- Know the obligatory Elements of Wudu
- Understand ‘Khuf’
- Practice wiping over Khuf
Obligatory elements of Wudu
We have finished Shuroot of Wudu. Now it is time to study Furood of Wudu. There are six Furood for Wudu. They are:
- The intention(نِيَّة)
Niyyat is to intend something simultaneously with the action. It is the Niyyat that converts any practice (عَادَة) into the worship (عِبَادَة). Niyyat should be made by the heart. Pronouncing the sentence of Niyyat is Sunnah. One can say and intend:
نَوَيْتُ فَرْضَ الوُضُوء
“I intended to perform the obligatory Wudu”. - Washing (غَسْل) the face
Length of the face (الوجْه) is from the hairline ((منَابِت شَعر الرأس to the bottom of the two chins (اللحْيَيْن). The width of the face is from one earlobe to another earlobe. Any hair within the face boundary should be washed including the beard. Only the exception is the inside of ‘dense beard’. If the beard is thick so that the skin underneath is not seen during the normal conversation, then it is called ‘dense beard (كَثِيف)’. However, it is mandatory to wash the outside of the ‘dense beard’.
It is not recommended to wash the inside of the eye. To make sure that washing covered the whole face, he should wash the border within the face boundary. - Washing the both hands and arms (يَد) including the elbows (مِرْفَق).
When washing the hands, one should make sure that water gets in to the nails, hairs and the whole skin of the hand. The special care should be given to wash the cracks and lines of the fingers and hands. - Wiping a portion of head with water.
Only a part of the head is compulsory to wipe with water. So, if one person wiped only smallest part of his hair head, his wiping is valid. But that part should not come outside the border of the head. - Washing the feet including ankles.
Care should be taken to wash all parts of the feet even where the water is normally difficult to reach. That includes the skin covered by thorn or blister. - Tarteeb (التَّرْتِيب performing above said Furood in the sequence).
All the above mentioned Furood of Wudu should be done one by one in the same sequence. So, it is not valid – for example – to wash the feet before washing the hand.
Note: Diving into the water with the intention of performing Wudu is regarded as Wudu provided that all the ‘Wudu-organs’ shall be inside the water together even for a moment. At that time, Tarteeb is not required.
Wiping over Khuf (خُفّ)
Khuf is a type of footwear that covers the ankles. During Wudu, it is allowed to wipe on it instead of washing the feet.
The conditions of wiping over Khuf are:
This is excerpts from the book Salaat (Brief rulings of Prayer in Shafi Madh’hab) by Abdu Shaheed Azhary. To download the full chapter click the below link. To support us, please consider acquiring the digital copy of the book from Amazon