Actions Regarding Wudu
Is using very cold water disliked?
Question:
Asslamu alaikum,
Is it disliked (makruh) to use very cold water for wudu and ghusl?
Country: United Kingdom
Answer:
It is disliked to use extremely hot or extremely cold water. (Bujayrimi on Khatib v. 1, p. 114; Rawdat al-Talibin v. 1, p. 10)
And Allah knows best.
Shafiifiqh.com Fatwa Dept.
Read MoreDoes bleeding break wudu?
Question:
Does bleeding break one’s wudu?
Country: United States
Answer:
Four things invalidate the ablution. They are:
1) Something exiting from the front or rear private parts (except for sexual fluid [mani]).
2) Losing consciousness, except for sleeping firmly seated.
3) Skin to skin contact between a man and a woman, except for an unmarriageable relative or a pre-pubescent child.
4) Touching the privates with the inner part of one’s hand.
(Minhaj al-Talibin v. 1, p. 86-87)
Any of these four invalidates the ablution. Therefore, bleeding does not invalidate it.
And Allah knows best.
Shafiifiqh.com Fatwa Dept.
Read MoreMust tattoos be removed?
Question:
As salaamu alaykum, I would like to know how tattoos may affect the salah. Does the tattoo make the salah deficient? If done after accepting Islam versus before shahadah? What measures need to be taken to rectify this sin?
Answer:
Wa alaykum salam wa rahmatuLlahi wa barakatuHu,
Tattoos are haram.
Removing tattoos is obligatory, unless one fears a harm that would warrant dry ablution [tayammum]. If one was a Muslim when they got the tattoo, then they must repent. If one embraced Islam with a tattoo, then past sins were wiped away upon accepting the din; accordingly, the sin of tattooing is forgiven. Still, when no harm is feared, a person who embraces Islam with tattoos, and likewise the one who got a tattoo while Muslim, must remove them. If harm is feared, then one does not need to do so. (al-Fatawa al-Kubra al-Fiqhiyyah v. 1, p. 164; Mughni al-Muhtaj v. 1, p. 406)
Shabramallisi did not necessarily exclude one who embraces Islam with tattoos. (Hashiyat al-Nihayah v. 2, p. 22-23) In fact, he stated,
وأما الكافر إذا وشم نفسه في الشرك ثم أسلم فالمتجه وجوب الكشط عليه بعد الإسلام
And Allah knows best.
Shafiifiqh.com Fatwa Dept.
Read MoreDoes One Need to Take Wudu After an Obligatory Ghusl?
Question:
Is bathing after intercourse enough for the salah, or do I need to take the wudu again?
Answer:
Wa alaykum salam wa rahmatuLlahi wa barakatuHu,
If one is in both a state of minor and major ritual impurity, then a ghusl suffices to lift both. (Nihayat al-Muhtaj v. 1, p. 230; Tuhfat al-Muhtaj v. 1, p. 286)
It should be noted that, if one’s ablution is nullified (like by touching the private parts) while making ghusl, then he may complete the ghusl (it is valid). However, one must still perform ablution afterwards. (Mughni al-Muhtaj v. 1, p. 224)
And Allah knows best.
Shafiifiqh.com Fatwa Dept.
Read MoreIs it Sunnah to Wipe the Head Once or Thrice in Wudu?
Question:
In the shafi’i madhhab, is the wiping of the head during wudu done three times or once?
Answer:
It is sunnah to wipe the head thrice in ablution. (Fath al-Wahhab 1/14; al-Hawashy al-Madaniyyah 1/77; Tuhfat al-Muhtaj 1/230-31) Some early authorities held that the head should be wiped thrice, such as Said b. Jubayr, Ata, and Maysarah. (al-Talkhis al-Habir 1/147) Bayhaqi related from Qatadah < Anas,
أنه كان يمسح على رأسه ثلاثا ويأخذ لكل واحدة ماءا جديدا
“That he would wipe his head thrice, and take new water for each.” (Khilafiyyat 1/133)
Some of the Shafiyyah considered wiping three times as obligatory; the opinion has been transmitted on the authority of Shaykh Abu Hamid al-Isfarayni. (al-Talkhis al-Habir 1/147) Fawrani transmitted a similar view from Ibn Abi Layla. (Ibid) The Shafiyyah’s position is that wiping the head thrice while performing ablution is a sunnah. Hadith evidence is found in support of this view.
