How did the Prophet (peace be upon him) perform ablution?

How did the Prophet (peace be upon him) perform ablution?
from the book of Tamam Al Minnah

From the abridged book of Tamam Al Minnah fi Fiqh Al Kitab wa Sahih As-Sunnah of his eminence Sheikh `Adel Al `Azzazy (may Allah reward him).[1]

* The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "Anyone performs ablution like that of mine and offers a two-Rak`ah prayer during which he does not think of anything else (not related to the present prayer) all his previous sins will be forgiven."[2]

Here is the description of the Prophet's ablution arranged in a simple way along with some important notes:

1- A person should recall the intention of ablution (in his heart) then begin with Arak tooth brush. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said about the virtue of using a miswak (a tooth stick): "The Miswak (tooth-stick) cleanses and purifies the mouth and pleases the Lord."[3]

And know that using the tooth-brush before ablution is considered Tasawwuk.

2- Mentioning the name of Allah at the beginning of ablution by saying: Bismillah "In the name of Allah."

3- Washing hands (thrice) provided that a person should start with his right hand before the left. It is noted that the Prophet would not wash his organs more than three times because most narrations concerning the description of the Prophet's ablution did not report otherwise. However, it is noted that it is permissible for those who need to rinse their noses more than three due to flu or something else to do so because of the Prophet's saying: "And sniff water deep into the nose except when you are observing fast."[4]

If the face or hand of a person is dirty, (for example) it is better for him to wash his face and hand off dust before performing ablution then he should perform ablution in order not to increase washing more than three times against the Sunnah.

* Let it be known that it is permissible to perform ablution once after another (washing every organ one time) and twice (wash each organ twice) (except the ear and the head which should be wiped once at all conditions probably) because the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) performed ablution once or twice.

* Let it be known that it is desirable to massage organs during ablution. Likewise, it is desirable to wash between the fingers because the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: "He who performs ablution perfectly (i.e., according to Sunnah), his sins will depart from his body, even from under his nails."[5]

Therefore, a person should feel -while performing ablution- regret about the actions which these organs violated from the rights of Allah(may He be Exalted) until his sins are removed from his body and until his heart becomes purified.

4- Rinsing and inhaling the mouth (thrice with three handfuls)

In every handful a person should rinse his mouth and inhale his nose (according to the correct view).

It is permissible for a person to rinse his mouth thrice then inhales three times.

Know that the meaning of rinsing the mouth is to put water into the mouth, move it, then spit it. As for inhaling, it is inhaling water by the nose then getting it out.

5- Washing the face (three times)

Know that the boundaries of the face are: From the forehead to the chain and from ear to ear. This includes the thick beard, but the light beard, which the skin is seen from underneath, should be washed until water reaches the skin underneath. It is noted that part of the hair should be washed along with the washing of the face so as to come bright on the Day of Recompense. When the Companions asked the Prophet (peace be upon him) saying: "O Messenger of Allah! How will you recognize those of your nation who are not born yet? He (peace be upon him) said: Say: if a man has white-footed horses with white foreheads among horses which are pure black, will he not recognize his own horses?"[6]

6- Washing the hands from the tips of the fingers to the elbo three times starting with the right hand. Let it be known that washing part of the arm beyond the elbo is desirable so as to come bright on the Day of Recompense.

7- Wiping the head (once) which is more correct. It is noted that it is permissible to wipe all the head as it is permissible to wipe part of it. It is correct not to wipe only part of the head unless you will wipe over the turban. Let it be known that the way of wiping over the head, which was authentically reported from the Prophet (peace be upon him), is to put a wet hand on the front of the head then pass it backwards then forward again; moreover it is permissible to pass the wet hand in the direction of the hair.

8- Wiping the ears from inside and outside once (from inside with the forefinger and with the thumbs from outside); it is noted that using new water is not a condition in wiping the ears, but you may wipe it with the wet hand you used to wipe the head.

9- Washing the feet to the ankles (thrice) starting with the right foot. It was authentically reported from the Prophet (peace be upon him) that he commanded people to wash the feet and rebuked those who only wipe over them by saying: "Save your heels from the fire."[7] It is noted that it is permissible to wash part of the leg beyond the feet so as to come bright on the Day of Recompense.

