THE REALITY OF WUDHU

Author

By Ibn Haider

Translation

By Sayyeda Tanveer F.Rizvi

 CONTENTS

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

In the name of Allah the Beneficent the Merciful

َُْٛ‫صَبوُُ ثِِٗ ٌَعٍََىُُْ َرزَم‬َٚ ُُْ‫ٍِِٗ رٌَِى‬١ِ‫عج‬

َ َٓ‫غجًُ َ َفزَفَشَقَ ثِىُُْ ع‬
ُ ٌ‫اْ ا‬ُٛ‫َالَ َرَزجِع‬ٚ ُُٖٛ‫ًّب فَبَرجِع‬١ِ‫غزَم‬
ْ ُِ ِٟ‫َأََْ َ٘ـزَا صِشَاع‬ٚ َ

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.

(Sura An‟am 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.
ٍَُّْْٛ‫َع‬٠ َ‫ْ وَبَْ آثَب ُإُُْ٘ ال‬ٌََٛٚ‫ِْٗ آثَبءَٔب َأ‬١ٍََ‫َجَ ْذَٔب ع‬ٚ ‫غُجَٕب َِب‬
ْ َ‫ا ح‬ٌُٛ‫يِ لَب‬ُٛ‫ اٌشَع‬ٌَِٝ‫َا‬ٚ ُ‫ َِب أَٔضَيَ اهلل‬ٌَِٝ‫ْاْ ا‬ٌَٛ‫ُُْ رَعَب‬ٌَٙ ًَ١ِ‫َاِرَا ل‬ٚ
َُْْٚ‫زَذ‬ْٙ َ٠ َ‫َال‬ٚ ‫ئًب‬١ْ ‫ش‬
َ

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.

The truthful believers should remain committed to the two precious

things (thaqalain), the Book of Allah and the Prophet‟s 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
 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 the
traditions 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
don‟t we collect all the correct traditions in one book? This way we
can 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
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 a
mercy‟. 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 his
will…

“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.
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)

 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 kurta
pyjama, 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 on
the 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 man‟s 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, I‟ll
try.” Then I said to myself, why not visit this world Ijtema?
On arriving at Kalyan station, I saw a surging crowd of people,
dressed in white caps. Seeing this, I felt very happy. For a moment,
I was reminded of Arafah and Mina. On one side, there was a row of
stalls for doing wudhu. On the other side were the toilets. There
was a huge tent, presumably for prayers and the speeches. On both
sides of the tent, there was a row of small stalls. I immediately
headed in that direction, to have a cup of tea to refresh myself after
the long journey and then go in search of my friends. I hadn‟t
finished the tea when the adhan was called for the Zuhr prayers.
Hordes of people rushed towards the stalls for doing wudhu. I, too,
began to head in the same direction. At the stalls, each tap had a
queue of fifteen to twenty people waiting their turn. One of the taps
was free. On inquiry, I found out that it was not working. I
tampered with it and discovered that if I kept its knob pressed down
on one side, it would sputter into motion. But it needed to be
pressed down continuously. I thought, “Why not serve the people
and do a good deed?” Leaning on a pipe, I pressed down the knob of
the tap and motioned to the people to proceed with their ablutions.

A few people jumped in my direction. The first of them was a callow

youth. His manner indicated that this was the first time that he was
attending such a gathering. He washed both his feet thoroughly,
then washed his face, gargled and put water in his nostrils, making
a strange sound. Then he washed both his hands and passed them
over his head. Then standing up, he pulled out a cap from his
pocket, put it on and walked away. I was wondering- has he done
wudhu? Or washed his hands and face? Anyway, I didn‟t want to
involve myself with him. Then another man came up. He first
thanked me very politely and began to do his ablutions thoroughly.
While washing his face, he took water in his cupped palm and
splashed it on his face and then another handful and splashed it
under his beard. In this way, he used six handfuls of water. After
washing both his hands, he took another handful of water and
poured it backwards over his arms. I was extremely surprised but
because this man was elderly, I couldn‟t 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 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?

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
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 been
washed 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 don‟t 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 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.

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 wudhu

so 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)
THIRD 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:

Humran narrates that Hadhrat Uthman asked for a vessel of water.

Then he put water thrice, on both his hands and washed them and
then he out his right hand into the vessel and gargled and put
water in his nostril then he washed his mustache thrice, then said
“I have seen the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a) perform wudhu in this way.”
(Muslim V 1 pg 367)

SUMMARY:

In the above mentioned traditions, Hadhrat Uthman has been

shown performing wudhu in four different ways. In the first
method, he first washed his arms thrice up to the upper part of his
arms then gargled and put water in his nostrils once. Then he
wiped only his head (not his ears). In the second method, he did not
wash his hands thrice and washed only his right hand once. He
gargled and put water in his nostrils thrice. He ended his wudhu
with the wiping of his head and ears (and didn‟t wash his feet). In
the third method, he washed his arms up to the upper parts of his
arms only once (not thrice) and did not wipe his ears and washed
his feet only once. In the fourth method, he gargled and put water
in his nostrils only once (not thrice). He forgot to wash his arms up
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:
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 didn‟t. 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 the
fourth 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)

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 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:

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 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.

ABU HURAYRA‟S METHOD OF 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 :

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 reached
the 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 pg
376, 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
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
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. In

the 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. In
the 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.
 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
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.

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
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:

The maximum traditions about wudhu have been narrated from

Hadhrat Uthman (r.a.), Abdullah ibn Abbas (r.a.), Abu Hurayra,
Abdullah ibn Umar, Abdullah ibn Zaid, Mughirah ibn Shoba etc.
These men have never mentioned such a wiping and neither did
they ever take a handful of water under the chin and wipe the beard
with it. If this really was the custom of the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.)
then why did these elders remain deprived of it?

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)

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 it
on his private parts. (Abu Dawud V 1, pg 96)

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.

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 can‟t be called wudhu. We
will have to give it some other name. Now what should we reply to
the people ?

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.

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.
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 gargling
and 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
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.
 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.
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 Shab‟i, 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.
 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
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.

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 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”

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 this
environment that Zuhri, a companion of the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.)
came from Medina to Damascus (the capital of Muawiyah‟s
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 “Are you all right? Why are you crying?” Anas
replied “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 “There are prayers.”
He replied “Even in 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, 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)

Didn‟t 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 the
people!

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
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 this
tradition, 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 clearly
demonstrates 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 been
buried 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)
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 he
shows 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
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 “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.

