Ibn Uthaymin
Risala fi al-Wudu wal-Ghusl wal-Salah
- Author died
- 1421 AH
- Editions
- Dār al-Waṭan lil-Nashr
Risala fi al-Wudu wal-Ghusl wal-Salah (A Treatise on Ablution, Ritual Bath, and Prayer) is a concise legal guide by Ibn Uthaymin (d. 1421 AH / 2001 CE) that outlines the essential rules and practical procedures of Islamic purification and prayer according to the Quran and the Sunnah.
Content and Scope
The author frames the treatise as a succinct exposition written in direct accordance with scriptural evidence. It provides step-by-step instructions on ritual purity, the bodily performance of prayer, corrective measures for errors, and legal concessions for the sick.
Ritual Purification
The treatise defines minor ritual impurity—incurred by urination, defecation, passing gas, deep sleep, or consuming camel meat—and sets out the method of ablution (wudu) in nine sequential steps. It emphasizes making the intention internally without vocalization, noting that the Prophet ﷺ never uttered intentions aloud, followed by pronouncing the Basmala, washing the hands thrice, rinsing the mouth and nose thrice, washing the face thrice, washing the arms up to the elbows beginning with the right, wiping the head once back and forth, wiping the ears, and washing both feet up to the ankles.
For major ritual impurity—such as sexual defilement (janaba) and menstruation—the author outlines the full bath (ghusl), which entails forming the intention, pronouncing the Basmala, performing a full ablution, pouring water over the head three times until it is thoroughly saturated, and washing the remainder of the body. In the absence of water or when its use causes harm, dry purification (tayammum) replaces both ablution and bath by striking clean earth or a wall and wiping the face and hands.
The Performance of Prayer
Prayer is defined as an act of worship consisting of specific words and actions commencing with the opening takbir and concluding with the taslim, preceded by bodily cleanliness, clean garments, and a pure prayer location. The treatise details twenty-eight sequential actions for prayer, describing:
- Facing the qibla and raising the hands to shoulder level with the opening takbir.
- Placing the right hand over the left wrist upon the chest, followed by the opening supplication, seeking refuge, and reciting Surat al-Fatiha and additional Quranic passages.
- Bowing (ruku), rising while praising God, and prostrating upon seven bodily parts: the forehead with the nose, both hands, both knees, and the tips of the feet.
- Sitting postures, specifying iftirash (sitting on the left foot while keeping the right upright) between prostrations and during the first tashahhud, and tawarruk (resting the posterior on the ground with the left foot extended beneath the right leg) during the final sitting of three- and four-unit prayers.
Disliked Acts, Nullifiers, and Forgetfulness
The work enumerates disliked acts in prayer, such as glancing around (while looking up to the sky is noted as strictly forbidden), unnecessary movement, carrying distracting items, and resting hands on the hips (takhassur). It lists invalidators, including intentional speech, turning completely away from the qibla, breaking ritual purity, excessive continuous movement, laughter, intentionally adding physical postures, or deliberately preceding the prayer leader (imam).
For errors in prayer, the treatise specifies the rulings for the prostrations of forgetfulness (sujud al-sahw):
- Performing two prostrations after the taslim when adding an action or concluding the prayer prematurely before completing the remainder.
- Performing two prostrations before the taslim when omitting an obligatory element, such as the first tashahhud.
- Resolving doubts by building on the lesser number (prostrating before the taslim) if neither possibility is preponderant, or building on the preponderant conviction (prostrating after the taslim) if one certainty outweighs the other.
- Disregarding doubts that occur after the conclusion of prayer or those arising from chronic obsessive misgivings (waswas).
Regulations for the Sick
The closing section details dispensations for the ill:
- Purification: A sick person uses water when able, shifts to tayammum if water poses harm, may receive assistance from another person, wipes over bandages or casts, and performs tayammum on dusty walls or vessels containing soil if ground earth is unavailable. Prayers must not be delayed beyond their prescribed times due to an inability to remove impurities from the body or clothing.
- Posture and Execution: Prayers should be performed standing (even if leaning), sitting cross-legged if unable to stand, lying on the right side facing the qibla, or lying on the back. Bowing and prostrating are indicated by nodding the head (with prostration lower than bowing), or by blinking if nodding is impossible, whereas signaling with a finger is noted as baseless. If physical indications are impossible, the prayer is conducted through the heart.
- Combining and Shortening: Patients experiencing hardship may combine Dhuhr with Asr, and Maghrib with Isha, either through advance or delayed combination, and those traveling away from home for medical treatment may shorten four-unit prayers to two units.
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