Islamic law requires Muslims to ritually purify their body before praying

As outbreaks of the coronavirus spread throughout the world, people are reminded over and again to limit physical contact, wash hands and avoid touching their face.

The recent Netflix docuseries “Pandemic: How to Prevent an Outbreak” illustrates how the Islamic ritual washing, known as “wudu,” may help spread a good hygiene message.

The series focuses on Syra Madad, a Muslim public health specialist in a New York hospital, who takes a break to say her prayers at the Islamic Centre of New York University. Before entering the prayer room, Madad stops to perform wudu, and washes her mouth and face as well as her feet.

Islamic law requires Muslims to ritually purify their body before praying. As a scholar of Islamic studies who researches ritual practices among Muslims, I have found that these practices contain both spiritual and physical benefits.

Ritual purity

The Prophet Muhammad left detailed guidance for Muslims on how to live their lives, including how to pray, fast and stay ritually pure. This guidance is available in collections called the Hadith.

According to Islamic law, there are minor and major impurities. Minor impurities involve urinating, defecating and sleeping, among other practices. A person of Muslim faith is supposed to perform a ritual washing of their bodies before praying to get rid of these minor impurities.

Wudu is to be performed, as was done by the Prophet Muhammad, in a specific order before praying, which takes place five times a day. Before each prayer, Muslims are expected to wash themselves in a certain order – first hands, then mouth, nose, face, hair and ears, and finally their ankles and feet.

While washing with water is required when it is available, if a person has limited access to water, then a Muslim is permitted to symbolically “cleanse” their hands and face with dust or sometimes sand or other natural materials.

A Quranic verse says: “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 find no water, then seek clean earth and wipe over your faces and your hands [with it]. Indeed, God is ever Pardoning and Forgiving.”

A hadith from the prophet also describes the Earth as a purifying agent if there is a scarcity of water for washing.

Major impurity is defined in Islamic texts as occurring after sexual activity or when a woman completes her menstrual cycle. A Muslim woman should not pray during her menstrual cycle. To purify oneself after such an impurity, a Muslim is required to take a shower, called “ghusl.” A person needs to wash their entire body, from head to toe, including their hair.

Spiritual actions

Preparing for prayer by washing one’s body using water can be a deeply spiritual act for Muslims. Islamic studies scholar Paul Powers argues it isn’t “empty ritualism,” but an embodied practice that helps the individual centre on an inner religiosity.

Similarly, another Islamic studies scholar, Marion Katz, explains in her 2002 book “Body of Text” that the importance of wudu lies in its symbolic cleansing. It does not always cleanse the parts of the body that are “physically involved in the pollution act.”

Ritual purity is different from hygienic practices, although Islam also emphasizes good hygiene. Muslims take care to wash often, including using water after going to the bathroom.

Aligning with public health guidelines

In view of the coronavirus risk, Muslim leaders around the world, including in the United States, have aligned their religious opinions with public health experts.

Muslim institutions have begun to recommend that people make sure to wash their hands for 20 seconds with soap before doing wudu. Emphasizing that wudu alone cannot prevent the virus from spreading, other Islamic institutions recommend that mosques supply extra soap and hand sanitizer near the washing area.

They have issued rulings to cancel Friday prayers, urged Muslims to wash their hands with soap regularly, refrain from touching their face and practice social distancing.

While people have cleared local store shelves of hand sanitizers, wipes, cleaning supplies, gloves and masks, basic hygiene practices remain the best way to prevent the spread of the coronavirus and other viruses.

At this time, Islamic practices that emphasize the purity of body could help reiterate the importance of hygienic practices along with the use of soap or hand sanitizer, to reduce one’s vulnerability to the virus.

Source: Rose S. Aslan, Assistant Professor of Religion, California Lutheran University via Darul Ihsan

The Council of Senior Scholars in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, in their twenty-fourth extraordinary meeting, which was held in the city of Riyadh on Wednesday 16/7/1441 AH, examined the questions that were presented to them regarding the concession of not attending Friday (Jumu‘ah) prayer and congregational prayers in the event of an epidemic or fear of an epidemic. After studying the issue in the light of the Islamic texts and the objectives and guidelines of sharia, and in the light of statements of the people of knowledge regarding issues of this nature, the Council of Senior Scholars has issued the following statement:

-1-
It is prohibited for a person infected with this virus to attend Friday prayers and prayers in congregation, because the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said, “Sick (camels) should not be put with healthy (camels)." [Narrated by al-Bukhaari and Muslim], and because he (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said, "If you hear of the outbreak of a plague in a land, do not enter it; and if it breaks out in a land in which you are, do not leave it." [al-Bukhaari and Muslim].

