Islamic Prayer's Key, Wudhu

Wudhu is such a beautiful thing For Islamic Prayer

It is done so that we can purify ourselves before we stand for prayer in front of Allaah, the Lord of the Worlds. It is one of the conditions of the prayer and without it our salah will not be valid. 
But usually we do it so routinely, without giving it much thought......a swift washing of our hands and feet, a quick splish splash on the face, a fast wipe over the head and we're done.
And wudhu gets even more neglected when we are tired, sleepy or in a rush.

But there is more to wudhu than just being a condition for worship. There is something that makes it more than just a routine thing before prayer......something higher and more complete....something that most of us neglect or overlook.

And that is.....that the very act of wudhu is a form of worship in itself. 
Just Imagine! Every time you do wudhu, you're worshipping Allaah! What a blessing indeed!

Wudhu can increase your Imaan

Through the simple act of performing wudhu you can get closer to Allaah....you can increase your Imaan and strengthen your faith, you can intensify your love for Allaah and His Messenger (Sal Allahu Alayhi wa Sallam)...and you can have your sins forgiven.

And how can one do all that?

It's simple. Every time you make wudhu, be conscious of Allaah, your Rabb, and remember that it is Him, Who ordered you to perform wudhu in the first place. And you are carrying out His Orders, His Command....you are obeying Him. And you love to obey Him. So be conscious of your obedience to Him and thank Him for enabling you to carry out His Command as He says:

(O you who believe! When you intend to offer As-Salât (the prayer), wash your faces and your hands (forearms) up to the elbows, rub (by passing wet hands over) your heads, and (wash) your feet up to ankles) [Surah Maidah:6]

This will increase your love for Allaah, and strengthen your Imaan....and improve your relationship with Him. It will make you more conscious of Him when you stand in front of Him in prayer and give you more Khushoo'.

Wudhu can increase your love for the Sunnah

And every time you perform wudhu, also be conscious of the fact that you are following the Sunnah of our beloved Prophet (sal Allaahu Alayhi wa Sallam). It is the same way he did wudu..... the Prophet that you love and honor and respect....and it is his Sunnah that you love to follow. Not only will Allaah reward you for following His Messenger (sal Allaahu Alayhi wa Sallam), but it will also increase your love for the Sunnah as well.

Wudhu will expiate sinsThe Prophet (sal Allaahu Alayhi wa Sallam) said:

"He who performs wudhu like this wudu of mine and then offered two rak'ahs of prayer without allowing his thoughts to be distracted, all his previous sins are expiated." (Muslim)

So the key to sins being expiated is performing wudhu like the Prophet (sal Allaahu Alayhi wa Sallam) and then praying. Because wudhu expiates sins.
 
He (sal Allaahu Alayhi wa Sallam) also said:
“When the Muslim or believing slave does wudhu and washes his face, every wrong thing that he looked at with his eyes comes out from his face with the water or with the last drop of water. When he washes his hands, every wrong thing that he did with his hands comes out from his hands with the water or with the last drop of water. When he washes his feet every wrong thing that he walked to with his feet comes out from his feet with the water or with the last drop of water, until he emerges cleansed of sin.” (Muslim)

Bright faces, hands and feet

Whenever you do wudhu, think of the People who will have bright hands and faces on the Day of Resurrection and know that if you try to do wudhu properly, sincerely for the sake of pleasing Allaah, then He will make you among those fortunate ones. 
The Prophet (sal Allaahu Alayhi wa Sallam) said:

"(On the Day of Resurrection) You will have distinctive marks "Al-Ghurr-ul-Muhajjalun" which nobody among the peoples (except you) will have; you would come to me (at the Cistern of al-Kauthar) with blazing forehead and bright hands and feet on account of the traces of ablution." (Muslim)

Wudhu is sign of the believerTry and maintain your wudhu at all times as this is a sign of a believer. The Prophet (sal Allaahu Alayhi wa Sallam) said:
"Only the believer will remain with his wudhu (sustaining it at all times)." (Saheeh al-Jamee)
And even if you have difficulty in doing wudhu, like cold weather, or any other situation that makes wudhu difficult, still try your best to maintain it, since there is tremendous reward.

