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We give people the right protocol by keeping in mind their status and position. When I am going out to meet some friends my preparations for the gathering will be different from when I am going to an official meeting. Similarly, we have a grand meeting with the King of kings five times each day. Do we rightfully prepare ourselves and our hearts for it? Do we even realize who we are about to converse with, and how Mighty and Exalted He is?
Allah 
has said in the Quran, “They have not appraised Allah with true appraisal, while the earth entirely will be [within] His grip on the Day of Resurrection, and the heavens will be folded in His right hand. Exalted is He and high above what they associate with Him.” (Surah Al-Zumar 39: 67)
Once a Jewish scholar came to the Prophet 
and addressed him: “O Muhammad , verily, Allah, the Exalted and Glorious would carry the Heavens on the Day of Judgment upon one finger and earths upon one finger and the mountains and trees upon one finger and the ocean and moist earth upon one finger, and in fact the whole of the creation upon one finger, and then He would stir them and say: I am your Lord, I am your Lord.
Upon this the Messenger of Allah smiled, testifying what that scholar had said. He then recited the above mentioned verse. 1
Before every Wudhu pause for a moment and think consciously about whom you are going to face and converse with. He is no ordinary being; He is Allah, The Mighty and Glorious. This will, insha’Allah, help us to focus during the prayers, and beautify it. Wudhu, in fact, is the mental, spiritual and physical preparation for Salah.
Wudhu – A silent dose of Conviction
To be in a state of ablution is an obligatory requirement of Salah. Prophet Muhammad told us, “The prayer of a person who does not perform ablution is not valid.” 2
However, if I do not perform Wudhu, is anybody going to know? Or is there anybody who will ask me about it? Then why bother putting my hands in the cold water. But, do any of us ever think of doing so? No!
In reality, Wudhu gives us a beautiful training and a silent dose of Imaan. It is building in us the conviction that Allah is Al- Baseer and Al- Khabeer (The All-Knowing and All-Seeing one). So what if no one knows, He does. He is the Sovereign of the Day of Judgement (Maaliki Yawm id Deen) and I shall be accountable to Him.
Tips for a perfect Wudhu
It is observed that when we make the Wudhu (ablution) nicely and with an alert mind, our prayers get much better. Alhumdulillah, we all know the manner in which the wudhu is performed. Nevertheless, anyone wanting to read a detailed description of Wudhu may read it here.
Below are some tips to help make a better Wudhu by taking care of things we may forget.
- Begin with Bismillah:
The Messenger of Allah said: “The ablution of a person who does not mention the name of Allah (in the beginning) is not valid.” 3
The scholars have differed in whether this act is obligatory or Sunnah. 4 However, what matters is that we must try and remember to say Bismillah before we begin Wudhu.
- Wash everything thoroughly:
Make sure that you do not miss some part that needs to be washed, in a hurry to finish Wudhu. Instead, wash everything well.
Umar bin Khattab 
said that a person performed ablution and left a small part equal to the space of a nail (unwashed). The Apostle of Allah saw that and said: “Go back and perform ablution well. He then went back (performed ablution well) and offered the prayer.” 5 
Likewise, it is recommended to increase the area washed for the arms and legs as reported by Nu’aim bin Abdullah , He says: “I saw Abu Huraira perform ablution. He washed his face and washed it well. He then washed his right hand including a portion of his arm. He then washed his left hand including a portion of his arm. He then wiped his head. He then washed his right foot including his shank, and then washed his left foot including shank, and then said: This is how I saw Allah’s Messenger perform his ablution. And (Abu Huraira) added that the Messenger of Allah had observed: You shall have your faces hands and feet bright on the Day of Resurrection because of your perfect ablution. He who can afford among you, let him increase the brightness of his forehead and that of hands and legs. 6
- Make a fresh Wudhu for every Salah:
Although it is permissible to pray more than one prayer with the same wudhu (in case it does not invalidate), it is the sunnah of Prophet to perform a fresh Wudhu for every Salah. If it is possible, make Wudhu each time before praying and gain the rewards that come with it.
Anas bin Malik was once asked about ablution. He replied: “The Prophet performed ablution for each prayer and we offered (many) prayers with the same ablution.” 7
- Use the Miswak (Siwak):
Try and use the Miswak at the time of each ablution. Allah’s Messenger said, “If I had not found it hard for my followers or the people, I would have ordered them to clean their teeth with Siwak for every prayer.” 8
- Recite the supplication after Wudhu:
Do you wish your name to be called from all eight gates of Paradise? Add this phrase of Dhikr (remembrance of Allah) to your routine:
Allah’s Messenger said: “If one after performing ablution completely recites the following supplication: (Ash-hadu an la ilaha ill-Allahu wahdahu la sharika lahu, wa ash hadu anna Muhammadan ‘abduhu wa Rasuluhu) ‘I testify that there is no one worthy of worship but Allah, He is Alone and has no partner and Muhammad is his slave and Messenger’, all the eight gates of Paradise will be opened for him and he may enter through any gate he wishes”. 9
The reward for a well-performed Wudhu
As human beings, we are weak. We sin and we make mistakes. Nonetheless, Allah , the Most Forgiving (Al- Ghafoor) has opened for us many avenues to gain forgiveness, and Wudhu is one of them.
