'In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful' His saying - glorified and exalted is He -: ﴿O you who have believed, when you rise to pray, wash your faces and your forearms to the elbows and wipe over your heads and your feet to the ankles. And if you are in a state of janabah, then purify yourselves. And if you are ill or on a journey or one of you comes from the place of relieving himself or you have contacted women and do not find water, then seek clean earth and wipe over your faces and your hands from it. Allah does not intend to make difficulty for you, but He intends to purify you and complete His favor upon you that you may be grateful.﴾ There is no disagreement that this verse is the one that 'Aisha - may Allah be pleased with her - said was revealed regarding the verse of tayammum; and it is the verse of wudu; but since wudu was already established among them; practiced; it is as if the verse did not add anything to it except its recitation; rather it provided them with the benefit; and the concession in tayammum; and it is evidenced that wudu is obtained by the saying of 'Aisha - may Allah be pleased with her -: 'The Messenger of Allah - blessings and peace be upon him - led the people while they were without water; and they had no water with them.' And the verse regarding women was either revealed with it; or shortly after it; and the story of tayammum occurred during the journey of the Messenger of Allah - blessings and peace be upon him - in the battle of Al-Muraysi'; which is the battle of Banu Al-Mustaliq; and in it was the blowing of the wind; as narrated; and in it was the saying of Abdullah bin Ubayy bin Salul: 'If we return to Medina'; the story is lengthy; and in it occurred the incident of slander. And since the attempt to pray is mostly by standing; the expression came: 'When you rise.' And the people differed regarding the context that was intended with His saying: 'When you rise'; a group said: 'This is a general term for every standing; whether a person is in a state of purity or in a state of hadath; for it is appropriate for him when he stands to pray to perform wudu.' It has been narrated that Ali bin Abi Talib - may Allah be pleased with him - used to do that; and he would recite the verse; and a similar narration is reported from Ikrimah; and Ibn Sirin said: 'The caliphs used to perform wudu for every prayer; and it has been narrated that Umar bin Al-Khattab - may Allah be pleased with him - performed a wudu in which there was an allowance; then he said: 'This is the wudu of one who has not had an incident.' And Abdullah bin Hanzalah bin Abi Amir Al-Ghasil said: 'Indeed the Prophet - blessings and peace be upon him - was commanded to perform wudu at every prayer; and this was difficult for him; so he was commanded to use the siwak; and wudu was lifted from him except for an incident.'

(p-114) The judge Abu Muhammad, may Allah have mercy on him, said: Many of the Companions - among them Ibn Umar and others - would perform ablution for every prayer, seeking a virtue. Likewise, the Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, would do so. Then he combined between two prayers with one ablution, in the hadith of Suwayd ibn al-Nu'man, and in other instances, until it was reported that 'the Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, combined on the day of the Conquest between the five prayers with one ablution,' intending to clarify for his Ummah. Ibn Umar narrated that the Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him, said: 'Whoever performs ablution while in a state of purity, ten good deeds are recorded for him'; and he said: 'I only desired this.'

A group said: This verse was revealed as a concession for the Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, because he would not perform any action except while he was in a state of ablution; nor would he speak to anyone; nor would he return a greeting; and so on. So Allah informed him with this verse that ablution is only required when standing for prayer, and not for other actions. This was said by Alqamah ibn al-Faghwa, who was among the Companions and was the guide of the Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, to Tabuk. Zayd ibn Aslam and al-Suddi said: The meaning of the verse is: 'When you stand for prayer from your beds,' meaning from sleep.

The judge Abu Muhammad, may Allah have mercy on him, said: The intent of this interpretation is to encompass all impurities by mention, especially sleep, which is disputed: Is it an impurity in itself? And in this interpretation of the verse, there is precedence and delay, the estimation of which is: 'O you who have believed, when you stand for prayer from sleep, or if one of you comes from the restroom, or if you touch women - meaning the light touch - then wash.' Thus, the rulings of the one who has incurred a minor impurity are completed. (p-115) Then he said: 'And if you are in a state of janabah, then purify yourselves.' This is a ruling of another type. Then he addressed both types: 'And if you are ill or on a journey and do not find water, then seek clean earth.' This interpretation was supported by Muhammad ibn Muslamah, from the companions of Malik, may Allah have mercy on him, and others.

