Different types of ablution - wudhu, ghusl, tayammum

[Sadiyah]

Assalamo alaykum,

In the past, I’ve read (on how to make wudhu) and fixed my wudhu to the best of my ability. However, I learned to perform ghusl without any proper evidence and was always somewhat confused. I thought I’d look it up again for clarification, so that I can do it properly. While at it, I thought I might as well share it with others, so that it could be of use to them. I also came across the proper method of doing wudhu and tayammum as well, so I thought I’d share that as well.

This will be long and I apologize for it.

** Wudhu: **

With regard to how wudoo’ is to be done, there are two ways.

1 – Obligatory parts of wudoo’, which are as follows:

(i) Washing the face completely once, which includes rinsing the mouth and nose.

(ii) Washing the arms up to the elbows, once.

(iii) Wiping the entire head, including the ears.

(iv) Washing the feet up to ankles, once.

What is meant by once in all the above is that the entire part of the body mentioned must be washed thoroughly.

(v) This must be done in order, so one washes the face first, then the arms, then wipes the head, then washes the feet, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did wudoo’ in this order.

(vi) This must be done continuously, i.e., the parts of the body must be washed one after the other with no lengthy interruption between washing one part and the next.

These are the obligatory parts of wudoo’ which must be done in order for wudoo’ to be sound.

The evidence for these obligatory parts of wudoo’ is the aayah in which Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“O you who believe! When you intend to offer As-Salaah (the prayer), wash your faces and your hands (forearms) up to the elbows, rub (by passing wet hands over) your heads, and (wash) your feet up to the ankles. If you are in a state of Janaaba (i.e. after a sexual discharge), purify yourselves (bathe your whole body). But if you are ill or on a journey, or any of you comes after answering the call of nature, or you have been in contact with women (i.e. sexual intercourse), and you find no water, then perform Tayammum with clean earth and rub therewith your faces and hands. Allaah does not want to place you in difficulty, but He wants to purify you, and to complete His Favour to you that you may be thankful” [al-Maa’idah 5:6]

2 – Mustahabb parts of wudoo’. These were narrated in the Sunnah of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), the details of which are as follows:

(i) You must have the intention of purifying yourself and removing impurity. The intention should not be spoken out loud for its place is in the heart. This applies to all acts of worship.

(ii) You should say Bismillaah.

(iii) Then you should wash your hands three times

(iv) Then you should rinse your mouth three times, swirling the water around inside your mouth, and rinse your nose three times, blowing the water out and using the left hand to remove the water from your nose.

(v) You should wash you face three times, from the hairline to the jawbone and chin, and from ear to ear. A man should wash the hair of his beard because it is part of the face. If his beard is thin he has to wash it inside and out, and if it is thick and covers the skin, he should wash the surface of it only and run his wet fingers through it.

(vi) Then he should wash his arms up to the elbows three times. The arm extends from the fingertips, including the nails, to the lower part of the upper arm. It is essential to remove anything stuck to the hands before washing them, such as dough, mud, paint, etc, that could prevent the water from reaching the skin.

(vii) Then after that he should wipe his head and ears once with fresh water, not the water left over from washing his arms. The way in which the head is to be wiped is that you put your wet hands at the front of your head and bring them to the back of your head, then bring them back to the place where you started. Then put your index fingers in your ears and wipe the back of the ears with your thumbs. With regard to a woman’s hair, she should wipe it whether it is loose or braided from the front of her head to the roots of the hair at the nape of her neck, but she does not have to wipe the entire length of her hair.

(viii) Then you should wash your feet three times up to the ankles, namely the bones at the bottom of the leg.

The evidence for that is the hadeeth narrated by Humraan the freed slave of ‘Uthmaan, who said that ‘Uthmaan ibn ‘Affaan (may Allaah be pleased with him) called for water to do wudoo’. He washed his hands three times, then he rinsed his mouth and nose, then he washed his face three times, then he washed his right arm up to the elbow three times, then he washed his left arm likewise. Then he wiped his head, then he washed his right foot up to the ankle three times, then he washed his left foot likewise. Then he said, “I saw the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) doing wudoo’ as I have done it, then the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, ‘Whoever does wudoo’ as I have done it, then prays two rak’ahs in which he focuses completely on his prayer, his previous sins will be forgiven.’” (Narrated by Muslim, al-Tahaarah, 331)

The conditions of wudoo are: being Muslim, being of sound mind, having reached the age of discernment and having the intention of doing wudoo’. Wudoo’ is not valid on the part of a kaafir, an insane person, a small child who has not yet reached the age of discernment or one who does not have the intention of doing wudoo’ because his intention is to cool himself down, for example. The water must also be pure (taahir), for impure (naajis) water cannot be used for wudoo’. One must also remove anything that could prevent water from reaching the skin and nails, such as nail polish.

