Is it appropriate to start ablution with the name of Allah if one is doing it in the bathroom where there is a toilet?
No, that is not appropriate. Mentioning the name of Allah in the bathroom is wrong. People obviously need to do the ablution in the bathrooms and they have learned that many supplications are recommended when they wash different part of their body as part of their ablution. What I would like to say is that none of these supplications has been recommended by the Prophet. There is nothing authentic about them. It is true that every action of a Muslims is recommended to start with "bismillah", which means "In the name of Allah". But even then, one should not say this phrase in a bathroom where there is a toilet. It is sufficient if he is only conscious of that without giving his consciousness any vocal or verbal expression.• Ablution: Invalidation caused by illness or obsession?
I suffer because my ablution is frequently invalidated as a result of wind. I am often unable to complete my prayer with the same ablution. With Friday prayers the problem is acute, because I often find myself leaving the mosque to have a fresh ablution. Sometimes I ignore the condition, hoping that God will accept my prayers, as He surely knows my condition. I will be grateful for your advice.
There is one of two possibilities for your condition. It is either a pathological condition, which means that you have an illness, or it is a case of obsession. There can be no other explanation. You will need to deal with either possibility in a proper manner so that you can rid yourself of an unnecessary problem.
The first possibility, i.e. the discharge of wind involuntarily is caused by some illness, is perhaps less probable. The well-known remedy to deal with such a condition, however, is to take charcoal tablets; inexpensive and available without prescription from any pharmacy. You may like to consult a doctor.
However, the other possibility is more likely. You may have developed this obsession, that you are unable to hold on to your ablution, as a result of your keenness to do your worship in a perfect manner. The situation is not uncommon among people who are very conscientious in their attitude to their worship. The Prophet, peace be upon him, has warned us against this because of the problems such a situation creates. He has also advised that we should try to control the situation.
The first step to deal with such an obsession is to determine that one should not allow it to control him. Then one supplicates for God's help in dealing with it. Thirdly, one should understand that religious matters are not determined on the basis of doubt, but on the basis of certainty. For certain, when you stand up to do your prayer, you have done your ablution. Then your ablution can be invalidated with a certain action such as going to the toilet [and easing yourself] or discharging wind. The proof of the latter is either with its sound or smell. If you smell nothing and have not heard the wind being discharged [and you have not willfully released wind without any sound], then no discharge has occurred. Besides, wind cannot normally be discharged if one is sitting upright. Its release requires a different posture. Thus, if you are sitting properly in the mosque, listening to the sermon, and you feel something which causes you to suspect that a wind discharge has taken place, you must confirm this with either sense — hearing or smelling. If you have no confirmation of either type, then there is no certainty to supersede the certainty of your having done your ablution. You continue to listen to the sermon and do the prayer when it is called. When you have applied this method for a few days you will find that it disappears completely.
• Ablution: Invalidation — Certain misgivings
By how many ways is ablution invalidated? Does touching a non-Muslim or touching a woman intentionally invalidate ablution?
Everything that is discharged through one's private parts, whether wind, fluid or solid, invalidates ablution. It is well known that a discharge of semen requires a full bath or grand ablution. But everything else that is discharged through either private parts requires a fresh ablution, i.e. wudhu before one can offer prayers.
Sound sleep is also a cause to invalidate ablution. Some scholars are of the opinion that a mere sleep is sufficient cause to require a new ablution, while the majority of scholars suggest that if a person sleeps while seated in a position which makes any release of wind impossible, his ablution is not invalidated.
Loss of consciousness is another reason for fresh ablution before prayer. It does not matter whether this is caused by drunkenness, medicine, or by natural causes.
Similarly, a temporary loss of mental powers through madness is also a cause which invalidates ablution.
Finally, touching one's genital organ with one's hand [skin to skin] invalidates ablution. There are Hadiths to support what we have said regarding each of these causes. Limitation of space prevents me from quoting them in detail. They are readily available in any book of Fiqh or Hadith.
There are certain actions which some people think to be reasons for having a fresh ablution. It is appropriate to mention them briefly, emphasizing that they do not invalidate ablution.
The first is touching a woman, skin to skin. Some scholars find this as enough reason to invalidate ablution, the majority are of the opinion that such touching is not the type referred to in the Qur'an as requiring ablution. They consider the Qur'anic statement to mean sexual contact.
Secondly, bleeding from any part of the body with the exception of menstruation. It does not matter whether it is extensive or little bleeding or whether it is through an injury or through one's nose. Nor does vomiting or eating camel meat invalidate ablution. The same can be said of loud laughter during prayer and giving a dead person a final wash.
There is no evidence to support that these are the actions which invalidate ablution.
If someone doubts whether his ablution has been invalidated or not, scholars tell him that it has not been invalidated unless he is certain that it has been. In other words, he must be sure that he has done any of the invalidating actions mentioned above to require a new ablution before he prays.
| Back | Contents | Next |