The following is taken from the book Ihya Uloom Din by the great Islamic philosopher Imam al-Ghazali.
Importance of Ablution
The Prophet SAW said, "Whoever performs his ablution well and prostrates himself twice in prayer without allowing anything worldly to distract his mind, will be absolved of all his sins, and will become as innocent as he was when he was born." (Ahmad ibn Hanbal, Taharah: 183,188).
Prophet SAW also said, "He who performs the ablution while pure, will be credited with ten good deeds by God." (Ibn-Majah, Taharah: 73).
The Prophet SAW said, "When a Muslim, during the act of ablution, rinses his mouth, the sins leave it; when he blows his nose, they are gone therefrom; when he washes his hands, the sins, even those beneath his finger-nails, are removed; when he washes his head, he rids it of its sins, even those in and behind his ears, when he washes his feet, he cleanses them from sins, even those beneath his toe-nails. Then, and only then, will his going to the mosque and his prayer therein be meritorious." (Ahmad ibn-Hanbal, Tahara:187).
The Prophet also said, "Whoever performs his ablution well, and then lifts his head unto heavens and says, "I testify that there is no god but Allah alone, He has no associate, and I testify that Muhammad is His servant, the Apostle, the eight gates of Paradise will be flung open before him and he will enter therein through whichever gate he may desire.""
Washing the parts three times
Prophet SAW performed ablution throwing water once on every member and said, "Prayer is unacceptable before God except after such ablution." He SAW performed ablution throwing water twice on every member and said, "Whoever performs the ablution throwing water twice on every member will twice receive his reward from God." Finally, he performed the ablution throwing water thrice and said, "This is my manner of ablution and that of the Prophets (Peace Be Upon Them) and that of Prophet Ibrahim (PBUH), the Friend of the Merciful God.".
The Manner of Ablution
It is recommended that a person should start his wudu with the use of the toothpick. Prophet SAW said, "You mouths are the pathways of the Quran. Render them, therefore clean with toothpicks." (Ibn-Majah, Tahara:7). The purpose of using a maswak should be the purification of the mouth for reading Quran and the invocation of God during the Salat. Prophet SAW said, "One prayer after the use of maswak is better than seventy five prayers without the use of the maswak." Prophet SAW did not make it compulsory so as not to overburden the people. He SAW said, "Had it not been for my fear to overburden my people, I would have commanded them to use the maswak before every Salat."
After completing the cleansing of the mouth with maswak, a person should start ablution while facing Qiblah and pronouncing, "in the name of Allah the most Merciful, the most Compassionate.". The Prophet SAW said, "There is no ablution to him who does not call upon the name of God." (Ibn-Majah, Tahara:41). After that a person should say, "O Allah, I seek refuge in Thee from the power of the devil. I seek refuge in Thee O Allah lest they should come and surround me." The purpose of the ablution to remove impurities and making Salat lawful afterwards should be kept in mind until the face is washed. Though it is highly recommended, however, on forgetting to keep it in mind until the face is washed is not penalized.
1. Washing hands thrice
The person should begin with the washing of his right hand and pray, "O Allah, On the day of judgement hand me the book of my actions in my right hand and judge me with lenience."
When one washes his left hand, he should pray, "I beseech Thee O Allah, hand me not the book of my action in my left or from behind my back."
2. Rinsing mouth thrice
Take a handful of water with his right, and rinse his mouth with it three times and gargle. Allow the water to reach the throat, except when one is fasting, at which time one should take it easy. One should say after that, "O Allah, Help me to recite They book and to glorify Thy name."
3. Inhaling through nose thrice
One should take another handful of water and inhale it thrice. One should force it with the breath up the nose and flushing the cartilages of the nose, and force the water out by exhaling. As sniffing the water, one should say, "O Allah, Grant me (to enjoy) the perfumes of Paradise and be gracious unto me." As one exhales to force the water out, one should say, "O Allah, I seek refuge in Thee against the stench of Hell and evil of the world."
