The Prophet's Ablution

Salam,

The common word that is used to refer to the ritual of cleansing before establishing the Salat or the obligatory prayers is ablution or in its Arabic word it is called ”wudu’”. The ablution is a pre requisite for the performance of Salat and in the Quran it has been stated very clearly what is to be done and the sequences in the ritual of “wudu’”. The following verse shows clearly the sequences of the ablution:

O ye who believe! When ye prepare for prayer, wash your faces, and your hands and arms to the elbows; Rub your heads with water; and wash your feet to the ankles. If ye are in a state of ceremonial impurity, bathe your whole body. But if ye are ill, or on a journey, or one of you cometh from offices of nature, or ye have been in contact with women, and ye find no water, then take for yourselves clean sand or earth, and rub therewith your faces and hands, Allah doth not wish to place you in a difficulty, but to make you clean, and to complete his favor to you, that ye may be grateful. (Surah 5:6)

The sequence of the ritual of ablution is very important in the Quran and if one ponders in the above verse it begins with “O you who believe!” which means that only those who believe in His Book will follow the sequences commanded by God and God is particular that the sequences must not be distorted that it will nullify the actual Salat. However many Muslims especially the Ahl Sunnah Wal Jumaah (Sunni Muslims) consciously or unconsciously did not realized that every time they performed the ritual of ablution they transgressed the rule set by God by adding the action of rubbing both their ears which distorted the divine inspiration of the rule of ablution inspired to the Prophet Muhammad. This distortion is found in the following hadith which clearly contradict the sequences which is the true inspiration to the Prophet in the Quran as stated in the Surah 5:6 above.

It is found In: Sunan Abu Dawood Chapter No: 1, Purification (Kitab Al Taharah) Hadith no: 135 Narrated: Abdullah bin Amr bin Al Aas

A man came to the Prophet (pbuh) and asked him: Messenger of Allah how is the ablution to be performed? He (the Prophet) then called for water in a vessel and washed his hands up to the wrists three times, then washed his face three times, and washed his forearms three times. He then wiped his head and inserted both his index fingers in his ear-holes; he wiped the back of his ears with his thumbs and the front of his ears with the index fingers. He then washed his feet three times. Then he said: This is how ablution should be performed. If anyone does more or less than this, he has done wrong and transgressed, or (said) transgressed and done wrong.

As a role model who obeys the command of God it is impossible to imagine that the Prophet would have performed the ablution as reported in the Sunnan of Abu Dawood by having an extra ritual to wash or clean both parts of the ears with the index fingers. As a Messenger of God he is to follow only that which he has been commanded by God and being obedient to God he is a man who believes and fears God’s retribution. The sunnan of Abu Dawood is thus reporting a falsehood which is in contradiction with the message of the Quran. There was never an instruction to clean the ears as quoted in the Quran and the Prophet would never do something which he was not told to perform. He only follow what he was commanded to do and he fear God’s warning to him as stated in the following verses of the Quran:

That this is verily the word of an honored apostle; it is not the word of a poet: little it is ye believe! Nor is it the word of a soothsayer: little admonition it is ye receive. This is a Message sent down from the Lord of the Worlds. And if the apostle were to invent any sayings in Our name, We should certainly seize him by his right hand, And We should certainly then cut off the artery of his heart: Nor could any of you withhold him from Our wrath. But verily this is a Message for the God fearing. And We certainly know that there are amongst you those that reject it. But truly revelation is a cause of sorrow for the Unbelievers. But verily it is Truth of assured certainty. (Surah 69:40-51)

I do not say to you, I have with me the treasures of Allah, nor do I know the unseen, nor do I say to you that I am an angel; I do not follow aught save that which is revealed to me. Say: Are the blind and the seeing one alike? Do you not then reflect? (Surah 6:50)

It is clear from the above warning the Prophet will not dare to invent the washing of the ears to be added in the sequence of the ablution and he said he would only follow that which is revealed to him. Thus those who propagated the idea were sinister in their agenda and the consequence is detriment to the souls of those who follow this falsehood that they must realized the distorted ablution other than that being done by the Prophet which is stated in the Quran will nullify their Salat whenever and every time they perform the distorted ablution.

Asar