The majority of the scholars said: The meaning of the verse is: 'When you stand for prayer while in a state of impurity,' and there is no precedence or delay in the verse according to this view. Rather, the ruling of the one who finds water is established until His saying: 'Then purify yourselves.' And the light touch is included in His saying: 'while in a state of impurity.' Then he mentioned after that - in His saying: 'And if you are ill' - to the end of the verse - the ruling of the one who lacks water from both types. And the light touch is indeed sexual intercourse, and it must be mentioned, so that the one in a state of janabah who lacks water is mentioned, just as the one who finds it is mentioned. This is the interpretation of al-Shafi'i and others, and upon this come the sayings of the Companions, such as Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas, Ibn Abbas, Abu Musa, and others.

And His saying, exalted is He: ﴿So wash your faces﴾: Washing in the language means to bring water to the washed part, with the passing of something over it, like the hand or something that takes its place. It is distinguished according to the degree of immersion in the water or the reduction of it. Washing the face in ablution is by transferring water to it and passing the hand over it. The face is what confronts the observer and meets him. Its limit in length is the growth of hair above the forehead to the end of the chin. Some people expressed it as 'to just before the chin.' It was said that its limit is the end of the hair in it.

The scholars differed regarding the rinsing of the beard on two sayings: Rinsing it was narrated from the Prophet - blessings and peace be upon him - from the hadith of Anas; mentioned by al-Tabari. They differed regarding its limit in breadth; it is in a woman and a young man from the ear to the ear. In regard to the beard, there are three sayings: It was said, 'from hair to hair,' meaning the hair of the sideburns. It was said, 'from ear to ear,' and the whiteness that is between the sideburn and the ear is included in the face. It was said, 'he should wash that whiteness as a recommendation.' There was a difference regarding the two ears; it was said, 'They are part of the head.' Al-Zuhri said, 'They are part of the face.' It was said, 'They are a distinct organ by themselves; they are neither part of the face nor part of the head.' It was said, 'What faces them from the face is part of the face, and what is behind them is part of the head.' There was a difference regarding the rinsing and inhaling; the majority of the ummah see them as a Sunnah, and these two inner parts do not enter into the face according to them. Mujahid said, 'Inhaling is half of ablution.' Ahmad said, 'He must repeat if he leaves inhaling, but he does not repeat if he leaves rinsing.' All people agree that the inside of the eyes does not require washing, except for what was narrated from Abdullah ibn Umar that he would sprinkle water on his eyes.

And His saying, exalted is He: ﴿And your hands to the elbows﴾: The hand in the language refers to the limb that extends from the shoulder to the tips of the fingers. For this reason, Abu Huraira would sometimes wash all of it in ablution to prolong the whiteness. Allah defined the place of washing from it by saying: ﴿to the elbows﴾; it is said in the singular: 'murfak' and 'marfiq.' Breaking the meem and opening the fa is more common. The scholars differed: Do the elbows enter into the washing or not? A group said, 'They do not enter because

The judge Abu Muhammad - may Allah have mercy on him - said: The clarification of the statement in this meaning is that it should be said: "If what comes after 'to' is not from what precedes it, then the limit is the first mentioned after it; and if what comes after it is part of what precedes it, then the precaution gives that the limit is the last mentioned after it." Therefore, it is preferred that the elbows are included in the washing. The two narrations are preserved from Malik ibn Anas - may Allah be pleased with him -; Ashhab narrated from him that the elbows are not included in the limit; and it was narrated from him that they are included.

And His saying, the Most High: ﴿And wipe over your heads﴾; wiping is to pass over something with something wet with water. The Sunnah of wiping the head is that water is taken with the hands; then it is poured; then the head is wiped with what is on the hands.

There was a difference regarding the wiping of the head in several matters; among them is the manner of wiping. A group said - including Malik, Al-Shafi'i, and a group from the companions and the followers -: "He begins with the front of his head; then he goes with them to his nape; then he returns them to the front." And a group said: "He begins from the back of the head until he reaches the front; then he returns to the back." And a group said: "He begins from the middle of the head; then he brings his hands towards the face; then he returns; so he touches the inner part of the hair; and when he reaches the middle of the head, he passes his hands likewise over the outer part of the hair at the back of the head; then he returns; so he touches its inner part; and he stops at the middle of the head." And a group said: "He wipes his head from here and there; without a specific order; nor a defined beginning; until he covers it all."

