Many Muslim converts are worried about the question of how to wash themselves before praying. This is a very important procedure that cannot be omitted, since a prayer before God is possible only in a state of ritual purity. Below we will talk about how this ablution is performed.
Types of ablutions
In Islam, there are two types of ritual bathing: small and full. In a small version, washing only the hands, mouth and nose is required, then a complete one requires washing the whole body. The result of both procedures is purity, called Arabic taharat.
Full ablution
This option is called in Arabic gusl. Below we will tell you how to do a full ablution, but first you need to say about when it is necessary. So, if we are talking about a woman, then she is ordered to make a ghusl after the end of the period of month days and postpartum bleeding. In addition, sexual intimacy is considered a reason for ablution. If we are talking about a man, then for him such a reason is also sexual contact and the fact of ejaculation in general. If a person has just converted to Islam or for some reason has not practiced namaz, then he is also instructed to commit a ghusl, since the probability that he had not had such moments in his previous life when the rules of Islam required complete ablution is close to zero.
The rules of complete body washing
Sharia rules tell how to do ablution before prayer. According to them, the nose, mouth and the whole body should be washed. But, before doing the ablution, you need to get rid of everything that can prevent the penetration of water. It can be wax, paraffin, cosmetics, paint, nail polish and more. During washing, it is especially necessary to rinse the parts of the body where water is difficult to reach. For example, the auricles, the navel, the areas behind the ears, the holes from the earrings. The skin on the head should also be washed with water along with the hair. Regarding how to wash for women with long braided hair, the rules of Islam explain that if they are braided and do not interfere with the penetration of water, then they can be left as they are. But if water cannot get because of them on the scalp, then the hair needs to be braided. Another recommendation on how to do bathing for women concerns their female genitals. Their outer part also needs to be washed, preferably squatting.
Mouth rinse
As for rinsing the mouth, then this procedure must be performed three times. At the same time, everything that interferes with the penetration of water to the surface should be removed from the teeth and from the oral cavity. To the question of how to do the bathing properly, if there are fillings, dentures or crowns in the teeth, the rules of the harp say that these things do not need to be touched. Also, it is not necessary to remove various devices, such as correction plates and braces, which only a doctor can safely remove. It is necessary to get rid of only those things during bathing that are easily removed and easily inserted back. Regarding how to do the ablution, it must be said that certain Sunnis and Adabs are applied to this action, that is, some ritual actions that, in general, are not mandatory. But if they are fulfilled, then the reward from Allah, as Muslims believe, will be increased. But since these are optional things, we will not touch on them in this article.
What is forbidden without complete ablution except prayer?
There are things that are prohibited for Muslims who have not completed a full ablution. Besides, in fact, prayer, these include the bowing of the earth while reading certain lines of the Qur'an and the bow of the earth from gratitude to Allah. In addition, it is forbidden to touch the Quran or its individual parts, printed in other books. Even in a state of impurity it is forbidden to read the Quran, even if you do not touch it. It is allowed to read only individual words, the totality of which is less than one ayah, that is, a verse. This rule, however, has an exception. Thus, suras, which are prayers, are allowed to be read. Without a ritual complete ablution, it is forbidden to go to the mosque and go around the Kaaba during the Hajj.
There is one subtlety - a condition without ritual washing is classified into three levels. In one of them it is allowed to keep Ramadan, while in others it is not. But this is another topic, and we will not touch on this issue.
Small ablution
Now let's talk about how to do a small ablution. Firstly, it must be said that such a method of washing is called in the Arabic language voodoo. It is also important to note that it does not replace a complete washing - a harp.
When is voodoo done?
To understand how to do ablution before prayer in accordance with the rules of voodoo, you need to learn when there is a need. Suppose you did a full wash, but then, before the prayer, you visited the toilet. In this case, you should do a small wash. It is also necessary if you fall asleep or faint, as a state of unconsciousness leads to a partial loss of ritual purity. Voodoo ceremonies require a situation when a person has blood, mucus or pus. The situation is similar with a situation when there was an attack of nausea, and a person vomited. Severe bleeding in the oral cavity (if there is more blood than saliva) is also considered an occasion for passing a small ablution. Well, this list concludes the situation of intoxication or other clouding of the mind.
When don't you need to do voodoo?
There are things in relation to which it is not entirely clear whether to bathe after them or not. And, probably, the most common question among them is expectoration. The rules of the ritual purity of Islam say that expectoration of mucus does not make it necessary to bathe. The same applies to cases when small parts of the flesh are separated from the body - hair, pieces of skin and so on. But only if it did not cause bleeding. Touching the genitals (it doesn’t matter whether you are a friend or a stranger) does not lead to the need for repeated washing. Touching a person of the opposite sex, if he is not included in the category of mahrams, is also not considered an occasion for the repetition of voodoo.
Voodoo procedure
Now we’ll tell you directly about how to bathe before the prayer according to the voodoo order. In accordance with Sharia, it includes four mandatory points - washing the face, hands, feet and nose.
To wash your face, you need to understand what is considered a person in Islam, that is, where its borders go. So, if in width, then the border of the face will go from one earlobe to another. And in length - from the tip of the chin to the point at which hair growth begins. How to do hand washing, also teach Sharia norms: hands should be washed down to the elbows, including the last. Similarly, the legs are washed to the ankles. About how to do ablution before prayer, if there is something on the surface of the skin that can interfere with the penetration of water, the rules clearly say that such things should be removed. If water does not reach the entire area of the indicated parts of the body, then bathing cannot be considered valid. Therefore, you need to remove all paints, jewelry, and more. However, henna drawings do not interfere with ablution, since it does not interfere with the penetration of water. After all parts of the body are washed, you need to wash your hair. How to do a bath in the small rank, again prompted by the rules. In fact, simply rubbing a quarter of the head’s area with a wet hand will be considered ablution. But you need to be careful, since rubbing the hair not on the head, but on the forehead, neck or rubbing the hair twisted on the head will not be considered valid.
It should also be noted that without a small ablution (unless, of course, you have just completed the full) some ritual actions are prohibited. Their list is identical to those that are prohibited in the absence of a harp. There are also adabs and sunnats for small ablutions, which we do not consider in this article. Another important point - when committing voodoo, you do not need to remove contact lenses from the eyes, as this is not required by Sharia.