It is prescribed to say Bismillaah according to the majority of scholars, but they differ as to whether it is obligatory or Sunnah. If one remembers to say it, it may be said either at the beginning of wudoo’ or during it.

**There is no difference between men and women in the way wudoo’ should be done. **

It is mustahabb to say, when one has completed wudoo’: “Ashhadu an laa ilaaha ill-Allaah wahdahu laa shareeka lah, wa ashhadu anna Muhammadan ‘abduhu wa rasooluhu (I bear witness that there is no god except Allaah alone with no partner or associate, and I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allaah),” because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “There is no one among you who does wudoo’ and does it properly and does it well, then he says, ‘Ashhadu an laa ilaaha ill-Allaah wahdahu laa shareeka lah, wa ashhadu anna Muhammadan ‘abduhu wa rasooluhu,’ but the gates of Paradise will be opened to him and he may enter through whichever of them he wishes.” (Narrated by Muslim, al-Tahaarah, 345). A report narrated by al-Tirmidhi adds: “Allaahumma ij’alni min al-tawwaabeena wa’j’alni min al-mutatahhireen (O Allaah, make me one of those who repent and make me one of those who purify themselves).” (al-Tahaarah, 50; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh Sunan Abi Dawood, no. 48)

See al-Mulakhkhas al-Fiqhi by al-Fawzaan, 1/36)

And Allaah knows best.

Ref: Description of wudoo’

[Fret_Wizard]

Re: Different types of ablution - wudhu, ghusl, tayammum

Interesting.

[Sadiyah]

Re: Different types of ablution - wudhu, ghusl, tayammum

Decription of Ghusl:

Praise be to Allaah.

If you are referring to the ritual bath of ghusl, then the answer is as follows:

Al-Bukhaari reported in al-Saheeh (248) from ‘Aa’ishah that when the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did ghusl to purify himself from janaabah (impurity following intercourse), he would start by washing his hands, then he would do wudoo’ as for prayer, then he would dip his fingers into the water and make the water reach the roots of his hair, then he would pour water over his head three times, scooping the water up with both hands, and then he would pour water over his entire body.

Al-Haafiz said in al-Fath (1/248): “… he would start by washing the parts of the body ordinarily washed in wudoo’ in order to honour them, and so as to include both kinds of purification, the minor and the major…”

Al-Haafiz also said (1/362): “Al-Bukhaari also understood this to mean that it is waajib when making ghusl to purify oneself from janaabah to wash oneself once, and that the one who does wudoo’ with the intention of making ghusl and then washes the rest of his body does not have to repeat his wudoo’ if he does not do anything to break it [e.g., pass wind, etc.]”

Ibn Qudaamah said in al-Mughni (1/217): There are two ways of making ghusl to purify oneself from janaabah, one of which is sufficient, and the other is the perfect way. What al-Khiraqi mentions here is the perfect way. Some of our companions said: the perfect way includes ten things: the niyyah (intention), saying ‘Bismillah…’ (In the name of Allaah…), washing the hands three times, washing away whatever dirt is there, doing wudoo’, pouring water over the head three times making sure that it reaches the roots, pouring water over the rest of the body, starting on the right side, rubbing one’s body with one’s hand and moving from the place where one has done ghusl in order to one’s feet. It is mustahabb to make sure that the water reaches the roots of the hair on one’s head and beard before pouring water over them. Ahmad said: Ghusl to purify oneself from janaabah should be done in the manner described in the hadeeth narrated from ‘Aa’ishah, who said: ‘When the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did ghusl to purify himself from janaabah (impurity following intercourse), he would start by washing his hands three times, then he would do wudoo’ as for prayer, then he would run his fingers through his hair until he thought the water had reached his scalp, then he would pour water over his head three times, scooping the water up with both hands, and then he would wash the rest of his body.’ (Agreed upon). Maymoonah said: ‘The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did wudoo’ to purify himself from janaabah, then he poured water on his hands and washed them two or three times, then he poured some water from his right hand into his left, and washed his private parts, then he struck his hand on the floor or wall two or three times, then he rinsed his mouth and his nose, and washed his face and forearms, then he poured water on his head, then he washed his entire body, then he moved slightly and washed his feet. Then I brought him a cloth, but he did not want it, and he started to wipe the water away with his hands.” (Agreed upon). A lot of the requirements (of ghusl) are listed in these two hadeeth. Beginning on the right is important because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) liked to always start on the right when purifying himself. According to a hadeeth narrated from ‘Aa’ishah, when the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did ghusl to purify himself from janaabah, he would call for something like a milking-vessel, and he would take some water in his hands, then he would start with the right side of his head, then the left. Then he would take some water in his hands and start pouring it over his head.” (Agreed upon). With regard to washing the feet after doing ghusl, there was some dispute as to what Ahmad actually said. According to one report, he said, ‘I would rather wash them (the feet) after doing wudoo’, because of the hadeeth of Maymoonah.’ According to another report, he said, ‘We should act according to the hadeeth of ‘Aa’ishah, which says that he did wudoo’ for prayer before doing ghusl.’ And Allaah knows best.

