KUALA LUMPUR: A Malaysian company has invented a machine it says will help Muslims purify themselves before prayers without excessively wasting water.
The ornate, green-colored machine comes with automatic sensors and basins to curb water usage during wudu, an Arabic word used to describe the act of washing the face, arms and legs before prayers.
The wudu, or ablution, rite precedes the five daily prayers Muslims are obligated to perform. There are more than 1.7 billion Muslims in the world, with the majority in Africa and the Middle East where water supplies are scarce.
The firm, AACE Technologies is counting on rich countries in these two regions to snap up the machines that will be available in the next six months and cost $3000-$4000 a piece.
“Normal Wudu, an individual uses about 8-10 litres of water, whereas this machine only using 1.3 litres of water. So, water saving itself is the motivational factor for people to adopt this system rather than the conventional method of doing wudu, where there’s a lot of water wastage,” AACE Chairman Anthony Gomez told reporters at the product launch of the ablution system in the Malaysian capital late on Thursday (January 28).
The device, which also emits recorded Koranic verses and is 1.65 meters (5 ft 4.96 in) tall, only uses 1.3 liters (0.3 gallons) of water compared to the conventional methods, which usually involve leaving faucets running for the duration of the washing ritual, which can last for several minutes, Gomez said.
He added that the machine could save around forty million litres of water a day during Wudu rites during the Haj, referring to the annual three-day Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca.
Muslims heading for prayers in mainly Muslim Malaysia had mixed feelings about the high-tech, but pricey, invention.
“Water per litre in Malaysia is cheap, compared to other countries, so it still not worthwhile to have this good machine, but very expensive,” said a malaysian office worker, Aminuddin.
But a tourist from neighbouring Singapore, which has scarce water supplies, said the machine could help conserve resources and protect the environment.
“Nothing is impossible. Of course we are trying ways and means to new products, those that can save mankind, those that can save nature,” Azman Mohamed Noor said.
The Gulf city of Dubai has shown interest in acquiring the product for its airport, Gomez said, adding that the machine took two years to develop at the cost of $2.5 million.
Gomez says AACE wants to also target mosques and offices with new models that can be wall mounted.
Muslim washing rite goes hi-hech with Wudu Washer - GEO.tv
To view the picture of the Wudu Washer…view link.