1-MAULANA ASHRAF ALI THANWI‟S 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 flow
from 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 ear
with 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
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. Can‟t the
teeth be brushed before wudhu? Doesn‟t brushing in between result
in a gap between the actions of wudhu? And doesn‟t its
performance in the middle of the wudhu imply its being essential
for it? Actually it is recommended and gargling by circulating water
in the throat is not seen in the traditions. Doesn‟t such an action
cause discomfort to those in the vicinity? Isn‟t 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 season
can 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? 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?

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 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.).

SUMMARY: Ahmad Sahab has greatly emphasized saying Bismillah

but 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
taken under the chin, simultaneously combing through the hair of
the beard. Then the right hand should be washed up to the elbow
thrice and the left hand too should be washed thrice, along with
wiping between the fingers. If wearing a ring, it should be moved
around. Then the head should be wiped in such a way that both
hands should be drawn from the front of the head to the nape of the
neck. Then they should be drawn back to the starting point. Then
the ears should be wiped by putting the forefingers in the hole of
the ear and wiping the back of the ear with the thumbs. There is no
need to take fresh water for wiping the ears. Then first the right foot
then the left foot should be washed up to the ankles. Then the feet
should be wiped between the toes. Wiping of the neck is not
established.

SUMMARY: Mukhtar Ahmad Nadwi Sahab has also neglected to

mention making intention. He uses one handful of water for both
gargling and putting in the nostrils, meaning he completes both
actions in just three handfuls. He wipes through the beard while
washing the face. He also wipes between the fingers and toes. He
deems it forbidden to wipe the neck.

4-METHOD OF WUDHU OF MAULAVI ABDUL MUN‟IM NAZIR

SAHAB

Maulavi Sahab is related to the Shafei school of jurisprudence. His

book „Taleem al Deen‟ has been published by Saifi Book Agency. He
has explained wudhu in the following way:

The method of wudhu is this, first make intention that I am

performing wudhu in order to purify myself and for validating my
prayer, then say Bismillah and then wash his hands from the upper
arm. Then brush the teeth and if it is not available, he should clean
with his finger. Then he should gargle thrice and along with
gargling, he should put water in the nostrils. Then he should wash
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. Can‟t the teeth be washed before wudhu?
Like Ashraf Ali Thanwi Sahab, he has made a gap between the
actions 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 AL

HADDAD

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 Uthman‟s 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.
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 sprinkle
water 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
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 given

importance 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 Mun‟im 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 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.

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 they
strike them.

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.

9) Washing the hands: All agree on washing three times. Thanwi

Sahab, Nadwi and Abdul Mun‟im 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 should
be rubbed properly or the wudhu will be invalid.

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

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 wudhu
he 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 the
people 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 reliable
men. They were full of differences. So what can you expect from the
common people? Can they perform the correct wudhu?
 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 the
future 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
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
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, Muslim
and 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 didn‟t 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.
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 intention

in 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 is

written in reliable books that if one forgets to say Bismillah he
should say it whenever he remembers it. Who gave them the
right to say „There is no harm in it‟? Don‟t 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 before
it.‟ (Abu Dawud V1 pg 72) Abu Said Khudri narrates „The Holy
Prophet (s.a.w.a.) said „If a 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 has
decided 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
 after reading the whole of Abu Dawud twice, I could not find
this statement anywhere. Neither have they mentioned the
hadith number nor the page number, they have just written
the name of the book. Why is this group playing with the
sentiments and faith of the people? There is wiping between
the fingers while washing the arms up to the elbows not while
washing up to the wrists. I have not seen this kind of wiping
mentioned anywhere. Not even in Abu Dawud. There are two
doubts in this. Either the person who has compiled this
wudhu is an ignorant person or they think that they are very
smart in presenting a new wudhu in front of the people. It
would not be right to excuse it as a mistake. What kind of joke
is this?

4) 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- It is recommended to be excessive in the matter
of gargling and putting water in the nostrils. The best mention
of this excess is by Imam Ahmad Raza which we are bringing
here. „ 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, thrice he should put water in his
nostrils till it reaches the soft flesh inside as this too is the
established practice.‟ Abu Hurayra narrates that the Holy
Prophet (s.a.w.a.) said „When any of you does wudhu, he
should put water in his nose and blow it.‟(Abu Dawud V1 pg
86) In order to make it clear for the people, they have given
pictures in the poster. In one picture they show a man sitting,
wearing slippers. His left hand is placed on his thigh and he is
gargling and putting water in his nose with his right hand. In
another picture he is striking his nose with his left hand. This
made it clear that while gargling, only one hand (right) can be
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 both
actions, 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 person
who 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?
5) Then he should wash the face thrice. 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 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 the
fingers, “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
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).

A majority of traditions confirm wiping one fourth of the head

but until today, no scholar, traditionalist or jurist has
specified 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 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). There is never a contradiction in the
laws of the Quran. The laws which are contradictory are not
part of religion. Till today, this group has not been able to
decide whether the wiping of the neck is recommended or
forbidden. This shows that this law is just conjecture and
nothing else.

9) Then he should wash the right foot up to the ankles, thrice.

While washing both feet he should wipe between the toes. Let
me give the translation of the Quranic verse once again, “then
wipe some part of your head and your feet up to the ankles.”
There is no mention of washing the feet here. But it is the
order of obeying the majority that they should be washed. It is
written in Ibn Abi Layla, “The companions have all agreed
upon washing of the feet.” Fat‟hul Bari has explained that the
companions, Hadhrat Ali, Ibn Abbas and Anas have been
found wiping the feet instead of washing them. We will discuss
this further in the coming pages.

It was not my aim to criticize, condemn or blame anyone. I

have taken this step only in search of the true wudhu, of
which I found the people to be deprived of. It is not only the
 common people, even the scholars have been affected by this
and are unable to describe the correct wudhu. What is the
reason for this confusion? Let us ask the Quran.

REASON FOR DISAGREEMENT

A small but important matter like the correct method of wudhu

could not be solved even though the Sihah Sitta, the four Imams
and the modern scholars were consulted for it. The simple reason
for this is that Muslims began referring to dubious characters for
religious information instead of seeking it from the Quran and the
Ahlul Bayt (a.s.). Ignoring those whom the Quran had ordered to
refer in important religious matters, Muslims submitted themselves
to those who could not distinguish between a male and female
camel.

WHO SHOULD BE REFERRED TO?

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.

‫ًٍب‬٠ِ‫غَٕخِ اهللِ َرجْذ‬

ُ ٌِ َ‫ٌََٓ رَجِذ‬ٚ ًُْ‫ْا ِِٓ َلج‬ٍََٛ‫َٓ خ‬٠ِ‫ اٌَز‬ِٟ‫عَٕخَ اهللِ ف‬
ُ

“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)

Therefore, in keeping with His practice, before calling back His

beloved Prophet to Himself, Allah appointed a select group of his
servants to protect His religion and complete the argument upon
the people. Allah has indicated towards this fact in various verses
and cautioned the people saying “Beware! I myself will chose the
successors and no one else has the right to do it.”

