I think Wudu(Ablution) has to be done before *every* prayer, right?

[Lobotomize94]

[Quran 5:6] O you who have believed, when you rise to [perform] prayer, wash your faces and your forearms to the elbows and wipe over your heads and wash your feet to the ankles.

To me, this is saying before you perform prayer, you need to perform Wudu (ablution).

Someone, please help me in interpreting this.

[Mohammed]

Dear Brother,
Assalaamu 'alaikum

The verse (5:6) says about 4 special cases
1. Illness.
2. On a journey.
3. Have been to the toilet.
4. Touched woman (with an intention to feel).

If any of the above mentioned cases happened with us, then it is mandatory to take ablution (or tayammam-when no water found) prior to Swalah. And if it (any of the 4 cases) did not happen, then it is not necessary (as I understood) to take ablution but better to keep ourselves mentally and physically clean throughout the interval. And in case if any physical impurity, other than the 4 cases happened, then we should clean it as soon as possible.

[munir rana]

Salam to All

One question came to my mind that whether anyone can be clean by rubbing dust or soil on his face and hand (Thayammum), if water is not available? Or there is any other meaning of this term?

Analyzing the uses and roots of related three words ( Thayamm’m, Saaeedan and Thayyaban) in the Quran some are suggesting that, "we can presume this to mean to use vapour water from the preparation of food or something of that nature for rubbing face and hands when we run out of water to purify for salat."

This suggestion is also seems problematic. If there is no water then how one can cook food and use the vapour? Or, you have to wait for a cooking to have vapour for Thayammum? But salat is time bound.

Any thoughts?

related link : https://free-minds.org/forum/index.php?topic=9607038.0

[Lobotomize94]

Dear Brother,
Assalaamu 'alaikum

The verse (5:6) says about 4 special cases
1. Illness.
2. On a journey.
3. Have been to the toilet.
4. Touched woman (with an intention to feel).

If any of the above mentioned cases happened with us, then it is mandatory to take ablution (or tayammam-when no water found) prior to Swalah. And if it (any of the 4 cases) did not happen, then it is not necessary (as I understood) to take ablution but better to keep ourselves mentally and physically clean throughout the interval. And in case if any physical impurity, other than the 4 cases happened, then we should clean it as soon as possible.

Thanks for responding!

I understand that these are the 4 cases which are required to repeat wudu, but verse 5:6 says that "before you stand for prayer wash...". So if you perform wudu before a prayer, and then do any of those 4, you must repeat wudu. However, verse 5:6 also says it must be performed before you stand for prayer.

Lets say your pray the morning prayer, go to sleep, and wake up to pray another prayer, 5:6 says that you must perform wudu even those those 4 cases didn't occur.

Does Joseph Islam care to help me out?

[Mohammed]

Consider the verse without mentioning the 4 cases, then it will be like, we have to do ablution before all prayer. But why these 4 cases mentioned in particular ?

[Mohammed]

Salam to All

One question came to my mind that whether anyone can be clean by rubbing dust or soil on his face and hand (Thayammum), if water is not available? Or there is any other meaning of this term?

Analyzing the uses and roots of related three words ( Thayamm’m, Saaeedan and Thayyaban) in the Quran some are suggesting that, "we can presume this to mean to use vapour water from the preparation of food or something of that nature for rubbing face and hands when we run out of water to purify for salat."

This suggestion is also seems problematic. If there is no water then how one can cook food and use the vapour? Or, you have to wait for a cooking to have vapour for Thayammum? But salat is time bound.

Any thoughts?

related link : https://free-minds.org/forum/index.php?topic=9607038.0

By analysing the verses 3:153, 6:125, 35:10 the common root meanig for swa-'a-da is ascend/disappear.

The root Swa-'a-da in 18:8 and 18:40 is used in the same form as in 4:43 and 5:6 (i.e. Swa'eedan).

Both 18:8 and 18:40 describe the land which cannot be used for cultivation (not vegetative), when relating the root meaning for sw-'a-da (ascend/disappear) with this, the more logical meaning for Swa'eedan will be 'Vaporised'. Thus 'Swa'eedan juruza' in 18:8 can have the meaning 'Vaporised and cutt off (bare soil and not capable to vegetate)' and 'Swa'eedan zalaqa' in 18:40 can be 'Vaporised and slippery' (bare soil and slippery).

So the word 'Swa'eedan' is used to mention the land which is vaporised/ the land having no water for vegetation/ evaporated soil; i.e no free water in it, and which is = fine dust.

[Lobotomize94]

Consider the verse without mentioning the 4 cases, then it will be like, we have to do ablution before all prayer. But why these 4 cases mentioned in particular ?

I think they are mentioned to account for what to do if you performed wudu but did not pray. For example, you perform wudu and just as you were about to pray, you break it.

[ilker]

Salam all,

Allah (swt) knows best but i think ablution and tayammum (with dust/soil) have benefits like removing the negative effects of static electricity over your body. You probably know already that soil actually removes the negative charge from the body. So, washing certain parts of the body is said to be doing the same. So it's not just about cleaning, it's also preparing oneself to prayer mentally and spiritually. Without water, you do it with soil.

[Mohammed]

I think they are mentioned to account for what to do if you performed wudu but did not pray. For example, you perform wudu and just as you were about to pray, you break it.

That seems not reasonable brother,

See the command for ablution in the verse, "...if you started/got up to the prayers, so wash..."
It is clear that we are taking ablution only when we are deciding for the Swalah, so there is no chances of a time gap between the new ablution and the Swalah.

And how it comes for a believer that, after deciding for the Swalah, he takes ablution and then he goes to feel his wife before completing the Swalah ??

[Lobotomize94]

I think they are mentioned to account for what to do if you performed wudu but did not pray. For example, you perform wudu and just as you were about to pray, you break it.

That seems not reasonable brother,

See the command for ablution in the verse, "...if you started/got up to the prayers, so wash..."
It is clear that we are taking ablution only when we are deciding for the Swalah, so there is no chances of a time gap between the new ablution and the Swalah.

And how it comes for a believer that, after deciding for the Swalah, he takes ablution and then he goes to feel his wife before completing the Swalah ??

Thanks!