10- A person should say upon finishing ablution: Ashhadu Alla Ilaha Illa Allah Wahdahu La Sharika Lahu Wa'ashhadu Anna Muhammadan `Abduhu Warasuluhu, Allahumma Ij`alny Mina At-Tawwabin Waj`alny Minal Mutatahrin [I bear witness that there is not god but Allah alone, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His Servant and Messenger. O Allah, make me among the repentant and make me of those who purify themselves]. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "Whoever of you performs ablution carefully and then affirms: Ashhadu Alla Ilaha Illa Allah Wahdahu La Sharika Lahu Wa'ashhadu Anna Muhammadan `Abduhu Warasuluhu[I testify that there so no true god except Allah Alone, Who has no partners and that Muhammad ((peace be upon him) is His Servant and Messenger], the eight gates of Jannah are opened for him. He may enter through whichever of these gates he desires (to enter). In the narration in At-Tirmidhy, it is added: "Allahummaj-`alni minat-tawwabina, waj-`alni minal-mutatahhirin (O Allah make me among those who repent and purify themselves)."[8]

* Likewise, he may say: "Subhanaka Allahumma Wabihamdika Ashhadu Alla Ilaha Illa Ant, Astaghfiruka Wa'atubu Ilayk [Glory be to You and Praise be to You. I bear witness that there is no god but you. I seek Your Forgiveness and I repent to you.]" The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "Whoever performs ablution then says: "Subhanaka Allahumma Wabihamdika Ashhadu Alla Ilaha Illa Ant, Astaghfiruka Wa'atubu Ilayk [Glory be to You and Praise be to You. I bear witness that there is no god but you. I seek Your Forgiveness and I repent to you.]", it will be written to him in a paper then it will be sealed until the Day of Recompense."[9]

Some important notes on ablution:

1- It is permissible to speak during ablution because there is no proof to the opposite.

2- There is no Adhkar [invocations] to be said during ablution because the reported Hadith is not authentic.

3- If a person clipped his nails or shaved his hair after ablution, he is not obliged to wash the parts appeared after clipping and after shaving.

4- There is no proof that the Prophet (peace be upon him) put his finger inside his mouth at gurgling, but it is enough to move water inside the mouth then spitting it.

5- If a person has thick hair and water did not reach his skin, ablution is correct, but he should not wipe over the long hair, but only on the hair on his head.

6- It is permissible to wear turban while ablution for wiping over it. It is noted that wiping over the turban does not require wearing it after performing ablution. Wiping over it is not timed as the case of shoes, and women may wipe over Khimar (head scarf).

7- If there is something prevents water from reaching the skin such as wax, paints, nail varnish, etc., it must be removed otherwise ablution shall not be valid.

8- If there are some paints such as Henna or tincture of iodine which cannot affect the reach of water to the skin, they may not be removed because they do not affect ablution.

9- Let it be known that it is not permissible to wipe the neck, but rather wiping it is a heresy.

10- It is permissible to perform ablution in the bathroom and a person may utter Tasmiyyah secretly.

11- If the hands of a person are amputated and he can get someone to perform ablution for him, he may do so otherwise he may perform Salah without performing ablution.

12- If a person forgets to wash an organ during ablution and the duration between that missed organ and the current organ is not long, he may wash it then completes the rest of organs respectively, but if the duration is long, he should start over ablution.

13- If a person performs Salah without performing ablution, his Salah shall be invalid whether he knows about his impurity or not because the ignorant and the forgetful are not sinful and they should repeat Salah, but the one who performs it deliberately has committed a great sin, therefore he should repent and repeat his Salah.

14- It is not necessary to take off installed teeth at gurgling because they imply hardship, but moving the ring is controversial among scholars, whereas the Hadith reported about the Prophet's moving to his ring is weak.

15- It is correct that touching women does not nullify ablution whether they are unmarriageable female relatives or marriageable. It is important to say that this does not mean to shake hands with women because it is prohibited because of the Prophet's saying: "For one of you to be stabbed in the head with an iron needle is better for him than that he should touch a woman who is not permissible for him."   [See As-Silsilah As-Sahihah, Hadith No. 226].

16- If urine or feces come out from other than penis and anus such as catheter, ablution should be performed.

17- Blood does not nullify ablution whether it is little or much and likewise is vomit.

18- Laughter does not require new ablution whether inside or outside Salah, but it does nullify Salah because it is a bad manner toward Allah and belittling His Rites.

19- If a person had doubts or imagined that he has nullified ablution, it will not affect his ablution unless he is certain.

20- If a person is sure that he had performed ablution then doubted whether he nullified his ablution or not, he should depend on his certainty. However, if he is certain that he is not pure then doubted whether he performed ablution or not, he is not pure.

21- If a person eats or drinks, he should not perform ablution, but he may use gurgling.

22- Touching the private parts of young children does not nullify ablution, so those who clean children may not perform another ablution.

23- Falling of impurity on the body does not nullify ablution, but a person should remove the impurity.