He states:

َ ‫ َش ُح‬١َ ‫خ‬
ِ ٌْ ‫ ُُ ا‬ُٙ ٌَ ْ
َ ‫خزَب ُس َِب وَب‬
ْ ٠َ َٚ ‫شَآء‬٠َ ‫ك َِب‬
ُ ٍُ‫خ‬
ْ ٠َ ‫ه‬
َ ‫ َسُث‬َٚ

“And your Lord creates and chooses whom He pleases; to choose is

not theirs (right)” (Surah Qasas v 68)

Allah has mentioned the chosen ones along with their

characteristics in several places in the Quran.

‫عجَب ِدَٔب‬
ِ ِِْٓ ‫َٕب‬١ْ ‫َٓ اصْغَ َف‬٠ِ‫ْ َس ْثَٕب اٌْ ِىزَبة اٌَز‬ٚ‫ثَُُ َأ‬

َ “Then We gave the Book for an inheritance to those whom We

chose from among Our servants” (Surah Fatir v 32)

‫ًب‬١‫عجَب ِدَٔب َِٓ وَبَْ رَ ِم‬

ِ ِِْٓ ُ‫سِس‬ُٛٔ ِٟ‫جَٕخُ اٌَز‬
َ ٌْ‫رٍِْهَ ا‬

“This is the garden which We cause those of Our servants to inherit

who guard (against evil).”(Surah Maryam v 63)

َُْٛ‫َ 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

“And among men is he who sells himself to seek the pleasure of

Allah; and Allah is Affectionate to the servants.”(Surah Baqarah v
207)

ٍُِِْْٙ‫َٓ ِِٓ َلج‬٠ِ‫عزَخٍَْفَ اٌَز‬

ْ ‫ اٌْؤَسْضِ وََّب ا‬ِٟ‫ُُ ف‬َٕٙ‫غزَخٍِْ َف‬
ْ َ١ٌَ ِ‫ا اٌّصَبٌِحَبد‬ٍَُِّٛ‫َع‬ٚ ُُْ‫ا ِِٕى‬َُِٕٛ ‫َٓ آ‬٠ِ‫َعَذَ اهللُ اٌَز‬ٚ

“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.

ِ‫ اهلل‬ٌَِٝ‫ُٖ ا‬ُٚ‫ْءٍ فَشُد‬ٟ‫ش‬

َ ِٟ‫عزُُْ ف‬
ْ َ‫ األَِْشِ ِِٕىُُْ فَبِْ َرَٕبص‬ٌِْٟٚ‫َُأ‬ٚ َ‫ي‬ُٛ‫اْ اٌشَع‬ُٛ‫ع‬١ِ‫َأَع‬ٚ َ‫اْ اهلل‬ُٛ‫ع‬١ِ‫اْ أَع‬َُِٕٛ ‫َٓ آ‬٠ِ‫َب اٌَز‬ُٙ٠‫َب َأ‬٠
‫ال‬٠ِٚ‫َأَحْغَُٓ رَ ْؤ‬ٚ ٌ‫ْش‬١‫خ‬
َ َ‫خِشِ رٌِٰه‬٢‫َِْ ا‬ٛ١َ ٌْ ‫َا‬ٚ ِ‫َْ ثِبهلل‬ُِِٕٛ ْ‫يِ اِْ وُٕزُُْ ُرئ‬ُٛ‫َاٌشَع‬ٚ

“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.

ٍ‫ًَْ ِِٓ ُِذَوِش‬َٙ‫َغَ ْشَٔب اٌْمُشْآَْ ٌٍِزِّوْشِ ف‬٠ ْ‫ٌََمَذ‬ٚ

“And certainly We have made the Quran easy for remembrance, but
is there anyone who will mind?” (Surah Qamar v 17)

ٍََُّْْٛ‫اْ َأًَْ٘ اٌزِّوْشِ اِْ وُٕزُُْ الَ رَع‬ٌَُٛ‫َْ فَبعْؤ‬

“…so ask the People of the Remembrance if you do not know”

(Surah Nahl v 43)

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

“Nay! These are clear communications in the breasts of those who

are granted knowledge; and none deny Our communications except
the unjust”. (Surah Ankabut v 49)

ِٟ‫ْ اَِِبٍَ ُِج‬ٟ‫َٕبُٖ ِف‬١ْ ‫ّص‬

َ ‫ح‬
ْ ‫ْءٍ أ‬ٟ‫ش‬
َ ًَُ‫َ و‬ٚ ْ

“We have given knowledge of everything to an evident Imam.”

(Surah Yasin v 12)

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)

WHO ARE THESE CHOSEN ONES

It is obvious that the question uppermost on everyone‟s minds is:

Who are these chosen ones of Allah? The ones who are sometimes
called „possessors of Authority‟, sometimes „friends of Allah‟ (Awliya
Allah), sometimes „people of remembrance‟, sometimes „firmly rooted
in knowledge‟ and at other times, He calls them „Possessors of
wisdom‟ and „ Evident Imam‟. Who are these servants whom Allah
has declared „heirs of the Book‟, „heirs of the earth‟ and „heirs of
paradise‟ and even promised them that He will make them the
inheritors of the earth and its Caliphs, just as He made those before
them? These are the righteous servants who sold their souls and
obtained the pleasure of Allah in return and these are the ones who
will be kept far from the fire of hell. They are those upon whom
Allah has bestowed His favors and ordered the Muslims to pray at
least five times a day, to be guided towards their path.

َٓ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

„Allah only desires to keep away the uncleanness from you, O

people of the House! And to purify you a (thorough) purification.‟
(Surah Ahzaab v 33)

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.)