The Narrations of Uthman b. Affan
There is the hadith of Uthman,
أن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم توضأ فمسح رأسه ثلاثا
“That the Prophet (Salla Allah alayhi wa sallam) performed ablution, and wiped his head thrice.”
The narrations of Uthman have been related through various channels of transmission. Ten of those channels shall be presented here.
Read MoreNiyyah (Intention) in Wudu
Question:
I understand the intention for the obligation of wudu must start as soon as the water touches the face as washing the face is the first obligatory integral, however what does one intend when one starts off by washing the hands, mouth, and nose? And how does one intend? What if you do not intend anything when washing the hands, mouth, and nose? As well what if one has wudu but would like to renew it? In that case what should one intend when the water touches the face, should one just intend the following: “I intend to renew my wudu” or does one intend to do the obligation of wudu?
Answer:
What one should understand firstly is that the niyyah is not a prescribed formula to be recited. Rather, it is a consciousness of purpose that occurs in the mind. In this sense, the niyyah is—
· firstly, the identification of the act one is undertaking: “I am making wudu;”
· and secondly, the reason for undertaking it: “I am making wudu in order to be able to perform salah.”
The niyyah, which is understood as this specific consciousness of purpose, ought in principle to exist in the mind for the entire duration of the wudu. However, the human mind can be a very fickle thing, with ideas constantly flitting in and out, with the result that one loses acute focus on your niyyah. In consideration hereof the fuqaha of our madhhab stipulate that the niyyah must be present in the mind (and not necessarily on the tongue), at the very least, at the moment of undertaking the first fard, which is washing the face. Should it recede from the mind thereafter, its recession would overlooked. (Rawdat al-Talibin 1:158)
Having the niyyah at the very beginning of the wudu, when the hands are washed, is fine too. It is, in fact, the better option—since one would then be rewarded for all the sunnahs preceding the face—provided that one then does not lose acute consciousness of it before washing the face. If this happens, and acute consciousness of the act and purpose recede from the mind somewhere between washing the hands and the face, the niyyah would have to be reformed in the mind when washing the face. (Rawdat al-Talibin 1:158)
As stated, the niyyah is not a formula but a consciousness of purpose in the mind. As such, it does not take the form of specific words. Where it becomes difficult to form it the mind, our fuqaha have allowed it to be verbally expressed. This is where we find formulas like “nawaytu farda l-wudu” (I intend the fard of wudu). Do note that the usage of verbal formulas like this is not in itself part of the Sunnah. The verbal expression of the niyyah, where recommended, is meant only to assist in fulfilling the Sunnah expressed in the hadith “Innama l-a’malu bi l-niyyat” (Deeds are considered by their intentions).
Making the niyyah verbally is thus more of a “crutch” to the mind than an independent sunnah. Accordingly, just as a healthy person would not need a crutch, a person who is able to maintain his mental focus on his purpose should not bother with pronouncing any sort of formula. The locus of the niyyah is the mind, and as long as the mind remains acutely conscious of the niyyah, verbal pronouncement is redundant.
If the niyyah has been properly understood as consciousness of purpose, it ought to become clear that there is really no real need for a variety of different formulations of the niyyah. The same type of niyyah that suffices for a fard wudu (i.e. the consciousness of making wudu in order to make salah, for example) would suffice for a renewal of wudu.
The same goes for the niyyah which is formed at the beginning of the wudu as opposed to the niyyah upon washing the face: there is no need to change from nawaytu farda l-wudu to nawaytu sunnata l-wudu. In the matter of formulating the niyyah—for those who need to formulate one—one would be better advised to stick to a simple “one size fits all” formula. Using a variety of formulations, and an overemphasis on using the verbal “crutch” tends, ironically, to exacerbate the very problem which the aid of verbal pronouncement sought to alleviate. That problem is confusion in the mind and the lack of mental focus and composure.
And Allah Knows Best
Answered by Shaykh Taha Karaan
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