The judge Abu Muhammad - may Allah have mercy on him - said: "And all of this is a general saying." And there was a difference regarding returning the hands to the hair of the head; is it obligatory or Sunnah? After the consensus that the first wipe is obligatory by the Qur'an, the majority hold that it is Sunnah; and it was said: "It is obligatory."

Among the points of disagreement in wiping the head is the extent of what should be wiped; a group said: "The obligation of wiping the head is its entirety." Then they differed in the manners as mentioned; and Muhammad ibn Muslamah said: "If he wiped two-thirds of the head and left one-third, it is sufficient; because it is much in matters of the Shari'ah." And Ashhab said: "If he wiped the forelock, it is sufficient."

The judge Abu Muhammad - may Allah have mercy on him - said: And everyone whom I have preserved from him regarding the wiping of part of the head, he sees that part from the front of the head. This is because it has been narrated in this regard in some hadiths, mentioning the forelock in some of them, and in others mentioning the front of the head. Except for what has been narrated from Ibrahim and Al-Sha'bi, who said: Whatever part of your head you wipe, it suffices you. And Salama ibn Al-Akwa' used to wipe the front of his head. It has been narrated from Ibn Umar that he only wiped the crown. The scholars of opinion said: If he wipes with three fingers, it suffices him; and if the wiped area is less than what three fingers pass over, it does not suffice. And some said: It suffices whoever wipes the head to wipe once with one finger. Al-Hasan ibn Abi Al-Hasan said: If a woman only wipes one hair, it suffices her. Al-Tabari and others narrated from Sufyan Al-Thawri that if a man wipes one hair, it suffices him.

And among the points of disagreement regarding wiping the head is which part should be wiped. The consensus is on the preference of wiping with both hands together; and it suffices if he wipes with one. There is disagreement regarding one who wipes with one finger until he covers what he thinks suffices him from the head. The famous opinion is that this suffices; it is said: it does not suffice.

The judge Abu Muhammad - may Allah have mercy on him - said: It is preferable that it does not suffice, because it is a departure from the Sunnah of wiping; and it seems like play, unless it is due to a necessity of illness; then it should not be disputed in its sufficiency.

And among the points of disagreement is the number of wipes. The majority hold that one wipe is sufficient; and this is sufficient according to Al-Shafi'i; and three are preferred by him. It has been narrated from Ibn Sirin that he wiped his head twice; and it has been narrated from Anas that he said: The head should be wiped three times; and this was said by Sa'id ibn Jubair, and 'Ata, and Maysarah.

And the 'ba' in His saying: "And wipe over your heads"; is an additional confirming particle for those who see the generality of the head; and its meaning for them is: "And wipe your heads"; and it is for the pure adherence for those who see the sufficiency of part of the head; as if the meaning is: "Establish a wiping with your heads"; so whoever wipes one hair has done that. Then they followed in the measures that they defined with narrations and analogies, according to the ijtihad of the scholars - may Allah have mercy on them.

Ibn Kathir, Abu Amr, and Hamzah read: "And your feet"; in the genitive; and Nafi', Ibn 'Amir, and Al-Kisai read: "And your feet"; in the accusative. Abu Bakr narrated from 'Asim the genitive; and Hafs narrated from him the accusative. Al-Hasan and Al-A'mash read: "And your feet"; in the nominative; the meaning is: "So wash them"; and it was narrated from Nafi'. According to this is the disagreement of the Companions and the Followers; so whoever read in the accusative made the operator "wash"; and based on that, the obligation for the feet is washing with water, not wiping; and this is the position of the majority; and it is supported by the action of the Prophet - blessings and peace be upon him -; and it is the necessary implication of his saying - blessings and peace be upon him -; for he saw a people performing ablution and their heels were showing; so he called out with a loud voice: "Woe to the heels from the Fire."