History is witness to the fact that Arabia was living in a state of

ignorance before the advent of the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.). They
buried their daughters alive, did not distinguish their wives from
their mothers, used to indulge in bloodshed at the drop of a hat. If
someone‟s camel happened to feed in the field of another man, a
battle would ensue which would go on for several generations. It
was not an easy task to proclaim „There is no God except Allah‟ in
such an environment. It is a well documented fact that the Ahlul
Bayt (a.s.) had a major role in all the battles fought for the
preservation of Islam. In all the battles, Badr, Uhud, Khaybar and
Khandaq, there was no family in Mecca which did not have a
member who had been killed by Ali (a.s.).Besides this family
enemity, there was the individual hatred for him. When each tribe
feared to shoulder the responsibility of killing of the Holy Prophet
(s.a.w.a.), Abu Sufyan gathered chiefs of forty tribes and planned to
eliminate him. They surrounded Mecca and forced the Holy Prophet
(s.a.w.a.) to flee from there. It was Ali (a.s.) alone who faced all of
them. Later people began to enter the folds of Islam group by group,
willingly or unwillingly. It was part of their ingrained nature that
their hearts were filled with malice against Ali (a.s.). The Imam bore
the brunt of this all his life. This concealed hatred and enmity was
exposed at the time of the last Hajj. When the Holy Prophet
(s.a.w.a.) reached the plains of Ghadeer, in the sweltering heat, he
raised Ali (a.s.) on his hands and proclaimed “Of whomsoever I am
the master, Ali is his master”. In spite of this, the Muslims refused
to accept the mastership of Ali (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”.

Yes! Please keep this scenario in mind.

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).

When the task of documentation of traditions began in this

environment, no one dared to quote a single tradition from the
Ahlul Bayt (a.s) for it would earn death instead of rewards of gold
coins. The tradition from Imran ibn Haseen shows people could not
speak openly against the wrongdoings. He says “You have done
what you have done.” He could not speak up against the
innovations prevailing among them. This is the reason that there
are very few traditions from Ahlul Bayt (a.s.) in Sihah Sitta.
 LOSS DUE TO REFUSING TO REFER TO THEM

The gravity of the crime of refusing to refer to Ahlul Bayt (a.s.) is

such that till today, Muslims continue to pay the price for it.
Religion had been changed in the time of Bani Umayya and after
them, it became an established precedent for the rulers to compel
the lawmakers to give rulings on the basis of their commands. For
example, when Harun Rashid became caliph, he was attracted to a
slave girl belonging to his father and expressed his desire to her.
The slave girl replied that she could be lawful for him since his
father had indulged in intercourse with her. Harun‟s desire for her
increased and calling the judge Abu Yusuf, he asked him to find a
way to make the slave girl lawful for him. The judge replied “How
can the statement of the girl be accepted. Don‟t pay heed to her.
She is probably lying.” (Tarikh Khulafa pg 114)

Observe how religion had become a plaything in the hands of the

caliphs. This process of distortion of the religion reached such a
stage that a vast difference was seen between the religion of the
Ahlul Bayt (a.s.) and other sects. Whatever little resemblance
remained became the victim of prejudiced jurists. Any position or
belief which was held by the Shias was declared as strictly out of
bounds for them. For example dissimulation is widely practiced by
all but not accepted as lawful because it is among the prevalent
Shia practices. They accept the permissibility of recitation of two
prayers at one time but do not act upon it as it would be similar to
the Shia way. They accept the requirement of an Imam of the
mosque who is just, but in beliefs they have done away with the
need of leadership and justice because this is a Shia belief. Today
they advise against mourning and crying over a dead person
because it is a legacy of the Shias. Although they agree that wearing
a ring is a prophetic practice, they keep their fingers bare because
every Shia wears a ring. They do not say that the Shia method of
wudhu is wrong but out of obstinacy, they are still searching for a
different method. Thus they have turned the religion upside down.

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.

ALLAH‟S COMMAND REGARDING WUDHU

ٌَِٝ‫َ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)

The method of wudhu prescribed by Allah in the Quran describes

four acts only, in which two parts are to be washed and two are to
be wiped. After this, the method of tayammum has been shown, in
which only those two parts are to be wiped which had been ordered
to be washed in wudhu. This proves that in wudhu it is obligatory
to wash only the face and the hands and to wipe the head and the
feet.

The method of wudhu of the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) described in

Sunan ibn Maja shows him washing only two parts. Ibn Abbas
narrates : The Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) used to wake up in the nights
and go to the toilet. After that he used to wash his face and hands.
(Ibn Maja V 1 pg 168). Now since the compilers of the traditions did
not like the method of wudhu of Ahlul Bayt (a.s.) and their
followers, they decided to devise a new method of wudhu which
distinguishes them and preferred to wash their feet instead of
wiping them and conjured up dozens of traditions to prove it. But
they could not change the Quran because the Almighty Allah had
already declared “I have revealed the Quran and I am its guardian”

On the basis of Jabir‟s tradition, washing the feet is contrary to the

orders of the Quran. Therefore the scholars began to tamper with
the translation of this verse. This translation has remained the
same as it had been revealed, for 1200 years. Then they gradually
began to alter its meaning. They proceeded for this in a very slow
and systematic manner.

UNMASKING THE PLOY

The translation and commentary by Maulana Ashraf Ali Thanwi

Sahab, „Bayan al Quran‟ whose first edition was published in 1335
A.H. by Taj Publishers, Delhi, gave the translation of this verse as
follows:

„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.‟

This truth must have stung the scholars, so they cleverly

manipulated the translation in such a way, that today the same
book of Thanwi Sahab and the same Taj Publishers contains the
word wash in brackets. Please note:

„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:

1) The former principal of „Taleem-e- Quran School‟ in Lahore, Hafiz

Nazar Ahmad Sahab. His translation of the Quran was published by
Farid Book Depot, Delhi in 1987.

„and wipe your heads and (wash) your feet up to the ankles‟

2) The translation of Abdullah Yusuf Ali Sahab was published in

1989 by Abdul Karim Naik, the father of Zakir Naik.

„Rub your heads (with water) and (wash) your feet‟.

3) Pickthall‟s translation by Muhammad Marmaad „ The meaning of

the Glorious Quran‟ published by Asia Book Corporation of
America, New York in 1979.

„And lightly rub your heads and (wash) your feet up to the ankles.‟

4) Muhammad Asad Sahab who was born in Germany and lived in

Saudi Arabia, India, Pakistan and America and finally died in
Spain, his translation of the Quran was published by Darul
Andalus, Gibraltar in 1980.

„And pass (wet) hands lightly over your head and (wash) your feet
up to the ankles.‟

5) Professor Muhammad Hasan Qaribullah who is the former

principal of Umme Durman Islamic University published a
translation by the name „The meaning of the Glorious Quran‟ in
2001

„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‟

In the beginning of this translation, the publishers have added a

note and explained that this was actually the same „The Noble
Quran‟ by Muhsin Khan Sahab but it is being republished by Sahih
International along with some corrections.
The reason for writing this note is obvious. This grand scheme of
the Saudi Government impressed the scholars and encouraged
them to be decisive and bold and all of them fearlessly got rid of the
bracket. And why not? When the lawmakers themselves play truant
the criminals have a field day.

