Intentions of ablution
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1 Sleeping in a state of purification is a means to have the supplication answered
Narrated Mu'adh ibn Jabal ( May Allah be pleased with them ): The Prophet ( may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him ) said:
If a Muslim sleeps while remembering Allah, in the state of purification, is alarmed while asleep at night, and asks Allah for good in this world and in the Hereafter. He surely gives it to him.
[ Sunan Abi Dawud ]
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2 Being committed to performing ablution before going to bed is a means to die in the state of natural disposition.
Al-Bara' bin 'Azib ( May Allah be pleased with them ) reported: The Messenger of Allah (may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him ) said,
"Whenever you intend to go to bed, perform Wudu' as is done for Salat (prayer); and then lie down on the right side and recite: 'Allahumma aslamtu nafsi ilaika, wa fawwadtu amri ilaika, wal-ja'tu zahri ilaika, raghbatan wa rahbatan ilaika, la malja'a wa la manja minka illa ilaika, amantu bikitabik-alladhi anzalta, wa binabiyyik-alladhi arsalta [O Allah! I have submitted myself to You. I have turned my face to You, entrusted my affairs to You and relied completely on You out of desire for and fear of You (expecting Your reward and fearing Your punishment). There is no resort and no deliverer from (hardships) except You. I affirm my faith in Your Book which You have revealed, and in Your Prophet whom You have sent].' If you die during the night, you will die in the true religion. Let these words be your last words at night."
[ Al- Bukhari and Muslim ].
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3 I will have a guarantee to be admitted to the Paradise.
'Uqba bin 'Amir ( May Allah be pleased with him ) reported:
We were entrusted with the task of tending the camels. On my turn when I came back in the evening after grazing them in the pastures, I found Allah's Messenger ( may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him ) standing and addressing the people. I heard these words of his: If any Muslim performs ablution well, then stands and prays two rak'ahs setting about them with his heart as well as his face, Paradise would be guaranteed to him.
[ Sahih Muslim ]
And I will be adorned with the adornment of the Paradise
Abu Hurairah ( May Allah be pleased with him ) reported:
I heard my friend the Messenger of Allah ( may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him ) as saying, "The adornment of the believer (in Jannah) will reach the places where the water of Wudu' reaches (his body)."
[ Muslim ].
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4 I will be distinguished with the marks of ablution from the other people.
Abu Huraira ( May Allah be pleased with him ) reported the Messenger of Allah ( may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him ) as saying,
"My people will be summoned on the day of resurrection with white faces and hands and feet from the marks of ablution. If any of you can extend his brightness, let him do so."
( Bukhari and Muslim )
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5 I am training myself to stick to the way of the believers.
It was narrated that Thawban ( May Allah be pleased with him ) said:
"The Messenger of Allah said: 'Adhere to righteousness even though you will not be able to do all acts of virtue. Know that the best of your deeds is Salat (prayer) and that no one maintains his ablution except a believer.'"
[ Sunan Ibn Majah ]
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6 I will be free from my sins.
It was narrated that `Uthman bin `Affan ( May Allah be pleased with him ) said: The Messenger of Allah ( may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him ) said:
“Whoever does wudoo` and does wudoo’ well, his sins come out of his body, even from beneath his nails.”
Muslim
Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah ( may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him ) said,
"When a Muslim, or a believer, washes his face (in the course of Wudu'), every sin which he committed with his eyes, will be washed away from his face with water, or with the last drop of water; when he washes his hands, every sin which is committed by his hands will be effaced from his hands with the water, or with the last drop of water; and when he washes his feet, every sin his feet committed will be washed away with the water, or with the last drop of water; until he finally emerges cleansed of all his sins."
[ Muslim ].
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7 I will have my sins forgiven.
'Uthman bin 'Affan ( May Allah be pleased with him ) reported: I saw the Messenger of Allah ( may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him ) performing Wudu' the way I have just done it and said,
"He who performs Wudu' like this, his previous sins will be forgiven and his Salat and walking to the mosque will be considered as supererogatory act of worship."
[ Muslim ].
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8 I obtained one-half of the faith and I will try to obtain the other parts of the faith.
Abu Malik Al-Ash'ari ( may Allah be pleased with him ) reported: The Messenger of Allah ( may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him ) said:
"Purity is half of iman (faith).
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9 I am following the path of the believers.
It was narrated that 'Abdullah bin 'Amr ( May Allah be pleased with him ) said: "The Messenger of Allah ( may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him ) said:
'Adhere to righteousness even though you will not be able to do all acts of virtue. Know that among the best of your deeds is prayer and that no one maintains his ablution except a believer.'"
[ Sunan Ibn Majah ]
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10 My sins will be forgiven and my rank will be elevated.
Abu Huraira ( May Allah be pleased with him ) reported: The Messenger of Allah ( may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him ) said:
He who purified himself in his house, and then he walked to one of the houses of Allah for the sake of performing a Fard (obligatory act) out of the Fara'id (obligatory acts) of Allah, both his steps (would be significant) as one of them would obliterate his sin and the second one would raise his status.
[ Sahih Muslim ]
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11 It is a means to drink from the cistern of the Prophet Muhammed.
