Fit To Be Seen
A few words about Wudu’ [Ablution]…Many of us perform our Wudu’ simply
out of habit, assuming that there is nothing really special about it other
than that it is required before we can make our Salah. But there is so much
more to Wudu’ than we know...You probably already know how to perform
Wudu’, what you’re to say while doing it, how the Prophet did it, and things
such as not wasting water, etc. What else could there be to it? Well, notice that
the above are all actions of your faculties – your hands, mouth, feet. But
where is the heart? Isn’t the heart the place where the intention lies? How
many a small act, augmented in the scales because of the niyyah [intention]
and how many a great act, reduced in the scales also because of… the niyyah!
[intention]
Thus, when we involve the heart, we add to the weight of a given action, far surpassing the amount of rewards earned by just the faculties alone. So the
next time you rise to go wash up for Salah, don’t just fulfill a prescribed requirement
before Salah but add on the following intentions to gain much
much more: Rise with the intent of wholehearted obedience.. Obedience to
Allah as you fulfil His commands of ayah 6 of Surah al-Ma’idah, “O you who
have believed, when you rise to [perform] prayer, wash your faces and your
forearms to the elbows and wipe over your heads and wash your feet to the
ankles.”
Rise with the intent of complete conformance to our beloved Prophet’s examplethe
best example. Rise with the intent of cleansing yourself of your wrong
deeds. Since wudu’ is your prerequisite before entering upon Allah and no
one is permitted to enter upon Him except in a state of purity, wudu’ cleanses
you from the outside till you can be cleansed next- from the inside! Our
Prophet said, “He who performs wudu’ and perfects it, his wrong deeds leave his body till
it runs off with the last drop of water [he’s cleansed completely]!” or “till it runs off even
from under his nails!”
And these sins are washed off from every body part of wudu’- the sins committed
by his hands, his feet, his face [eyes, mouth/tongue]. Try to visualize
this purification as the water washes it all away. Visualize it with a heart full of
hope in Allah’s mercy. Upon completion, proclaim the Shahadah
أَشْهَدُ أَنْ لا إِلَهَ إِلاّ اللهُ وَحْدَهُ لا شَريكَ لَهُ وَأَشْهَدُ أَنَّ مُحَمّداً عَبْدُهُ وَرَسولُه
“I bear witness that none has the right to be worshipped except Allah, alone without
partner, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger.”53
and then say,
اللّهُمَّ اجْعَلْ ن ي مِنَ التَّ وَّاب ينَ وَاجْعَلْنِي مِنَ ال مُ تَطَهِّ رِينَ
“O Allah, make me of those who return to You often in
repentance and make me of those who remain clean and pure.”54
O Allah, make me of those who return to You often in repentance, and make
me of those who remain clean and pure!
With wudu’, you are preparing for the meeting with The King and as before
any meeting of such status and prestige, one needs to beautify himself- going
to great lengths to appear presentable! Wudu’ gives you all that beautification
and that “fit to be seen” appearance before the Lord. This beauty given by
wudu’ will stay with us till the Day of Judgment. The Prophet once said,
“How I wish we could have seen our brothers..”- Those of his nation who had yet to
come after him. That’s us!
He will be able to identify us on that day, from the bright traces of our wudu’-
in our faces and our extremities! The Prophet encourages us to wash even
beyond the required point on each body part - beyond the elbows and the
ankles- for an even brighter more luminous effect, on that day! This extra
effort not only erases sins, but also raises the ranks! Wudu’ can eventually take
us even higher and higher in rank- to a status unimaginable! How? The
Prophet one morning asked Bilal, “How did you get ahead of me in Jannah? [meaning-
as a servant walks ahead of his master in serving him] I entered Jannah and
heard your movement before me!” Bilal answered, “Well ya Rasulullah, Never did I
make the Adhan but prayed two Rakahs after it, and never did I lose my
wudu’ but [immediately] renewed it.” “With that!”, commended our Prophet.
When we finish our wudu’, we seal it with the Shahadah - “Ashhadu anna la
ilaha illallah, wa ashhadu anna Muhammadan Rasulullah.”… upon which all the 8
gates of Heaven open up – for us to enter through any gate we choose!