Today whichever translations of the Quran are available, very few

have retained the bracket. The rest come without the bracket, some
of which are shown below:

1) Muhammad Farooq Azam –Houston, America:

„wipe your heads with wet hands and wash your feet to the ankles‟.

2) Rushd Khalifa- Tucson, America:

3. Wipe your heads and 4. wash your feet to the ankles

3) Ahmad Raza Sahab Barelvi

„And wipe your heads and wash up to the ankles‟.

4) Abul Ala Maududi Sahab:

„Wipe your hands over your heads and wash your feet‟.

5) Shams Pirzadeh:

„Wipe your heads and wash your feet up to the ankles‟.

6) Ibn Kaseer:

„And wipe your heads and wash your feet up to the ankles‟.

Now we will present the translations of those who have no

connection with the faith of the Ahlul Bayt (a.s.) but have kept the
verse just as it has been revealed.

1) Muhammad Ahmad, Literat 1994 Canada:

„Rub/ wipe your heads and your feet to the two joints/ankle bones‟.

2) M.H. Shakir-Tahrike Tarseele Quran-New York, America:

„And wipe your heads and your feet to the ankles‟.

3) Shabbir Ahmad QXP Galaxy Dastak:

„Lightly rub your heads and your feet to the ankles‟.

4) Free minds- Info Progressive Muslim Organisation 2002

„And wipe your heads and your feet to the ankles‟.

Now some translations from non-Muslims are being presented:

1) Mister J. M. Rodwell (1981) The Guttenburg Press Project.

„And wipe your heads and your feet to the ankles‟.

2) Mr. George Sale-1937:

„And rub your heads and your feet upto the ankles‟.

3) Mr. A. J. Arbury- 1955 George Allen and Anon Limited, Cairo,

Egypt:

„And wipe heads and your feet up to the ankles‟.

4) Mr.Naseem Joseph Dawood- M.J. Dawood- 1956 Iraq:

„And wipe your heads and your feet to 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:

Before starting wudhu, first Bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem should

be said. Then both hands should be washed twice up to the wrists,
and then water should be taken in the right hand for gargling three
times. Similarly water should be taken and put in the nose, thrice.
Then he should make intention „I am doing wudhu for removing
uncleanliness and making prayers permissible, as an obligatory act,
for the nearness to Allah.‟ If wudhu is not being performed for
prayers, he should say „I am doing wudhu for removing
uncleanliness, seeking the nearness of Allah.‟ He can make the
intention aloud or in his heart, but it is obligatory to do it. Then he
should put one handful of water on his face (with the right hand)
and wash, starting from the forehead up to the chin lengthwise and
breadth wise from the place where the ear grows, one side to the
other. (Putting water on the face once, is obligatory, twice is
recommended and thrice is forbidden). After this, taking water in
the left hand, the right hand should be washed from a little above
the elbow to the tips of the fingers. The hands should be rubbed
over the arm to make sure no part remains dry. Along with this, the
hand should to be passed between the fingers. The left hand should
be washed in the same way with the right hand. (Washing the
hands once is obligatory, twice is recommended and thrice is
forbidden) After this the head should be wiped once, taking the
fingers from the crown of the head towards the hairline. After this
the right foot should be wiped with the right hand and the left foot
with the left hand, once, wiping from the toes up to the ankle. Each
act should be accompanied by recitation of salutations on
Muhammad and his progeny (s.a.). If the skin under the beard is
not visible, it is not necessary to make the water reach the skin;
otherwise the water should reach it.

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN MUHAMMAD (S.A.W.A.) AND HIS

PROGENY AND THE COMPANIONS.

The difference between the wudhu of Muhammad (s.a.w.a.) and his

progeny (s.a.) and the wudhu of the companions lies in the following
actions.

1) Wiping the whole head 2) wiping the ears 3) wiping the neck 4)
washing the feet.

We will discuss each of these one by one.

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.

a) Anas ibn Malik narrates that he saw the Holy Prophet

(s.a.w.a.) do wudhu and he took his hand under the turban
and wiped towards the front and did not loosen the turban.
( Abu Dawood V 1 pg 88)

b) Mughirah ibn Shoba narrates that the Holy Prophet

(s.a.w.a.) did wudhu and wiped over his forehead and his
turban. In another narration, he is seen wiping over his
socks and his forehead over the turban.(Abu Dawood V 1 pg
90)

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)

d) It was conveyed to Malik that Jabir ibn Abdullah Ansari was

asked about wiping on the turban, he advised to refrain
from it and wipe the hair with the wet hand.(Muta V 1 pg
37)

e) Maulana Wahid-uz-Zaman says in Fawaid Muta, “It is in

Masfi that it has been proved by the tradition of Muslim
that the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) wiped his forehead,
including the turban while he was travelling, when it was
troublesome to loosen the turban and it is recommended to
wipe over the turban. (Muta V 1 pg 38)

f) Ibn Mughirah narrates from his father that he said “the

Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) performed the wudhu and wiped
over his socks and his turban. (Tirmidhi V1 pg 83) In this
 chapter Maulana Wahid-uz-Zaman writes “Ammar ibn Yasir
asked Jabir ibn Abdullah Ansari about wiping over the
turban, he replied that the head should be wiped over the
short hair.

The above mentioned traditions prove that wiping part of

the head is obligatory. The narrators differ about whether it
is correct to wipe over the turban or only the forehead
should be wiped, but it is clear that wiping not the whole
head but only one fourth part of it is correct.

2) Wiping the ears: The majority of the scholars have decided on

the necessity of wiping the ears based on assumption,
although there is disagreement about the tradition relating to
wiping of the ears. (Disputed matters are beyond the scope of
religious law). It is written in Fiqh al Sunnah that the tradition
of Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) “Ears are part of the head” is weak,
but it becomes acceptable because it has been quoted very
frequently ( Fiqh al Sunnah 47). The same thing has been
stated by Maulana Wahid-uz-Zaman who writes “Both ears are
part of the head” If this is correct, it will prove that it is
sufficient to wipe only the head not the ears, but this is
against the majority view.”( Fawaid Muta 37) Thus Maulana
has accepted that it is enough to wipe only the head, leaving
out the ears but then reverts and says “but the majority have
acted contrary to this”, meaning they have declared it
obligatory to wipe the whole head. There is only one reason for
this, that numerous traditions have been narrated about
wiping the whole head. This means that if a lie is repeated
often enough, declaring that “it is true! it is true!, then it will
become the truth. How should it be explained to the Maulana
that even if something is true in the eyes of the people, it will
be a lie in front of Allah. Imam Nawwi has confirmed the same
concept in the commentary of Muslim, he writes “Some
narrators remembered and the others forgot. Thus the one
 who narrated more will be accepted because majority is more
reliable” (Muslim V 1 pg 365) Imam Nawwi too has declared
that „Obey Allah and obey the Messenger then obey the
majority‟. On the contrary the Quran clearly states „The
majority is always wrong‟. The respected scholars do not
accept this and believe that majority view is correct even if it
contradicts the Quran.