(p-119) And whoever reads with the lowering [of the voice] makes the action closer to the two actions; and they differed. A group among them said: The obligation regarding the feet is wiping; not washing. It has been narrated from Ibn Abbas - may Allah be pleased with both of them - that he said: "The ablution consists of two washings and two wipings." It has also been narrated that Al-Hajjaj delivered a sermon in Al-Ahwaz; he mentioned ablution and said: "Wash your faces and your hands; and wipe over your heads and your feet; and there is nothing from the son of Adam that is closer to his filth than his feet; so wash their soles and their backs and their ankles." Anas ibn Malik heard that and said: "Allah has spoken the truth and Al-Hajjaj has lied." Allah, the Exalted, said: ﴿And wipe over your heads and your feet﴾. Anas would wet his feet when he wiped them. It has also been narrated from Anas that he said: "The Quran was revealed with wiping; and the Sunnah with washing." Ikrimah would wipe over his feet; and there is no washing in the feet; rather, what was revealed regarding them is wiping. Al-Sha'bi said: "Gabriel came down with wiping." Then he said: "Do you not see that in tayammum, what was a washing is wiped over, and what was a wiping is disregarded?" It has been narrated from Abu Ja'far that he said: "Wipe over your head and your feet." Qatadah said: "Allah has made obligatory two washings and two wipings."

And all those we mentioned read: "And your feet" with the lam being broken; and this is how Alqamah read; and Al-A'mash; and Al-Dahhak; and others; and Al-Tabari mentioned them under the chapter of the saying regarding wiping. A group among those who affirm the breaking of the lam went to the view that the wiping of the feet is the washing; and it has been narrated from Abu Zayd that the Arabs call the light washing wiping; and they say: "I wiped for prayer," meaning: "I washed my limbs." Abu Ubaydah and others said in interpreting His saying, the Exalted: ﴿So he began wiping﴾ [Sad: 33] that it is striking; and it is said: "He wiped his face," if he struck him. Abu Ali said: "This strengthens the view that the intended meaning of wiping the feet is washing; and the evidence that wiping the feet is intended to mean washing is that the limit has been placed upon it with 'to' as it has been placed upon the hands; and the hands are washed; and there is no limit placed upon the wiped."

The judge Abu Muhammad - may Allah have mercy on him - said: This interpretation is objected to by the absence of a limit on the face; so the ablution consists of two washings; one of which is limited; and two wipings; one of which is limited. Al-Tabari - may Allah have mercy on him - said: "The wiping of the feet is by bringing water to them; then he wipes with his hands after that, so the person is both washing and wiping." He said: "And for this reason, most scholars disliked for the one performing ablution to place his feet in the water without passing his hands over them."

The judge Abu Muhammad - may Allah have mercy on him - said: And a group has permitted that; among them is Al-Hasan Al-Basri and some jurists of the cities; and the majority of the community from the companions and the followers hold that the obligation regarding the feet is washing; and that wiping is not sufficient; and this has been narrated from Al-Dahhak; and he reads with the lam being broken.

The discussion regarding His saying: "to the two ankles" is as previously mentioned in His saying: "to the elbows". The linguists have differed regarding "the two ankles"; the majority hold that they are the protruding bones on the sides of the leg. These are the limits of ablution, by consensus, as far as I know. It has been disputed whether they are included in the washing or not, as previously mentioned regarding the elbow. Some have said: the ankle is the protruding bone on the top of the foot, where the laces of the shoe meet.

Qadi Abu Muhammad - may Allah have mercy on him - said: "I do not know anyone who has set the limit of ablution to this; however, Abdul Wahhab, in the Taqleen, mentioned this with a wording that contains confusion and ambiguity." Al-Shafi'i - may Allah have mercy on him - said: "I do not know anyone who disagrees that the two ankles are the bones at the joint of the leg." Al-Tabari narrated from Yunus, from Ashhab, from Malik, who said: "The two ankles to which ablution is required are the bones that are attached to the leg, adjacent to the heel; and the ankle is not the visible bone on the top of the foot."

Qadi Abu Muhammad - may Allah have mercy on him - said: "This is evident from the verse, from His saying - regarding the hands -: 'to the elbows'; meaning: in each hand there is an elbow. If it were the same for the feet, it would have been said: 'to the heels'; since in each foot there are two ankles, they were specifically mentioned.

