Wudu
(Ablution) is an obligatory requirement for prayer and for
touching the Holy Qur’an.
If it is performed properly and with care, it carries lots of
reward (swab) from Allah,
the Most High. Since Wudu
qualifies a faithful to say prayer, he/she should say two rakaats
of prayer by way of thanks giving after performing Wudu.
This prayer is called "Salatul
Tahiyatul Wudu."
Our Revered Imam Syed
Muhammad, the Promised Mahdipbuh who was
the Divinely Guided perfect follower of our beloved
Prophet
Muhammadpbuh,
used to offer this prayer immediately after performing ablution.
He commanded his followers to offer this prayer. He named the one
who failed to offer this prayer without a valid excuse, as a miser
in the matter of faith (Bakheel-e-Deen).
Hence, the reason that we Mahdavis
all over the world, offer this prayer with so much care and
devotion. The prostration (Sajda)
at the end of the prayer is particularly offered with an earnest
solicitation for forgiveness of our sins.
There is a large number of sound traditions of the Prophet
of Allah pbuh which promise immense rewards for
this prayer. A few of them are given below.
In a tradition from Hazrat
Ali RZ , he
reported that once Hazrat Abu
BakrRZ told him (and what he told was true), that
"I heard the Messenger
of Allahpbuh saying that there is no man who
commits a sin and then stands up and purifies himself (takes
ablution and then performs prayer) and seeks forgiveness of Allah,
then he is forgiven by Allah."
Then he pbuh
recited the following verse from the Holy
Qur’an
"And
those who have committed a shameful deed or
Have
sinned against themselves,
Remember
Allah and pray
That
their sins may be forgiven;
For
who but Allah alone forgive sins,
And
do not knowingly persist in doing whatever (wrong)
They
might
have done."
Al-Im’ran,
135 |
The
above tradition is quoted in Tirmidhi, Ibn-Maja and Mishkatul
Masaabeeh.
Abdul Haq Muhaddis of
Delhi
writes in Ashi-atul Lumu-at, a commentary on Mishkat that this
prayer is called Salatul Istegfaar (Forgiveness – seeking
prayer) also.
From Humran RZ , freed slave of Hazrath Osman RZ
, it has been reported in a long tradition that he observed OsmanRZ
performing Wudu. Then he said that the Apostle of God pbuh
said that whoever performed Wudu, following my (method of) Wudu
and thereafter said two raka-ats of salath (prayer) without
diverting his attention (from Allah) in both the raka-ats, all his
earlier sins are forgiven. (Saheeh Muslim – Book of Purification)
| Bukhari
& Muslim
relate from Abu
Hurayrah RZ that at a dawn prayer, the Prophet
pbuh said to Bilal
RZ, "Bilal
tell me
by which of your
acts in Islam, you are most hopeful
of salvation, for
I have heard the footfall of your sandals in paradise."
Bilal RZ replied, "
I have done nothing, I am more hopeful because
I do not perform ablution at any time of the night or day
without praying with that ablution whatever has been
destined for me to
pray.” |
Abdul Haq Muhaddis of
Delhi
writes that in this tradition merit of a prayer is mentioned which
is called "Tahyatul Wudu". This is proved from another
tradition reported by Buraydah RZ. It is given below:
| And
from Buraydah RZ,
it is reported that the messenger of Allah pbuh
called Bilal RZ in the morning and then
said, on account of what, you walk ahead of me in the
paradise, for whenever I enter the paradise, I hear your
footfall ahead of me. He said, “O Messenger
of Allah pbuh! I never give out call to prayer
(Azan) except saying two raka-ats of prayer and whenever my
wudu is broken, I take a (fresh) wudu very soon and in my
view, saying two Raka-ats of this prayer is a duty of mine
towards Allah.” |
Then the Messenger of Allah
pbuh said, "that
is on account of these (two Raka-ats) of your prayer." (Tirmidhi,
Mishkath).
Some Muslim scholars
say that Salath is
superior to Wudu and
therefore, there is no meaning in offering a Salath
by way of thanks-giving for a Wudu
and calling it Tahyatal-Wudu.
This view is not correct. In fact, there can be no comparison
between the two because they are two different functions
altogether. Wudu has
its own significance and its own reward so also Salath
has it's own. Wudu is a
condition – precedent for every Salath
enjoined by the Holy
Qur’an. The Prophet pbuh
said that there can be no Salath
without purification (Wudu).
Further, the Prophet pbuh
said "no Salath
would be acceptable from anyone of you who has lost his Wudu
unless he takes Wudu
(a fresh)." (Saheeh
Muslim)
Prophet
pbuh
also said that Wudu is "Shatrul-I’maan"
(half of the faith). Prophet
pbuh also said that when a servant of Allah
takes an ablution and washes his hands, sins are washed away from
his hands and when he washes his face, all the sins are washed
away from his face and when he washes his arms and brushes his
head (Masah), all the
sins are washed away from his arms and his head. When he washes
his feet, all the sins are washed away from his feet.
Once the Prophet pbuh
was asked how would he identify the persons belonging to his Ummah
(on the day of resurrection) whom he never saw. The
Prophet pbuh replied that he
pbuh will identify them from the signs of Wudu.
Their faces, hands and feet would be shining on account of their
practice of taking Wudu.
(Sunan
Ibn Maja).
There are several other traditions of the
Prophet pbuh promising great rewards for Wudu in
the life hereafter. In view of these bounties, a short prayer of
just two Raka-ats of
Tahyatal-Wudu (immediately after taking Wudu)
seems to be the most befitting expression of a servant’s
gratitude to his Lord.
It may be remembered that this brief prayer serves the purpose of
thanks-giving, repentance and seeking forgiveness.
Our beloved Imam pbuh
always used to offer this prayer. We offer this prayer in the way he
pbuh used to offer. In the first Raka-at,
read verse 135 of Al-Imran
and verse 110 of An-Nisa
in the second Raka-at.
Both the verses give expression of our humble and earnest
repentance seeking forgiveness of our Lord. After the Salaam
on the both sides, we go into prostration supplicating again for
forgiveness of our sins. The prostration is called "supplicating
prostration" (Sajdah-e-Munajat).
Please
remember that we (Mahdavis) do not raise our hands for
praying (Du’a) after
every obligatory Fard
Salath.
We prefer prostration due to the following reasons:
1.Allah has commanded us to call Him humbly and
secretly:
“(O
mankind!) Call upon your Lord humbly and in secret.
Lo! He loveth not aggressors." (Al-Ai’raf
: V 55) |
2.
Further, it is ordained that:
| "…But
prostrate thyself and draw near to Allah." (Al-Alaq:
V19) |
3.Abu
Hurairah RZ reported that the
Prophet pbuh said that a subject becomes closest to
his Lord while he is prostrating. So supplicate more and more
while prostrating. (Sunan
Abu Dawood)
4. In a tradition narrated by Ibn
Abbas RZ the Prophet of Allah pbuh said
that try hard to supplicate while prostrating for there is hope
that your prayer may be heard.
It is evident from the brief discussion above that the Wudu
(ablution) and the short prayer of Tahyatal
Wudu (Wudu greeting
prayer) together hold immense reward for the performer.
If Wudu cleans the
exposed parts of our body, the Wudu
greeting prayer ensures inner-purification, preparing us for the
subsequent Sunnah and Fard
(obligatory) prayers.
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