3) Wiping the neck: Imam Ahmad Raza Sahab Dehalvi writes

“Wiping the neck is innovation”. The Salafis also state “Some
people wipe their necks with the back of their hands after
wiping their ears. This is an innovation”. It is written in Fiqh al
Sunnah that “It is not proved from the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.)
that wiping the neck is permissible although some of the
companions confirm it. Some of the Salafis believe it is
recommended, but most of them consider it an innovation.
The Malikis and Hanbalis as well as some of the Shafeis,
consider it undesirable (makrooh) while some of the latter take
it to be a prophetic practice. As per the Hanafis it is prophetic
practice to wipe the ears and neck without taking water again
( Fiqh al Sunnah 48) In brief, 1400 years have passed but
these groups have not been able to decide whether it is
recommended, undesirable or an innovation! Even today those
who swear by their loyalty to Muawiyah wipe their necks.

Another reason for this obstinacy is that the majority want to

keep aloof from the ways of the Shias. When the Shias
followed the Ahlul Bayt in wiping part of their heads in
wudhu, their opponents wished to do it differently. They
wanted to avoid any similarity to the Shias so they went to the
extremes of wiping the whole head including the ears and the
neck. It is an old habit with them to act contrary to the Shias.
An example of this is Shah Abdul Aziz Muhaddis Dehalvi, he
writes in his book Tohfa Ithna Ashar “The word Shia has
actually been used for the leaders and followers of the
 prophets from Adam (a.s.) to the last prophet (s.a.w.a.). Since
the Sunnis did not want to be like them they adopted the title
of „Ahle Sunnah wal Jamaat‟. He further writes “It should also
be known that originally, the Shias were a group of Sunnis.
When the Rafidhis took over this name, these Sunnis fearing
the blurring of distinction between righteous and false
abandoned this name and took on the title of „Ahle Sunnah
wal Jamaat‟ (Tohfa Ithna Ashar 20).

Not only this, there are innumerable examples of this in the

books. In brief, the majority made extreme efforts to maintain
a distinct identity totally different from the Shias, even if it
meant going against the Quran. Thus religion was distorted to
such an extent that today the Shia and Sunni faiths are as
different from each other as the opposite poles.

4) Washing of the feet: This act is also a result of prejudice. The

Quran says „wipe a part of your head and your feet‟. It is
totally beyond understanding why the majority agreed to wash
the feet instead of wiping them and presented the following
tradition as justification which is narrated from different
occasions with different words.

It is narrated from Abdullah ibn Amr ibn Aas “The Holy

Prophet (s.a.w.a.) was lagging behind us while travelling and
we finally met when the time for Asr prayers was running out.
We (hurriedly) wiped our feet when the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.)
called out in a loud voice “Beware! The fire of hell will destroy
your heels” He repeated this, two or three times.( Bukhari V 1
pg 172, Muslim V 1 pg 377)

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.

Is it not a sin to act in contravention to the Quran? If it is true

that wiping will be the cause of destruction of the heels from
the hell fire, then what is the position of those companions
who wiped their feet in wudhu along with the Holy Prophet
(s.a.w.a.)? This does not concern only a few companions. There
is a long list of companions who used to wipe their feet,
whether over feet or socks or anything else. And what about
the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.)? There are more accounts of him
having wiped his feet than of washing 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)

2) Abdul Rahman ibn Abu Bakr visited mother of the believers,

Aisha, on the day Saad ibn Waqqas died. He did wudhu and she
said “O Abdul Rahman, complete your wudhu. I heard the Holy
Prophet (s.a.w.a.) say, there is destruction of the heels from the
hell fire.”(Muslim V 1 pg 376, Muta V1 pg 28, Ibn Maja V 1 pg
155)

3) It is narrated from Abdullah ibn Umar that “We returned to

Medina from Mecca along with the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) . We
found water at a place on the way. It was time for Asr prayers.
People began to perform wudhu hastily. When we reached him,
our heels were dry as water had not reached them. Then the Holy
Prophet (s.a.w.a.) said “There is destruction for the heels from the
hell fire.”(Muslim V1 pg 377, Ibn Maja V1 pg 154, Sunan Nisai V
1 pg 42)

4) Abu Hurayra saw some people performing wudhu. I said to them

“Complete the wudhu, as I have heard Abul Qasim say there is
destruction for the heel from the hell fire.” (Muslim V1 pg 377,
Ibn Maja V 1 pg 155, Sunan Nisai V 1 pg 41)
5) It has been narrated from Jabir ibn Abdullah Ansari that
“Hadhrat Umar told me that a man performed wudhu and left a
spot on the feet, dry. When the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) saw him,
he said “Go and do wudhu properly.” That man returned and
then came back and prayed.” (Muslim V 1 pg 378, Ibn Maja V 1
pg 155)

After reading these traditions a question arises: It is said about

the greatness of the companions that they used to wait for the
revelations, for a new command to arrive and as soon as it came,
they all used to sincerely act upon it. It was enough if Allah or
the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) instructed them only once. Then why
did the companions persist in wiping the feet? The Holy Prophet
(s.a.w.a.) cautioned them, “Heels will be destroyed by the hell
fire” and the companions too repeated this very often. In spite of
this people continued wiping the feet. Hadhrat Umar kept
stopping the people, his son Abdullah ibn Umar kept stopping
the people, Abu Hurayra and Abdullah ibn Amr ibn Aas too kept
stopping the people. The Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) left this world
and the religion was complete. After this, when Abdul Rahman
ibn Abu Bakr went to visit mother of believers Ayesha on the
occasion of death of Saad ibn Abi Waqqas, he wiped his feet while
doing wudhu. The mother of believers scolded him, didn‟t the
companions know the religion, till the end?

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

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.

Now three persons remain. 1) Hadhrat Ayesha 2) Abdullah ibn

Umar 3) Jabir ibn Abdullah Ansari. All these persons are innocent.
Taking advantage of their closeness to the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.)
and their fame, Muawiyah forged traditions and attributed them to
these persons. The proof of this is that the traditions about washing
the feet have been quoted from the same persons.

MOTHER OF BELIEVERS, AYESHA

Hadhrat Shareeh ibn Hani narrates “I asked Hadhrat Ayesha about

the period permitted for wiping over the socks. She said “Come to
Ali (a.s.) and ask him because he knows more than me.” I went to
Ali (a.s.) and asked him. He replied “the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) used
to permit for one day and night in the home city and three days and
nights while travelling.” (Sunan Nisai V 1 pg 48)

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.