-2-
If a specialized body determines that medical quarantine or isolation is to be imposed on someone, it is obligatory for him to comply with that, and to not attend Friday prayers or prayers in congregation. Therefore he should offer the prayers at home or in the place where he is quarantined. This is because of the report narrated by as-Shareed ibn Suwayd ath-Thaqafi, who said, "Among the delegation from Thaqeef there was a man with leprosy. The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) sent word to him, saying, 'We have accepted your oath of allegiance, so go back.'" [Narrated by Muslim}

-3-
If anyone fears that he may be harmed or may harm others, it is permissible for him to not attend the Friday prayer and prayers in congregation, because the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said, "There should be neither harm nor reciprocating harm." [Narrated by Ibn Majah].

In all these cases, if he does not attend Friday prayer, he must pray Dhuhr with four rak‘ahs.

The Council of Senior Scholars advises everyone to follow the instructions, guidelines and protocols issued by specialized bodies.

They also advise everyone to fear Allah, the Most Mighty and Exalted, and to turn to Him in supplication and humility, and to ask Him to grant relief from this tribulation.

Allah, may He be exalted, says:

“And if Allah should touch you with adversity, there is no remover of it except Him; and if He intends for you good, then there is no repeller of His bounty. He causes it to reach whom He wills of His servants. And He is the Forgiving, the Merciful." [Yoonus 10:107]

“And your Lord says, ‘Call upon Me; I will respond to you.’” [Ghaafir 40:60].

May Allah send blessings and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad and upon all his family and companions.

End quote from https://www.spa.gov.sa/2047028

Ameen y Rabbil Alamin,may Allah subhanahu wata'ala protect us.

You want to Islamise hygiene too �

I would have loved to be reading Islamic posts but most of it are unnecessarily too long.

Back to the topic. Good hygiene is the key and one of reasons fatality is lower in Germany is good hygiene.

Aysha110:
Ameen y Rabbil Alamin,may Allah subhanahu wata'ala protect us.

Ameen.

Aysha110:
Ameen y Rabbil Alamin,may Allah subhanahu wata'ala protect us.

ameen ameen aysha

VirginSearcher:
Islams that are dirty, always washing their foot with plastic kettle.. Rubb1sh

You can say someone is dirty when he does not wash!

Use your brain!

Mumu mentality.

Masha Allah for the gift of Islam

Hmn one of skills needed for survival is adaptability. The ability to adjust to situations and conditions. For once lets put aside our differences and work together as human to end corona virus

VirginSearcher:
Islams that are dirty, always washing their foot with plastic kettle.. Rubb1sh

Pardon... Not with plastic kettle but the water in it.

Alhamdulilahi.

Interesting. Why not share the whole truth?

Narrated Anas bin Malik:

Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, "Death from plague is martyrdom for every Muslim."

Sahih al-Bukhari 76:47

[img]https://images./55f0hc5m2SGBAD9hwzBiM7.jpg[/img]

What about camel urine. It doesn't work right?

ok

Vulcanheph:

Abeg send blue thunder along with the 100k ......it will help me during This Coro-season

Islamic hygiene

Ok

Allahumma inni a'udhu bika minal barasi wal jununi wal judhami wamin sayyi'il asqàm...


That's the prayer to say during the period like this. May Allah ease our affairs and heal the world

Do not dignify some miscreants with a reply. Those that will open their body and defecate beside their place of worship. The difference between Islam and other religion is like the difference between heaven and Earth. Did u see those 419 calling themselves men of God again?
Do u see any of them donating to the survival of the country at this trying times? They prefer jets to human lives and they prefer to close their churches in the UK and open in Nigeria to spread the pandemics.
When they wake up they will start stoning their 419 one by one.

heartbraker:
I will only take dis allahakuba people serious only if dey can tell me why allah can not cure Mohammed (whatever can be unto him) of d poison he ate DAT kill him and why he have to die ontop woman fucking toto

is that really how he died? poison?