It was narrated from Abu Hurairah ( May Allah be pleased with him ) that the Messenger of Allah ( may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him ) went out to the graveyard and said:
"Peace be upon you, the abode of believing people. If Allah wills, we shall join you soon. Would that I had seen our brothers." They said: "O Messenger of Allah, are we not your brother?" He said: "You are my Companions. My brothers are those who have not come yet. And I will reach the Hawd before you." They said: "O Messenger of Allah, how will you know those of your Ummah who come after you?" He said: "Don't you think that if a man has a horse with a white blaze and white feet among horses that are solid black, he will recognize his horse?" They said: "Of course." He said: "They will come on the Day of Resurrection with glittering white faces and glittering white hands and feet because of Wudu', and I will reach the Hawd before them."
[ Sunan an-Nasa'I ]
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12 It is a means to have my rank elevated in the Paradise.
Abu Hurairah ( May Allah be pleased with him ) reported: The Messenger of Allah ( may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him ) said,
"Should I not direct you to something by which Allah obliterates the sins and elevates (your) ranks." They said: "Yes, O Messenger of Allah". He said, "Performing Wudu' properly, even in difficulty, frequently going to the mosque, and waiting eagerly for the next Salat (prayer) after a Salat is over; indeed, that is Ar- Ribat".
[ Muslim ].
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13 It is a means to be admitted to the Paradise.
'Uqba bin 'Amir ( may Allah be pleased with him ) reported:
We were entrusted with the task of tending the camels. On my turn when I came back in the evening after grazing them in the pastures, I found Allah's Messenger ( may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him ) standing and addressing the people. I heard these words of his: If any Muslim performs ablution well, then stands and prays two rak'ahs setting about them with his heart as well as his face, Paradise would be guaranteed to him. I said: What a fine thing is this! And a narrator who was before me said: The first was better than even this. When I cast a glance, I saw that it was 'Umar who said: I see that you have just come and observed: If anyone amongst you performs the ablution, and then completes the ablution well and then says: I testify that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is the servant of Allah and His Messenger, the eight gates of Paradise would be opened for him and he may enter by whichever of them he wishes.
'Umar bin Al-Khattab ( May Allah be pleased with him ) reported: The Messenger of Allah ( may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him ) said,
"Whoever of you performs Wudu' carefully and then affirms: 'Ash-hadu an la ilaha illallahu Wahdahu la sharika Lahu, wa ash-hadu anna Muhammadan 'abduhu wa Rasuluhu [I testify that there so no true god except Allah Alone, Who has no partners and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger],' the eight gates of Jannah are opened for him. He may enter through whichever of these gates he desires (to enter)."
[ Muslim ].
It is a part of the Prophetic Sunnah to offer two Rak`ahs after performing ablution
Narrated Abu Buraidah ( May Allah be pleased with him ):
"The Messenger of Allah ( may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him ) awoke in the morning and called for Bilal, then said: 'O Bilal! By what have you preceded me to Paradise? I have not entered Paradise at all, except that I heard your footsteps before me. I entered Paradise last night, heard your footsteps before me, and came upon a square palace with balconies made of gold. So I said: 'Whose palace is this?' They said: 'A man among the Arabs.' So I said: 'I am an Arab, whose palace is this?' They said: 'A man among the Quraish.' So I said: 'I am from the Quraish, whose palace is this?' They said: 'A man from the Ummah of Muhammad ( may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him ).' So I said: 'I am Muhammad, whose palace is this?' They said: ''Umar bin Al-Khattab's.' So Bilal said: 'O Allah's Messenger! I have never called the Adhan except that I prayed two Rak'ah, and I never committed Hadath except that I performed Wudu upon that, and I considered that I owed Allah two Rak'ah.' So the Messenger of Allah ( may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him ) said: 'For those two...'"
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14 It is a means to be admitted to the Paradise.
'Uqba bin 'Amir ( may Allah be pleased with him ) reported:
We were entrusted with the task of tending the camels. On my turn when I came back in the evening after grazing them in the pastures, I found Allah's Messenger ( may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him ) standing and addressing the people. I heard these words of his: If any Muslim performs ablution well, then stands and prays two rak'ahs setting about them with his heart as well as his face, Paradise would be guaranteed to him. I said: What a fine thing is this! And a narrator who was before me said: The first was better than even this. When I cast a glance, I saw that it was 'Umar who said: I see that you have just come and observed: If anyone amongst you performs the ablution, and then completes the ablution well and then says: I testify that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is the servant of Allah and His Messenger, the eight gates of Paradise would be opened for him and he may enter by whichever of them he wishes.
'Umar bin Al-Khattab ( May Allah be pleased with him ) reported: The Messenger of Allah ( may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him ) said,
"Whoever of you performs Wudu' carefully and then affirms: 'Ash-hadu an la ilaha illallahu Wahdahu la sharika Lahu, wa ash-hadu anna Muhammadan 'abduhu wa Rasuluhu [I testify that there so no true god except Allah Alone, Who has no partners and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger],' the eight gates of Jannah are opened for him. He may enter through whichever of these gates he desires (to enter)."
[ Muslim ].
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15 I will attain the love of Allah.
Allah said ( interpretation of the meaning ):
{ And they ask you about menstruation. Say, "It is harm, so keep away from wives during menstruation. And do not approach them until they are pure. And when they have purified themselves, then come to them from where Allāh has ordained for you. Indeed, Allāh loves those who are constantly repentant and loves those who purify themselves." }
Quran ( 2 : 222 )