ABDULLAH IBN UMAR

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.

A brief look at them demonstrates how the traditions were distorted

and changed. We would have accepted it, if it had not contradicted
the Quran. Now we will present those traditions in which the feet
are wiped instead of being washed. It does not matter whether they
mention wiping over feet or socks; the aim is to show contradiction
of washing the feet.
 TRADITIONS REGARDING WIPING THE FEET

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)

3) Jurair ibn Abdullah narrates that he did wudhu and wiped

over his socks. The people asked “Are you wiping over your
socks?” Jurair said “I have seen the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.)
wipe over the socks. The people like this tradition of Jurair
very much because He had accepted Islam a short time before
the demise of the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) ( Sunan Nisai V 1 pg
45)

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)

5) Mughira ibn Abi Shoba narrates that the Holy Prophet

(s.a.w.a.) needed to answer the call of nature; Mughira went
with him carrying a vessel of water and poured water for him.
When he finished he performed wudhu and wiped over his
socks. (Sunan Nisai V 1 pg 46)
 6) Abdullah ibn Amr ibn Aas narrates that the Holy Prophet
(s.a.w.a.) lagged behind us on a journey. Then he caught up
with us when the time for Asr was short and we (hurriedly)
wiped our feet. ( Bukhari V 1 pg 172)

7) Bilal narrates that the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) wiped over his
socks and his turban. ( Muslim V 1 pg 403)

8) Burayra narrates that on the day the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.)

conquered Mecca, many prayers were said with one wudhu and
we wiped over the socks. (Muslim V 1 pg 404)

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)

10) Nafe says that Abdullah ibn Umar urinated in the

market and then he performed wudhu. He washed his face and
hands and wiped his head, then he was called for funeral
prayers. When he reached the masjid, he wiped over his socks
and prayed over the corpse. (Muslim V 1 pg 94)

11)Hamam narrates that Jurair wiped over both his socks. (

Muslim V 1 pg 397)

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)

A glance at the above mentioned traditions clearly shows that

wiping and washing the feet in wudhu is lawful. Besides these
traditions, there are narrations in many books from companions of
the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.), the followers (tabeyeen) and those
who succeeded them ( tabe tabeyeen) considered it lawful to wipe
over the feet and the socks. Maulana Wahid-uz-Zaman writes in
Abu Dawood “The majority of scholars have considered wiping over
the socks to be correct” Then he further writes “It is narrated from a
group that Hasan Basri said “Seventy people from the companions
of the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) told me that he used to wipe over his
socks. Hafiz ibn Hijr writes in „Fat‟hul Bari‟ “A group of narrators
have directly stated that wiping of socks by the Holy Prophet
(s.a.w.a.) has been proved consecutively. Some scholars counted
upto eighty narrators. In which Ashra and Mubashshra are
included. Wiping over the socks ahs been established through
successive, highly respected companions. Even those companions,
who do not confirm it, do not contradict it either. Hadhrat
Mughirah ibn Shoba narrates that the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) did
wudhu and wiped over his socks and shoes. (Abu Dawood,
Tirmidhi, Ibn Maja )

Now what can be said about this fabricated tradition which states
“Save the heels from the hell fire”?

Allama Ibn Kathir writes:

It is narrated from Ibn Abbas that in wudhu, two parts are to be

washed and two are to be wiped. Hadhrat Qatada has also narrated
the same thing. It is narrated in Ibn Abi Hatim from Abdullah that
the verse mentions wiping of the feet. Ibn Alqama, Abu Jaffer
Muhammad ibn Ali and one narration from Hadhrat Hasan, Jabir
ibn Zaid and one from Mujahid state the same thing. Hadhrat
Akrama used to wipe his feet. Shobi states that, the order for wiping
has come through Hadhrat Jibrael. It is also narrated from him that
“Don‟t you see that those parts which are washed in wudhu have
been wiped in Tayammum and those parts which are wiped in
wudhu are left out in tayammum? Aamir was asked “People say
that Hadhrat Jibrael brought the order for washing the feet.” He
replied “Jibrael brought the order for wiping.”

Another implication of the verse is as follows- „wa arjolohum‟ where

laam is applied with a zer and this is the same implication taken by
Shoba through which he proves his claim that wiping the feet is
obligatory. According to him, this conjunction with heads joins it
with its order of wiping. Some early scholars have also claimed such
things which lead to the order of wiping. Thus Ibn Jurair states that
Musa ibn Anas asked Hadhrat Anas in the presence of the people,
“Hajjaj has given a sermon in Ahwaz and while elaborating the
commands of cleaning and wudhu, he said that wudhu includes
washing of the face and hands and wiping the head and washing
the feet. Usually the feet become dirty, so wash the soles and the
upper part of the foot and especially the soles”. Hadhrat Anas
replied “Allah said the truth and Hajjaj is a liar. Allah says “then
wipe your heads and feet.” Hadhrat Anas had the habit of fully
wetting the feet when he wiped them. He has also narrated that the
Quran has commanded to wipe the feet. (Tafseer Ibn Kathir-Surah
Maidah)

PREJUDICE OF ALLAMAH IBN KATHIR

Allamah Ibn Kathir is connected with the Ahle Sunnah. Since he

himself believes in washing the feet, when the truth became
apparent in his own words, he is disturbed and indulges in
manipulation of the terms and implies that wiping in wudhu
actually means washing. Let us read his statement once more and
expose his evil intentions.

1) He mentions the first tradition from Ibn Abbas and declares

that in wudhu two things should be washed and two should
be wiped.

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.

4) He relates that Ibn Alqama, Abu Jaffer Muhammad ibn Ali,

Hazrat Hasan, Jabir ibn Zaid and Mujahid used to wipe their
feet.

5) He asserts that Hazrat Akrama used to wipe his feet.

6) He reveals Shobi‟s secret that he used to wipe his feet.

7) He narrates from Amir that Jibrael had brought the command

for wiping the feet.

After accepting these facts, he twists the words in order to

turn the matter towards a favorable direction. He states that
“as per the Shias, the word „arjolokum‟ is joined with laam and
therefore means „wiping‟. Actually it is accurate as per Arabic
syntax, but instead of accepting it, he adds the phrase „as per
the Shias‟ so that people do not conclude that Ibn Kathir also
agrees with it.

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.