These respective duas should be recited since inhaling is equivalent to drawing in while exhaling is removal and rejection. Therefore, while inhaling one should make dua for enjoying perfumes in the Paradise and similarly, while exhaling, one should pray for seeking refuge against Hell and Evil.
4. Washing face thrice
Now, one should take another handful of water to wash his face. One should wash it from the beginning of the flat part of the forehead to the end of the chin, and from one ear to the other ear. The two temples which are on either side of the forehead are not included in the face but form a part of the head. The water is allowed to reach the edge of the bangs which women use to affect: It is the part which lies at the side of the face when the end of a thread is placed upon the top of the ear, and the other end is placed upon the corner of the forehead. The water is allowed to reach the four parts of face where the hair grow: the eyebrows, the mustache, the side whiskers, and the eyelashes. Water should be allowed to reach the base of sparse but not the thick beards. One who has beard, he should wash face thrice and port water over the long part of his beard, and work his fingers in, and clean the ye holes where the dirt which they discharge collects and where the kohl gathers.
While washing eyes, one should wish and make dua that sin should depart therefrom. As one washes his face he should pray, "O Allah, Cleanse Thou my face with Thy light when Thou cleanseth the faces of They sainds; blacken not my face with Thy darkness when Thou rendereth the faces of They enemies black."
5. Washing arms upto elbows thrice
One should wash arms upto the elbows three times. When washing his hands a person should move the ring around his finger. He should draw his wet right hand over the fore-part of the head, raising the head gear with the left, and should apply water to the upper part of the upper arm.
Prophet SAW says, "For (the believers) will appear on the day of the resurrection with whiteness on their foreheads, wrists, and ankles, from the effect of ablution." (Al-Bukhari, Wudu:3).
6. Washing forehead, ears, neck thrice
A person should start by washing of his right hand first and left hand after wards. He should proceed then to wipe his head thoroughly by soaking his hands in the water, bringing the tips of their fingers, both the right and the left, together, placing them on the forepart of the head, running them over to the opposite side, and finally bring them back again to the forepart. This all constitutes as a single wipe. He should repeat it thrice and say, "Cover me with Thy Mercy, O Allah, and shower upon me of Thy blessings. Give me to sit in the shadow of Thy throne on that day when there will be no shade except Thine own."
After that, one should wipe the ears, both from outside and inside with the fresh water. He should put the tips of his forefingers into his ears and twist them round, passing his thumbs at the same time over the back of the ears. He should then place the palms of his hands over the outer part of his ears, repeating the act thrice and saying, "Make me O Allah one of those who hear and pattern their work in accordance to the best of what they hear. O Allah, let me hear the crier of Paradise with the righteous."
Now is the time to wash one's neck with another fresh water. The importance of washing neck can be seen from the saying of the Prophet SAW that, "Wiping the neck safeguards against being shackled on the day of resurrection." While wiping the neck, one should make dua that, "O Allah, release my neck from the yoke of fire and save Thou me from the chains and shackles."
7. Washing feet thrice
In the last, one needs to wash his both feet thrice starting with the right foot. With his left hand, one should pass fingers between the toes from the bottom up, beginning with the little toe of the right foot and ending with the little toe of the left. While washing the right foot, one should make dua that, "O Allah, steady my foot on the narrow bridge on that day when feet slip down into the fires of Hell." While washing the left foot, one should make dua that, "I see Thy aid O Allah lest my foot should slip off the bridge on that day when the feet of the hypocrites slip."
After one finishes the washing of feet, one should turn to his head up towards the heavens and say, "I testify that there is no god but Allah, that He has no associate, and that Muhammad is His servant and His apostle. Glory be to You O Allah, and the praise be Thine, for there is no god but Thee. I have done evil and sinned against my own soul. I beg Thy forgiveness O Allah, an dI hearken back unto You. Forgive, therefore, my sin and be gracious unto me; Thou art the Forgiving, the Merciful. Give me to be penitent O Allah, and make me pure. Grant me to be one of Thy righteous servants and make me patient and grateful. Help me always to remember Thy name, and to praise Thee day and night."
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