Foundations of Purification in the Mālikī School: A Manual on Ablution, Ghusl, and Tayammum

 

 The Treatise of Al-ʿAshmawiyyah in Maliki Jurisprudence

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:
1. Prolonged and deep sleep — nullifies ablution
2. Short and deep sleep — nullifies ablution
3. Short and light sleep — does not nullify ablution
4. 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).

 Types of Water Permissible for Ablution

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.

 Obligatory Elements of Ablution (WuÌË’)

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.