Allah’s Messenger said: When a Muslim or a believer washes his face (in course of ablution), every sin he contemplated with his eyes, will be washed away from his face along with water, or with the last drop of water; when he washes his hands, every sin they wrought will be effaced from his hands with the water, or with the last drop of water; and when he washes his feet, every sin towards which his feet have walked will be washed away with the water or with the last drop of water with the result that he comes out pure from all sins. 10
May Allah make us of those who are constantly repentant and those who purify themselves. Ameen!
References:
- Bukhari and Muslim ↩
- Abu Dawud; Sahih – http://sunnah.com/abudawud/1/101 ↩
- Abu Dawud; Sahih ↩
- http://islamqa.info/en/21241 ↩
- Muslim – http://sunnah.com/muslim/2/43 ↩
- Muslim – http://sunnah.com/muslim/2/46 ↩
- Abu Dawud; Sahih – http://sunnah.com/abudawud/1/171 ↩
- Bukhari – http://sunnah.com/bukhari/11/12 ↩
- Muslim – http://sunnah.com/bulugh/1/66 ↩
- Muslim – http://sunnah.com/muslim/2/44 ↩
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32 replies on “Perfecting the Wudhu – Getting Ready for a Divine Conversation”
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Assalam o alaikum warah matulahi wabarakatuhu .may Allah be pleased with you my sister for sharing and spreading such beautiful knowledge.
Wa alaikum assalam warahmatullahi wabarakatuhu,
Jazakillah khair for your kind words 🙂 Do share with others
Assalaamu alaikum dear sister.
This is UmmUbaydah from India.
May Allaah Bless you with Immense blessings in both the worlds!
May Allaah unite us in Serving His Deen!
The knowledge you have shared is worth while.
Jazaakillaahu khairan.
Wa alaikum Assalam sister Umm Ubyadah,
Jazakillah Khair for your feedback and ameen to your dua! 🙂
Alhamdhulillah, allahu akbar. I was really benefitted reading this it ws a soothing one too. Jazakallahu khairan for sharing this article vt me.
Alhumdulillah!
MashaAllah. ..I learned much…..jazakAllah…
Wa iyyaki sister! Do share with others
Assalam allaikum waramatullah wa barakatu….the article is really inspiring may Almighty Allah continue to increase ur knowledge as we learn from it….. but please can a lady on her menstrual period take n recite some verses from the holy Qur’an?
Wa alaikum assalam warahmatullahi wabarakatuhu Balqees,
You can find the answer to your question here In sha Allah: https://islamqa.info/en/2564
Jazakillah Khair
May Allah bless you for the article sister! Jazaak Allah khair, quran and sunah is what we all need in our life! Al HamduliAllah rabi al Alamin.
Jazakillah Khair for your feedback 🙂
Jazakhallahu Khair, I really appreciate the reminder and I want to use the opportunity to ask the remedy for a person who has constant invalidation of his/her ablution, either through passing wind or urine dropping after cleaning oneself. May Allah bless you as you proffer solutions to our worldly and the hereafter problems.
Assalamu Alaikum
Please use the App “Ask the Shaykh!” for all your queries Insha Allah and I hope you will get the correct answer.
The link to the app is here:
https://web.facebook.com/DrBilalPhilips/…
MOBILE USERS (Android/iOS), PLEASE USE THIS LINK: http://bit.ly/1Yrz4o8
Jazak Allah Khair!
Assalamou Aleykoum
I appreciate that article. May Allah bless you !
Asalamualaykum, JazakiLlahu khaeran for this educative and inspirational piece. May Allah reward you abundantly
Jazakallah for this valuable information on wadhu may Allah reward give you the best rewards in both worlds Ameen
Wa iyyaki!
Aselamu alykum warahmetulahi wabarakatu may Allah repay you’re reminding in the highest Janh in janatal firdaws
jazakALLAH. v good article may ALLAH bless u and all of us. ameen
Jazak Allah Khair
Asalam aleykum warahmatullah wabarakatuhu jazakillah kheiran for the wonderful reminder on wudhu.
Very good article indeed.
[…] I | Part II | Part III | Part IV | Part V Whenever we daydream about Jannah, we dream about meeting the Prophet and […]
jzkALLAH e khayrun katheera.reminders are much needed,in this world of fanciful desires,,,ASTAGHFIRRALLAH……Naila
Masha Allah, what an motivating article! May Allah help us to implement all this virtues.
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JAZAKALLAH ! for sharing such a beautiful opinion with us which an bring khushoo in some one’s ablution !
May Almighty Allah guide all muslims aright and bless us with the ability to understand, accept and work with the lessons in this article. May Allah bless the writer and increase him in wisdom.
This blog is a very nice blog, I have found it very beneficial to know more about islam.
importance of wuzu is something that can not be ignoreed as you also mentioned that Without doing it none of your prayers will be listened by Allah. So Just be regular to perform ablutions before each of your prayers and namaz offerings.