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Wudu in Islam

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Throughout the history of humanity, through each age and era, and across culture and religion, mankind has made some type of attempt towards achieving spiritual purification. Occasionally this is accomplished through extensive prayer; at other times, in other lands, confession to a man of God is the accepted norm. Still others practice age-honored rituals to absolve themselves of guilt. Whether it is a daily prayer or even self-denial that cleanses the conscience of remorse, the majority of humanity surrenders its pride to a greater power, even if just momentarily, and seeks to purify its souls of past misdeeds. Indeed, these misdeeds have the propensity of attaching themselves to one's psyche and can seriously disturb the psychological well-being of an individual. This is usually the time when one frantically searches for a means of absolution after a particularly malicious act that can haunt memories for weeks to come. There are a multitude of ways and methods people use to seek absolution, be it through religious piety or by talking to a good friend, by giving alms or even resolving to change a particular behavior. Whatever the reasons absolution is needed, or by whatever means that absolution is achieved, it becomes clear that humanity is in a constant struggle between its dual natures of needing to achieve personal perfection and the inclination towards egotism and narcissistic behavior. The only resolution to this paradoxical duality is through an act that absolves one of guilt. Islam's form of absolution details a ritual of procedures done before offering prayer that seeks to achieve not only physical cleanliness, but also a spiritual purity that seeks to cleanse the mind as well as the soul.

Ablution, or wudu, as it is known in Arabic, involves a ritual purification of the body before offering obligatory prayers. In order to fulfill the requirements of prayer in Islam, one must complete this ablution. According to the Qu'ran, "Surely God loves those who turn to Him and those who care for cleanliness." (2:222). In this verse, a parity is established between those who pray to God and those who maintain high standards of hygiene. It is apparent that physical cleanliness is of paramount importance in Islam. Ablution consists of both physical and spiritual purification. Before the actual process of self-purification begins, it is necessary to mentally define why one is going to perform the ritual of ablution. It is just as necessary to have the intention of cleansing one's self and one's soul as the actual act of that cleansing itself. An individual's intention should involve the reasoning of the patterned behavior so that the ablution becomes less of a formal procedure and more of a symbolic cleansing. This mental affirmation of faith is called niyat. The niyat should be made in the heart and not spoken aloud, because it is an action of the heart and not of the tongue. After completing the niyat the ablution is begun by speaking the following words: "Bismillah hir-rahman nir-raheem." which translates to "I begin in the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful."

Cleanliness of the body and clothes is referred to as taharah. A particular aspect of taharah that Westerners have a difficult time understanding or accepting is the idea of istanja, the washing of the private parts. In most, if not all Muslim households, in each restroom, there will be a small, shower-like extension against the wall nearest to the toilet. This is used for cleansing after using the toilet. A simple spray of fresh water is required after each use, and toilet paper is then used to absorb the wetness. This action serves not only to maintain extremely high standards of personal sanitation, but it also serves as a reminder. To a Muslim, maintaining istanja is a conscious awareness of the cleanliness of our private parts and is symbolic of not only physical purity, but also spiritual purity; a demand from Islam to refrain from sexual activity outside the confines of marriage and to maintain chastity.

If istanja has been maintained, the ablution can continue. The person performing the ablution washes the hands first and then rinses the mouth. The nose is cleaned next, followed by the face from ear to ear and chin to forehead. The ears are cleaned after the face by inserting the tips of one's wetted fingers into the ear itself. Lastly, the feet are washed to the ankle. It is important to note that the systematic approach to ablution has developed through the centuries of the implementation of the idea of wudu; however, a specific method is not expressed in the Qu'ran. At the completion of ablution a prayer is spoken:

"I testify that there is no deity except God alone. He is one and has no partner. And I testify that Muhammad (peace be upon him) is His servant and messenger. Oh God, make me among those who are penitent and make me among those who are purified."

- Muslim Hadith, Tirmizi

In circumstances where water cannot be found, is in short supply, or somehow poses a risk to the health of the person performing the ablution, a dry ablution, or Tayammum can be performed. Although this method has only three steps, niyat is still made in the heart as the first step, after which one begins in the name of God. The dry ablution is also completed with the same prayer that ends the regular ablution.

In Islam, as well as all other major religions, a strong significance has been given to the act of worship through repentance of past misdeeds. This is not only a religious necessity but a psychological one as well. This is due to the dichotomous nature of Man; as an individual attempts to maintain an image of one's self as a moral ideal in which the conscience is clear, that individual at the same time commits immoral acts which belie this supposed ideal. These two seemingly paradoxical set of value systems are seamlessly juxtaposed in our psyche through an act of worship or an act of repentance. Although the duality exists, it is tempered by the appreciation that Man is a fallible being, and in one's fallibility the worth of that individual can be determined, when sorrow and guilt contradict and transcend malice and cruelty. Even the Prophet, the most flawless example of what a Muslim should be, related the following in reference to his own humanity:

"By Allah, I Muhammad ask Allah's forgiveness and turn to him in repentance more than seventy times a day." (Bukhari Hadith)

OBJECTIVES OF TAHARAH (PURIFICATION)more click here

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