. If they
accepted that these traditions were false, weak or unreliable, many
of the traditions narrated by them would have come under the
shadow of suspicion. In consideration of this fear and to maintain
their respect, they remained silent and went on contradicting the
Quran. In the process their hearts became harder and harder and
they reached such a stage that finally, they fearlessly and recklessly
declared “Just as a verse of Quran abrogates the tradition, the
tradition of the the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) abrogates the verse of
Quran. After all the words of the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) are the
words of Allah.” There is no need to quote a reference for this
statement because this idea is present in all their writings.
Ahle Hadith follow the line of Allamah Ibn Kathir in saying “Masah
means slight washing which proves that the feet should be washed
in wudhu.”
If the majority has this mentality then we will have to bid farewell to
the religion. Actually the majority has been negligent in trying to
understand the religion, what is religion? The standing, sitting,
walking, stopping, speaking and worshipping; all the actions of the
the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) are religion itself. If the Muslims had
obeyed every action of the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) and not changed
it as they liked, there would have been no need for the revelation of
the Quran. We would have obtained the religion from him. But
Allah knew from the actions of the previous nations. He knew that
these Muslims would alter the practices of the Holy Prophet
(s.a.w.a.) and would come out of the religion like an arrow from the
bow. Therefore He revealed the Quran so that these rules could
remain till the end of the world.
ًِىُُْ عُُّشًا ِِّٓ َلجٍِِْٗ أَفَالَ رَعْم١َِالَ أَدْسَاوُُ ثِِٗ فَمَذْ ٌَ ِجثْذ فٚ ُُْْى١ٍََرُُٗ عْٛ ٍََْ شَبء اهللُ َِب رٌَٛ ًُْ شَبء لٌَٛ ًُل
Certainly the acts and practices of the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) are
religion itself. For thirty years of his life of propagation, he
performed wudhu five times a day at the time of prayers. He used to
also perform wudhu before night prayers and he always renewed
his wudhu after answering the call of nature, meaning he was
always in the condition of wudhu. This means that he did wudhu at
least seven times a day. In one year (360 x7) =2520 times and in
twenty three years (2520 x 23)= 57960 times. How astonishing! An
act which was performed by the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) at least
57960 times is not understood by the Muslims. Then what about
the remaining laws?
Ameen.
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ِ
References