He said: “If he does ghusl once and makes water reach every part of his head and body, and does not do wudoo’, that should be sufficient if he rinses his mouth and nose and has the intention to do ghusl and wudoo’, but in this case is not doing that which is better.”

What is mentioned here is what is sufficient, but the perfect way is preferable, which is why he said “he is not doing that which is better” i.e., if he does no more than that, this is sufficient even though he is not doing what is perfect and preferable. The phrase “has the intention to do ghusl and wudoo’” means that ghusl is sufficient for both if he has the intention for both. This is what was stated by Ahmad. Another opinion was also narrated from him, which is that ghusl is not sufficient for wudoo’ unless he does wudoo’ either before or after ghusl. This is also one of the two opinions of al-Shaafa’i, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did that, and because both janaabah (major impurity) and hadath (minor impurity) are present, and purification from both is required.

Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“… approach not al-salaah (the prayer) when you are in a drunken state until you know (the meaning) of what you utter, nor when you are in a state of janaabah (i.e., in a state of sexual impurity and have not yet taken a bath) except when travelling on the road, till you wash your whole body…” [al-Nisa’ 4:43]

So the lack of ghusl has been made the factor that prevents a person from praying, and if a person has done ghusl, he has no reason not to pray. Both are acts of worship of the same type. In ghusl a lesser type is incorporated in a major type, as ‘umrah is incorporated in Hajj.

Ibn ‘Abd al-Birr said: The one who does ghusl to purify himself from janaabah, if he does not do wudoo’ but he makes water reach every part of his body, he has done what is required of him, because Allaah has enjoined upon the one who is in a state of janaabah to do ghusl, not wudoo’, when He says (interpretation of the meaning): “… if you are in a state of janaabah (i.e., had a sexual discharge), purify yourself (bathe your whole body.” [al-Maa’idah 5:6]. This is the consensus of the scholars and there is no dispute among them; they are agreed that it is mustahabb to do wudoo’ before doing ghusl, in emulation of the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and because this reinforces and perfects ghusl.

And Allaah knows best.

**Ref: **Is it necessary to do wudoo’ before doing ghusl for making oneself pure (tahaarah)

Based on this, women who find it difficult to wash their heads when doing ghusl from janaabah should be told that it is sufficient for them to pour over their heads three times so that the water reaches all of the hair, without them having to undo their braids or change anything of the hairstyle that it would be difficult to change. They should also be told about the great reward that they will have from Allaah and the good consequences and pleasant life that they will enjoy forever in Paradise if they are patient in adhering to the rulings of sharee’ah.

But in the case of things that cover the skin that a person needs in the case of a broken limb or injury, it is permissible to wipe over them when doing both ghusl and wudoo’, because this is a case of necessity, and there is no time limit in this case, so long as there is a need for that. Jaabir narrated a hadeeth about a man who suffered a head wound, and the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) ordered that a piece of cloth be placed over his wound and he should wipe over that, then wash the rest of his body. This was narrated by Abu Dawood in his Sunan.

Ref: How should a woman wash her hair when doing ghusl from janaabah?

