1 : At the beginning of ablution, recite بسم الله.
The Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said:
لا وضوء لمن لم يذكر اسم الله عليه
“Whoever does not recite بسم الله at the beginning of ablution, his ablution is not valid.”
The Prophet (peace be upon him) commanded the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them): توضؤوا بسم الله “Perform ablution: بسم الله .“”
2 : Perform ablution with pure water.
Allah the Exalted says:
﴿فَلَمْ تَجِدُوا مَاءً فَتَيَمَّمُوا صَعِيدًا طَيِّبًا﴾
“So if you do not find water, then perform tayammum with clean earth.”
Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) used to perform ablution with warm water.
Therefore, it is understood that ablution with warm water is permissible.
Note: It is not permissible to perform ablution with Nabidh (fermented drink), syrup, milk, etc.
3 : The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said:
لو لا أن أشق على أمتي أو على الناس لأمرتهم بالسواك مع كل صلاة
“If I were not afraid of hardship for my Ummah, I would have ordered them to use the miswak with every prayer.”
The Prophet (peace be upon him) used to get up at night, use the miswak, and perform ablution.
4 : First, wash both your palms three times.
Maymoon Tabi’i (may Allah have mercy on him) used to move his ring while performing ablution.
Removing the ring with dhikr (remembrance) while going for istinja (cleaning after relieving oneself) is not established; the related hadith narrated by Ibn Jurayj is weak due to tadlis (concealment). See
5 : Then rinse the mouth three times and put water into the nose.
It is better to rinse the mouth and put water into the nose in one continuous action as established in
. However, if rinsing and putting water into the nose are done separately, it is also permissible.
See
6 : Then wash your face three times.
7 : Then wash both your hands up to the elbows three times.
8 : Then wipe the entire head.
Wipe with both hands, starting from the front part of the head, moving to the back of the neck, and then returning to the front part.
Wiping the head once is sufficient.
Some narrations mention wiping the head three times. For example, see
Then wipe both ears once, inside and outside.
Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) used to insert his index fingers into his ears and wipe the inner parts of both ears with them, and wipe the outer parts with his thumbs.
Note: There is no evidence for wiping the neck with the back of the hands after wiping the head and ears.
9 : Then wash both feet up to the ankles three times each.
10 : During ablution, it is recommended to clean between the fingers of the hands and feet.
11 : It is also recommended to clean the beard.
Note: It is also established to sprinkle water on the private parts after ablution.
This is the best solution to remove doubts and whispers. See Musannaf
12 : After ablution, recite the following supplications:
«أَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا ٱللَّهُ وَحْدَهُ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ وَأَشْهَدُ أَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا عَبْدُهُ وَرَسُولُهُ»
Note: In a weak narration of Sunan At-Tirmidhi (55), the addition of
«ٱللَّهُمَّ ٱجْعَلْنِي مِنَ ٱلتَّوَّابِينَ وَٱجْعَلْنِي مِنَ ٱلْمُتَطَهِّرِينَ»
is present, but it is weak due to an interrupted chain. Abu Idris Al-Khawlani and Abu Uthman
both did not hear anything from Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him). See my book Anwar As-Sahifah fi Al-Ahadith Ad-Da’ifah
.
There is no authentic hadith evidence for raising the finger towards the sky after ablution. The narration in Sunan Abi Dawood
is weak due to the unknown narrator Ibn Umm Zahrah.
Reciting supplications during ablution is not established.
«سُبْحَانَكَ ٱللَّهُمَّ وَبِحَمْدِكَ أَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا أَنْتَ ٱسْتَغْفِرُكَ وَأَتُوبُ إِلَيْكَ»
13 : Some nullifiers of ablution (things that break ablution) are as follows:
Urination, defecation, sleep
Madhiy (pre-ejaculatory fluid)
Touching the private parts with the hand
Eating camel meat
It was declared authentic by Al-Hakim and Al-Dhahabi.
Hafiz Ibn Hajar writes: هذا حديث صحيح الإسناد
Note: The method of performing ghusl janabah (major ritual bath) is to first perform istinja (cleaning), then perform the Sunnah ablution (except wiping the head and washing the feet), then pour water over the entire body so that no part remains dry, and finally wash the feet.