Finally he heads towards his goal. First he mentions the fact

that Anas had called Hajjaj a liar and recited the verse of the
Quran to prove that it is wrong to wash the feet in wudhu and
it is obligatory to wipe them. Then he adds one sentence from
his side that “It was the habit of Anas to soak the feet
completely while wiping them.” The purpose of quoting this
statement will become apparent in a little while.

First he mentions that Anas used to soak his feet completely

then he interprets this to mean that wiping means soaking the
feet which is like a slight washing. This proves that wiping the
feet means actually washing them. (Ibn Kathir- Surah Maidah)

Glory be to Allah! If such a highly respected commentator can

go to such extremes then what will be the state of the writings
of those who bear enmity against Shias. The more a scholar
spouts venom against the Shias the more he is praised and
exalted. Are the Shias to be blamed for doing every thing as
per the orders of the Quran? Is it their fault that they have
always referred to Muhammad (s.a.w.a.) and his progeny and
no one else?

Commentators consider as reliable, those people who were

present at the time of revelation of Surah Maidah or joined the
ranks of the Muslims after that, although it is just an excuse
to keep away from the Ahlul Bait (a.s.). Surah Maidah was
revealed in the last days of proclamation, between Mecca and
Medina at the time of the Farewell Haj. It includes the verse „O
Prophet! Proclaim what has been revealed to you…..‟ It also
includes the verse which declares that religion has been
perfected, „Today religion has been perfected.‟ Commentators
are unanimous that this verse was revealed at the time of the
Farewell pilgrimage. The same Surah contains the verse of
wudhu and people are still confused about the occasion of its
revelation. They ignored the previous events of the Holy
Prophet‟s (s.a.w.a.) life. The verse of wudhu was revealed two
or three months before the end of his blessed life, twenty three
years of which were spent in propagation of religion. Did the
Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) not ever do wudhu in the previous
twenty two years and nine months? If he did, then what
method did he follow? Only those who were very close to him
can reply this question. The truth is that this religion is the
religion of Ibrahim (a.s.). The Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) did
wudhu just as Ibrahim (a.s.) used to do.
It is narrated from Ibn Umar that the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.)
performed wudhu and said “My wudhu and the wudhu of
Ibrahim (a.s.) is the same.”(Sunan Ibn Maja V1 pg 147).
Obviously, in order to find out this wudhu people will have to
refer to those who are „deeply rooted in knowledge‟ (rasikhuna
fil ilm), who are „people of remembrance‟ (ahle zikr), who are
possessors of wisdom (ulul albab)

If anyone wants to enquire about any verse of the Quran, Allah

says ٍََُّْْٛ‫اْ َأًَْ٘ اٌزِّوْشِ اِْ وُٕزُُْ الَ رَع‬ٌَُٛ‫ فَبعْؤ‬. “Ask the people of
remembrance if you do not know.” The past generations have
made a great mistake. Leaving these people they have referred
to Abu Hurayra, Amr ibn Aas and Mughira ibn Shoba and
became deprived of the religion of Ibrahim.
INTERPRETATION OF VERSE REGARDING WUDHU BY AHLUL
BAYT (A.S.): A BRIEF LOOK

Maulana Maqbool Ahmad Sahab quotes Al Kafi in his translation of

the Quran that Imam Muhammad Baqir (a.s.) was asked to
demonstrate the wudhu of the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.). The Imam
asked for a vessel of water, then putting his right hand into it he
took a handful of water and put it on his blessed face and washed
it. Then putting his left hand into it, he took another handful of
water and put it on his right wrist, washing from the elbow to the
fingers, in such a way that his hand moved from the upper part of
the hand towards the lower part and not from the lower part
towards the upper part. Then he put his right hand in the water
and taking a handful put it on his left wrist and washed the left
hand in the same way as he had washed the right hand. Then he
wiped the head and both feet with the wetness present in his
hands. He did not take any fresh water for this purpose. Then he
said “The Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) did not reach under the straps of
his sandals for wiping.” The translator notes: Sandals (nalain)
among the Arabs refers to footwear which consists of a sole and a
strap between the big toe and other finger and a strap for fastening
the heel. Thus when the tradition mentions that the Holy Prophet
(s.a.w.a.) did not reach under the straps it refers to the strap
between the big toe and other finger.
This is the wudhu commanded in the Quran, two parts to be
washed and two parts to be wiped. The rest of the acts, washing the
hands up to the wrists, gargling and putting water in the nostrils,
all are among the recommended acts.

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.).”

Mother of believers, Aisha is quoted as saying “I consider it better to

wipe on the backs of wild camels than to wipe on the socks. The
Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) never had socks except the one pair which
Najashi the king of Ethopia had presented to him which were open
from the top of the feet. When the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) wiped his
feet while wearing them, people thought that he had wiped over the
socks.”

Tahzeeb has a tradition about Imam Muhammad Baqir being asked

about the phrase ُُْ‫َأَسْجٍَُى‬ٚ ُُْ‫عِى‬ُٚ‫اْ ثِ ُشإ‬ُٛ‫ اِْغَح‬whether arjulukum has a zer or
a zabar he replied that it has a zer. The writer of Kafi states that
even if it had a zabar, the meaning of wiping would be concluded
because there is a conjunction after the word „head‟.

Imam Muhammad Baqir (a.s.) was asked regarding wiping of the

feet, he said that Jibrael had brought this command. Imam Jaffer
Sadiq (a.s.) said “Some people spend sixty, seventy years and Allah
does not accept their prayers.” He was asked “How does this
happen?” He replied “It may be because he washes the place that
Allah has ordered to be wiped.”
 CONCLUSION

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.

I am astonished at how the enmity of Imam Ali (a.s.) has brought

them to such a point that they have even dared to oppose Allah. Tell
me honestly, if the Quran can be abrogated by a tradition then the
following declaration by Allah would be meaningless:

ُْٛ‫َِأَب ٌَُٗ ٌَحَبفِّظ‬ٚ َ‫ِأَب َٔحُْٓ َٔضَ ٌَْٕب اٌزِّوْش‬

„Surely We have revealed the remembrance (Quran) and We are its

protectors.‟ (Surah Hijr v 9)

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

Say: If Allah had desired (otherwise) I would not have recited it to

you, nor would He have taught it to you; indeed I have lived a
lifetime among you before it; do you not then understand? (Surah
Yunus v 16)

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?

O Allah, give us the tawfeeq to walk on the path of Muhammad

(s.a.w.a.) and his progeny (a.s.)

Ameen.

ٓ١ٌَِّ‫َا َٔــــبْ أَِْ اٌْحَّْذُ ٌٍِّٗ سَةِّ اٌْعَب‬ٛ‫ع‬

ْ َ‫َآخِشُ د‬ٚ

-------------------------------------

ِ
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