The Prophet (sal Allaahu Alayhi wa Sallam) said: "Shall I not tell you something by which Allah effaces the sins and elevates ranks (in Jannah)?'' The Companions said; "Certainly, O Messenger of Allah.'' He said, "Performing the Wudhu thoroughly in spite of difficult circumstances, walking with more paces to the mosque, and waiting for the next prayer after observing a prayer; and that is mindfulness. (Muslim)

Use the Siwaak

Don't forget the Siwaak. The Prophet (Sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam) loved to use it and highly encouraged us to do the same.
Ibn Mas’ood said: “I used to gather siwaak sticks from the araak tree for the Messenger of Allaah (pbuh).” (Ahmad--hasan).

He (sal Allaahu Alayhi wa Sallam) said:
“Were it not for the fact that I did not want to make things too hard for my ummah, I would have commanded them to use the Siwaak at every time of prayer.” (Bukhaari)

Say the Sunnah duas after wudhu

When you finish wudhu, be sure and say the Sunnah duas that the Prophet (sal Allaahu Alayhi wa Sallam) taught us to say AFTER we are done with wudhu.

Remember there are NO duas to be said during wudhu. There is nothing proven about that from the authentic Sunnah. Just START your wudhu with Bismillaah and when you are DONE, then say the following:

أَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَا إِلَهَ إلَّا اللهُ وَحْدَهُ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ، وَأَشْهَدُ أَنَّ مُحَمَّداً عَبْدُهُ وَرَسُولُهُ

Ashhadu an laa ilaaha ill-Allaah wahdahu laa shareeka lah, wa ashhadu anna Muhammadan ‘abduhu was rasooluhu.

(Meaning: I bear witness that there is no god except Allaah alone, with no partner or associate, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger.) (Muslim)

اللَّهُمَّ اجْعَلْنِي مِنَ التَّوَّابِينَ وَاجْعَلْنِي مِنَ الْمُتَطَهِّرِينَ

Allaahumm aj’alni min al-tawwaabeena waj’alni min al-mutatahhireena
 
(Meaning: O Allaah, make me one of those who repent and make me one of those who purify themselves). (Tirmidhi-Saheeh by Albaani)

سُبْحَانَكَ اللَّهُمَّ وَبِحَمْدِكَ، أَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا أَنْتَ، أَسْتَغْفِرُكَ وَأَتُوبُ إِلَيْكَ

Subhaanaka Allaahumma wa bi hamdika, ashhadu an laa ilaaha ill anta, astaghfiruka wa atoobu ilayka

(Meaning: Glory and praise be to You, O Allaah, I bear witness that there is no god but You, I seek Your forgiveness and I repent to You) (al-Nasaa’i, etc.- Saheeh by Albaani)

Wiping the neck in wudhu is NOT part of the Sunnah

Also please remember that it is not mustahabb to wipe the neck during wudhu, because there is no proof of that from the Prophet (sal Allaahu Alayhi wa Sallam.

Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah said: 
"There is no saheeh report from the Prophet (sal Allaahu Alayhi wa Sallam) which says that he wiped his neck during wudoo’, rather no such thing has been narrated from him in any saheeh hadeeth. Rather the saheeh ahaadeeth which describe the wudoo’ of the Prophet (sal Allaahu Alayhi wa Sallam) do not mention that he wiped his neck. Hence the majority of scholars did not regard that as mustahabb. Those who say that it is mustahabb rely on a a da’eef (weak) hadeeth which says that he wiped his head until he reached the back of his head. Such reports cannot be relied on, and it does not contradict what is indicated by the sound ahaadeeth. Whoever does not wipe his neck, his wudoo’ is valid according to scholarly consensus." (Majmoo’ al-Fataawa)

Ibn al-Qayyim said:
"There is no saheeh hadeeth from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) about wiping the neck at all." (Zaad al-Ma’aad)

And Shaykh Ibn Baaz said: 
"It is not mustahabb or prescribed in sharee’ah to wipe the neck, rather the head and the ears only are to be wiped, as is indicated by the Qur’aan and Sunnah." (Majmoo’ Fataawa Ibn Baaz)

So every single time you perform wudhu, do it sincerely for the sake of Allaah, expecting a reward from Him, asking Him to accept it from you, hoping that He will forgive you and do it according to the Sunnah of the Prophet (sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam).
May Allaah make us among those who purify themselves for His sake, physically as well spiritually. Ameen.

And Allaah knows best

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