The words of the verse necessitate continuity between the limbs. Scholars have differed regarding this; Ibn Abi Salamah and Ibn Wahb said: This is one of the obligations of ablution, in remembrance and forgetfulness. Ibn Abd al-Hakim said: It is not obligatory with remembrance. Malik said: It is obligatory with remembrance, but it is dropped with forgetfulness.

Similarly, the words of the verse imply order, and there has been disagreement about it. Al-Abhari said: Order is a Sunnah; and the apparent position of the school is that reversing the order for the forgetful is sufficient. There has been disagreement regarding the intentional person; it has been said: it is sufficient, and he should arrange in the future. Abu Bakr the Qadi and others said: It is not sufficient, because he is being careless.

And His saying: "And if you are in a state of janabah": "Janabah" is derived from "janb" because he touches the side of a woman most of the time; and from proximity and closeness. It was said: "and the neighbor who is near" [An-Nisa: 36]. "Janabah" may also imply distance, as distance is a form of janabah; hence, "I avoided the thing" means I distanced myself from it. It is as if he has distanced himself from purity; and based on this, it is possible that the near neighbor is the one who is far away, and he is opposite to the companion at the side.

And "So purify yourselves"; it is a command to perform ghusl with water. For this reason, Umar ibn al-Khattab - may Allah be pleased with him - and Ibn Mas'ud, and others, saw that the junub does not perform tayammum at all; rather, he should leave the prayer until he finds water. The majority of the people said: Rather, this phrase is for the one who finds water. The junub has also been mentioned later in the rulings regarding the absence of water, by His saying, "Or you have touched women"; for the touching here refers to intercourse. And the purification with water is that the body is thoroughly washed with water, and the hand is to be passed over it. This is the well-known opinion. Muhammad ibn Marwan al-Dhahiri and others narrated from Malik that it suffices for the ghusl of janabah that a man immerses himself in water without rubbing. It has been previously mentioned in Surah An-Nisa the interpretation of His saying - glorified and exalted is He -: "And if you are ill"; up to His saying: "Then wipe over your faces and your hands from it"; and the reading of one who recited: "from the filth".

And His saying - glorified and exalted is He -: "Allah does not intend to place upon you any hardship"; "The intention": is a description of the essence; and the action has come in the future tense, considering the incidents that arise from the intention; for they come as a result of the purification of the believers and the completion of His favors upon them.

And the transitive use of "intended"; and what is derived from it with this لام (lam) is known in the speech of the Arabs; and from it is the saying of the poet: (p-122)

I intend to forget her mention, so it is as if ∗∗∗ my night appears to me in every way.

Sibawayh said: I asked him - may Allah have mercy on him - about this; he said: The meaning is: My intention to forget; and from that is the saying of Qays ibn Sa'd:

I intended so that people may know that it is ∗∗∗ ∗∗∗ the trousers of Qays and the delegations are witnesses.

It is possible that there is an omitted object in the speech that the لام (lam) relates to; and what Al-Khalil said to Sibawayh is shorter and better; and this possibility regarding the omitted object is opposed by the fact that "من" (min) becomes superfluous in the necessary; and it is separated by the fact that the strength of the negation in the beginning of the speech supports the addition of "من"; even if the negation does not occur on the action that pertains to hardship; and for this, there are parallels.

And "hardship": is the narrowness; and الحَرَجَة (harajah): is the entangled trees that are cramped; and from it was said on the Day of Badr regarding Abu Jahl: "Indeed, he was in a state of hardship from the spears"; and it aligns with the meaning of this verse the saying of the Prophet - blessings and peace be upon him -: "The religion of Allah is ease"; and his saying - blessings and peace be upon him -: "I was sent with the hanifiyah that is easy"; and the wording of the verse has come in general; and the matter mentioned nearby is the issue of tayammum; and the concession in it; and the removal of hardship in bearing water at all times; and for this reason, Usayd said: "What is it with the first blessing of you, O family of Abu Bakr?".

And His saying - glorified and exalted is He -: "But He intends to purify you"; the verse; is an announcement of what cannot be matched with gratitude from His great favor - blessed and exalted is He.

"And perhaps you" is a hope regarding humanity; and Sa'id ibn al-Musayyib read: "purify you"; with the صُكُون (sukoon) on the طاء (ta) and the lightening of the هاء (ha).