A few more that I came across while looking up material on ghusl:
How to do ghusl from janaabah

Description of Islamic Ghusl (Complete Body Ablution)

[lollypop_man]

Re: Different types of ablution - wudhu, ghusl, tayammum

fret, you just realized you havent been doing wudoo or ghusal properly all your life.... didnt you?

join the club... thanks sadia.

[Sadiyah]

Re: Different types of ablution - wudhu, ghusl, tayammum

Description of Tayammum:

 Praise be to Allaah.   

Al-Bukhaari and Muslim narrated the hadeeth of ‘Ammaar ibn Yaasir describing tayammum. Al-Bukhaari narrated it in a number of places in his Saheeh. One of these reports (no. 347; 1/455 of Fath al-Baari) says: “ ‘It would have been sufficient for you to do this’ – then he struck the palms of his hands on the ground, then dusted them off, then wiped the back of each hand with the other, then he wiped his face with his hands.” 

Abu Dawood (317; 1/515 of ‘Awn al-Ma’bood) narrated it with the same isnaad as al-Bukhaari, apart from the shaykh of al-Bukhaari (Muhammad ibn Salaam), instead of whom he mentioned Muhammad ibn Sulaymaan al-Anbaari, of whom al-Haafiz said in al-Taqreeb (2/167): he is sadooq (truthful). This version of the report says: “He struck his hands on the ground and dusted them off, then he struck his right hand with his left hand, and his left hand with his right hand, then he wiped his face.” 

Al-Haafiz mentioned in al-Fath (1/457) that al-Ismaa’ee’li narrated it with the wording: “It would have been sufficient for you to strike your hands on the ground, then dust them off, then wipe your right hand over your left and your left hand over your right, then wipe your face.” 

Al-Shanqeeti said in Adwa’ al-Bayaan (2/43): “This hadeeth of al-Bukhaari states that the hands should be wiped before the face.” 

Shaykh al-Islam said in al-Fataawa (21/423): “The report of al-Bukhaari clearly shows that the back of the hand should be wiped before the face. The fact that in another report he said ‘the back of the hand’ indicates that he wiped the back of each with the palm of the other.” He also said (21/425:  “But the report which was narrated only by al-Bukhaari shows that he wiped the backs of the hands before the face.”

(See al-Fataawa, 21/422-427) 

Based on this, the way in which tayammum is done is to say Bismillaah with the intention of doing tayammum, then strike the ground once with the palms of the hands, then wipe the back of the right hand with the palm of the left, and the back of the left hand with the palm of the right, then wipe the face with both hands. Then the same du’aa’s that are recited after wudoo’ should be recited after tayammum. And Allaah knows best. 

May Allaah bless our Prophet Muhammad.

Ref: Description of tayammum

Conditions for tayammum:

 What we have said about wudoo’ applies also to ghusl. You have to wash your body and whatever you can of your face, as well as doing tayammum. 

It says in Zaad al-Mustaqni’: Whoever has been wounded may do tayammum for that part, and wash the rest. End quote. 

i.e., if a person has been wounded and cannot wash the site of the wound, then he should do tayammum for that, and wash the rest of his body that is healthy. 

The basic principle concerning that is that if a person is wounded or burned in a part of the body that is washed in wudoo’, or has some sickness there, such cases fall into four categories: 

1 – When it is uncovered and washing it will not harm it. In that case it is obligatory to wash it.

2 – When it is uncovered and washing it will harm it but wiping it will not. In that case he must wipe over it.

3 – When it is uncovered and both washing and wiping will harm it. In that case he should do tayammum for that part, and wash the other parts.

4 – When it is covered with a dressing etc that is essential. In that case he should wipe over the covering, and do the rest of his wudoo’, and not do tayammum. 

Fataawa Arkaan al-Islam by Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen, p. 234. 

Shaykh Ibn Baaz (may Allaah have mercy on him) was asked about a person who did wudoo’ but his hand was injured and could not be washed with water, and he forgot to do tayammum for it and prayed. He said: If there is a wound in one of the places that must be washed in wudoo’, that cannot be washed or wiped because that will lead to the injury being made worse or a delay in recovery, then this person must do tayammum. If a person does wudoo’ and misses a spot because of a wound, and starts to pray, then during the prayer he remembers that he did not do tayammum, then he should do tayammum and repeat his prayer, because what he did of prayer before doing tayammum is not valid… End quote from Majmoo’ Fataawa al-Shaykh Ibn Baaz, 10/197. 

Ref: He is suffering from a skin disease on his lips – how should he do wudoo’?