Continuation when performing ablution

5-9-2010 | IslamWeb

Question:

Asslam alaikum sir my question is that I am working in Saudi Arabia, in my company we dont have facility to make ablution we are making it while standing in wash basen, i had seen that many person are wearing shoes while cleaning the feet they are removing one shoe and cleaning the feet with the water, wiping it with tissue paper and then they are washing the next feet, is it having any problem in doing this method, please answer us. Allah Hafiz.

Answer:

All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allaah exalt his mention ) is His slave and Messenger.

The majority of the scholars  may  Allaah  have  mercy  upon  them are of the view that the continuation when performing ablution is an obligation as Khaalid Ibn Ma’daan  may  Allaah  have  mercy  upon  him narrated from one of the wives of the Prophet  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allaah exalt his mention ) that he  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allaah exalt his mention ) saw a man praying and a part of his heel as big as the coin of a Dirham was not touched by water, so he ordered him to renew his ablution and repeat the prayer. [Abu Daawood and Ahmad]

Al-Atheem Abaadi  may  Allaah  have  mercy  upon  him said in his commentary on Sunan of Abu Daawood: “This Hadeeth is a clear evidence that the continuation (when performing ablution) is an obligation, because the order to renew the entire ablution because of not washing the part of the heel that is as big as a coin is because the continuation is an obligation.

According to the view of the majority of the scholars  may  Allaah  have  mercy  upon  them it is not permissible to delay washing any limb of ablution for a long time. However, the scholars who are of the view that the continuation in ablution is an obligation, determined this continuation by not delaying washing the limb to the extent that may cause the other limb before it to dry in a moderate time.

Therefore, it does not matter if the limb becomes dry because of extreme hot weather, or due to a blowing wind or because of drying it with something, if the time in which the limb becomes dry in normal conditions does not pass. What should be taken into account here is the passing of the time in which the limb becomes normally dry.

Therefore, drying the feet with tissues does not affect the continuation of washing the limbs as long as it does not take a longer time than usual (i.e. the time in which a limb does not normally become dry before washing the limb after it). Therefore, this does not affect the validity of ablution according to both opinions of the scholars.

Allaah Knows best.

www.islamweb.net