Authored by: Sheikh ʿAbd al-Bāri ibn Ahmad al-ʿAshmawi
A Distinguished Jurist of the Tenth Century AH
Translation by: Sharaf Adewale Najeem
Introduction
Sheikh ʿAbd al-Bāri al-ʿAshmawi al-Rifāʿī (may Allah have mercy on
him) expressed:
"A friend requested of me an introductory exposition on jurisprudence
in accordance with the esteemed school of Imam Mālik ibn Anas (may Allah be
pleased with him). I willingly responded, aspiring thereby for divine
reward."
Nullifiers of Ablution
Be advised, may Allah
grant you success, that the nullifiers of ablution (wuÌË) are divided into
two primary categories: bodily emissions and causes of emissions.
- Bodily Emissions: These are further
classified into five types:
- Three emissions from
the front passage: pre-seminal fluid (madhy), post-urinary
discharge (wady), and urine.
- Two emissions from
the rear passage: feces and gas.
- Causes of Emissions: Among these are:
- Sleep, which has four
distinctions:
- Prolonged and deep
sleep — nullifies ablution
- Short and deep sleep
— nullifies ablution
- Short and light
sleep — does not nullify ablution
- Prolonged and light
sleep — recommended to perform ablution
Additionally, other causes
include:
- Loss of intellect due to insanity,
fainting, or intoxication.
- Apostasy
- Doubt regarding a
state of purity
- Touching one’s own
genital organ with the inner palm, inner fingers, or sides of the fingers, even
with an extra finger if sensation is felt.
- Sensual contact in the following
scenarios:
- If pleasure is intended
and felt, ablution is required.
- If pleasure is felt
but not intended, ablution is required.
- If pleasure is intended
but not felt, ablution is required.
- If neither pleasure
is intended nor felt, ablution is not required.
It is important to note
that ablution is not nullified by:
- Touching the anus,
breasts, or genitals of a minor,
- Vomiting,
- Eating camel meat,
- Cupping,
- Venesection,
- Laughter within
prayer,
- A woman touching her
own private area (though it is said that if she engages in deliberate intimate
contact, ablution may be required).
Be informed, may Allah
guide you, that water is categorised as follows: pure and mixed.
- Pure Water: Unmixed, it is
unrestricted and permissible for ablution, whether it descends from the
sky or springs from the earth.
- Mixed Water: If any of its
essential attributes (colour, taste, or smell) is altered by an impure
substance, it renders the water impure and thus unsuitable for
ablution. If there is no visible alteration, and the quantities of water
and impurity are small, it is disliked using such water for
ablution according to the dominant opinion.
When pure substances alter the water's characteristics, rulings differ
depending on whether the substance can be avoided:
- Avoidable Mixtures: If water mixes with
substances like saffron, rose, or dough, the water remains pure but
cannot purify others; it is suited for ordinary uses such as cooking,
kneading, and drinking, but not for ablution.
- Unavoidable Mixtures: Water mixed with
naturally occurring substances, such as deposits of salt, mud, or minerals
(e.g., arsenic or sulfur), remains purifying and valid for
ablution.
The obligatory acts of
ablution are seven in number:
1. The intention
(niyyah), expressed at the time of washing the face.
2. Washing the hands up to
the elbows.
3. Wiping the entire head.
4. Washing the feet up to
the ankles.
5. Maintaining the correct sequence.
6. Act of rubbing (tadlÊk).
7. Continuous flow of water
without undue delay.
Together, these form the seven mandatory components of ablution.
When washing the face, it is obligatory, where the beard is sparse and
the skin beneath is visible, to interlace the beard. However, where the
beard is thick, this interlacing becomes non-essential. Similarly, it is
incumbent, in accordance with the prevailing scholarly opinion, to interlace
the fingers when washing the hands.
Recommended Acts of Ablution
The recommended
practices of ablution are eight:
1. Washing the hands
initially up to the wrists.
2. Rinsing the mouth.
3. Inhaling water into the nose.
4. Exhaling it (an act involving the drawing of water into the nostrils and its
expulsion).
5. Returning head wiping from back to the forehead.
6. Wiping both the outer and inner parts of the ears.
7. Renewing the water for the ears.
8. Observing the sequence
of the obligatory acts.
Meritorious Acts of Ablution
The meritorious acts
in ablution are seven:
1. Commencing with the basmala.
2. Conducting the ablution in
a pure location.
3. Practising moderation in
water usage.
4. Placing the water vessel
on the right side if open.
5. Performing additional
washes (up to three, provided the first wash suffices).
6. Beginning with the front
part of the head.
7. Using a toothstick
(siwak) for oral hygiene.
The Obligations,
Recommendations, and Merits of Ritual Bathing (Ghusl)
The obligatory aspects of ghusl
are fivefold:
1. Intention.
2. Complete wetting of the entire body.
3. Rubbing each part of the body.
4. Maintaining sequence.
5. Interlacing of the hair to ensure thorough purification.
Recommended Acts of Ritual Bathing (Ghusl)
The recommended practices
of ghusl are four:
1. Initially washing the hands up to the wrists.
2. Rinsing the mouth.
3. Inhaling water into the nose.
4. Wiping the inner parts of the ears.
Meritorious Acts of Ritual Bathing (Ghusl)
The meritorious actions
associated with ghusl are six:
1. Starting by cleansing any impurities from the body.
2. Completing the washing of
the ablution limbs first.
3. Washing upper parts before lower ones.
4. Washing the head three
times.
5. Beginning with the right
side before the left.
6. Using minimal water
while achieving thorough cleansing.
Dry Ablution (Tayammum)
Dry ablution, or tayammum, has its own
obligatory, recommended, and meritorious elements.
Obligations of Dry Ablution (Tayammum)
The obligations of tayammum
are four:
1. The intention, which
is to intend the permissibility of prayer, since tayammum, by widely
accepted opinion, does not lift ritual impurity in a permanent sense.
2. Covering the face and
hands up to the wrists.
3. Initial strike upon the earth.
4. Use of pure soil or
earth, inclusive of any naturally occurring substance on the earth’s
surface, such as soil, sand, stones, or similar materials.
Recommended Acts of Dry Ablution (Tayammum)
The recommended
practices in tayammum are threefold:
1. Observing the sequence in wiping.
2. Wiping from wrist to
elbow.
3. Renewing the strike for the hands.
Meritorious Acts of Dry Ablution (Tayammum)
The meritorious
practices in tayammum are also three:
1.
Starting with the basmala.
2.
Commencing the wiping with the outer right
hand, followed by wiping the inner part of the right hand to the
fingertips.
3.
Executing a similar sequence for the left
hand.
