Islam the Religion of Peace
How is Wudu Made?
After covering the fards, sunnahs and adabs of wudu, let us see how to make a proper wudu:
* After intending to make wudu, audhu basmala is uttered and the hands are washed up to the wrists. If there is a ring/rings on a finger/fingers, it is/they are moved in order to ensure that water goes under the ring/rings.
* The right hand is filled water three times and the mouth is rinsed with that water. If the mouth has not been cleaned with miswak before wudu, the teeth can be rubbed with the fingers while the water is put in the mouth.
* Then, water is sniffed into the nose with the right hand three times; the water is ejected from the nose with the left hand.
* All parts of the face are washed by filling both hands with water.
* First the right arm, then the left arm including the elbows are washed three times.
* The hands are wetted and the front part of the head is wiped with the palm of the right hand.
* After the head is wiped, the ears and the neck are wiped with the same wetness remaining from the head or by wetting the hand again.
* First, the right foot, then the left foot including the heels are washed. Water is flown between the toes.
A person can obtain many rewards by reading wudu supplications (duas) during and after wudu.
Wudu Supplications (Duas)
After intending to make wudu, audhu basmala is uttered. Then, the following supplications are uttered while washing each organ:
Alhamdu lillahi'lladhi ja'ala'l-maa tahuran va'l-Islama nuran.
(Praise be to Allah, who made water a cleaner and Islam a luminous light.)
* While rinsing the mouth:
Allahumma ainni ala tilawati'l-Qur'an wa dhikrika va shukrika va husni ibadatik.
(O Allah! Help me with reading the Quran, mentioning your name, thanking you and beautifying my worshipping you.)
* While sniffing water into the nose:
Allahumma arihni raihata'l-jannati wa la turihni raihata'n-nar.
(O Allah! Make me feel the smell of Paradise; do not make me feel the smell of Hell.)
* While washing the face:
Allahumma bayyid wajhi yawma tabyaddu vujuhun wa taswaddu vujuh.
(O Allah! Make my face white not black on the day when some faces turn out tobe white and others black.)!
* While washing the right arm:
Allahumma a'tini kitabi biyamini wa hasibni hisaban yasira.
(O Allah! Give my book from my right side and make my reckoning easy.)
* While washing the left arm:
Allahumma la tu'tini kitabi biyasari wa la min warai zahri.
(O Allah! Do not give my book from my left side and from my back.)
* While wiping the head:
Allahumma azillani tahta zilli arshika yawma la zilla illa zillu arshik.
(O Allah! Shade me under your arsh (throne) on the day when there is no shade except the shade of your arsh.)
* While wiping the ears:
Allahuma'j'alni mina'lladhina yastamiuna'l-qawla fayattabiuna ahsanah.
(O Allah! Make me one of those who listen to the word and act in accordance with it in the best way.)
* While wiping the neck:
Allahumma a'tiq raqabati mina'n-nar.
(O Allah! Free my neck from Hellfire)
* While washing the feet:
Allahumma thabbit qadamayya ala's-sirati yawma tazillu fihi'l-aqdam.
(O Allah! Establish our feet firmly on the Sirat Bridge on the day when feet will shake.)
What does Excuse Mean?
A state that continues all the time and that breaks wudu is called an excuse. For instance, being unable to hold one's urine, passing wind all the time, frequent nose bleeding, water coming out of a wound all the time are states of excuse.
A person who has an excuse that invalidates wudu is called an excused person.
What are the Conditions for being Regarded as Excused?
The state that invalidates wudu must continue as long as a time period for a prayer for a person to be regarded as excused; that is, it is necessary for this state not to cease long enough to make wudu and perform a prayer. (This is the condition for an excuse to start.) It must appear at least once in every period of time for a prayer. (This is the condition for an excuse to continue.)
We will explain it by giving an example:
If the nose of a person starts to bleed at the beginning of the time for the noon prayer and continues until the time period for the noon prayer ends, the condition for the beginning the state of excuse occurs. If this bleeding occurs at least once in every period of time for a prayer, that person is regarded as excused.
For, it becomes certain that the excuse continues since it occurs in every period of time for a prayer; thus, the second condition of being regarded as excused occurs.
If that excuse does not occur during a period of time for a prayer, the state of excuse ends. Such a person is no longer regarded as excused.
What are the Decrees about Excused People?
Our religion makes things easier for excused people. The wudu of excused people continues as long as the excuses invalidating wudu continue. They perform their prayers in that state. They are not obliged to clean the place polluted by blood, pus, urine, etc again. For, as soon as they are cleaned, the pollution occurs again. For instance, the wudu of a person who cannot hold his urine is not invalidated by the leakage of the urine and it is not necessary to wash the place polluted by urine. Such a person can perform his prayer though his garment or the place he prays is polluted.
In return for this ease supplied by our religion, there is something that needs to be taken into account by the excused people.
A person who determines that he is excused needs to make a separate wudu for each time period for a prayer; he can perform as many supererogatory or missed prayers as he wishes during this time period. He can also perform witr and janazah prayers.
The wudu made by an excused person is valid only for the time period he is in. When it ends and the time period for the next prayer starts, his wudu is invalidated. He needs to make a new wudu for the new time period. For instance, if an excused person makes wudu during the time period of the morning prayer, this wudu is valid up to the time when the time period for the morning prayer ends. When it ends, that is, when the sun rises, his wudu is invalidated. He cannot perform any other prayers with this wudu.
Another issue that needs to be taken into consideration is that they cannot lead a prayer in front of the people who are not excused. Therefore, it is not appropriate to force excused people to lead prayers.
The wudu made by an excused person for the morning prayer is invalidated when the sun rises; therefore, they need to make wudu again for eid and duha prayers.
The urine, blood, etc that contaminate the clothes of an excused person due to his excuse does not harm his prayer as long as his excuse continues. The menstruation and puerperal periods of women are subject to different fiqh decrees; other bleedings and leakages are regarded as excuses.
According to Imam Shafii, an excused person needs to make a separate wudu for each prayer.
