How to do bathing before prayer?

Many Muslim converts are concerned with the question of how to bathe before praying. This is a very important procedure that can not be omitted, since the prayerful foreordain to God is possible only in a state of ritual purity. Below we will talk about how this ablution is performed.

Types of ablution

In Islam, there are two types of ritual ablution: small and complete. In a small version, only the hands, mouth and nose are washed, then a full one requires washing the entire body. The result of both procedures is purity, called "taharat" in Arabic.

Full ablution

This option is called Arabic ghusl. Below we will tell you how to do full ablution, but first you need to tell about when it is necessary. So, if we are talking about a woman, the ghusl is prescribed to do after the end of the period of menstrual days and postpartum bleedings. In addition, sexual intimacy is the reason for complete ablution. If we are talking about a man, then for him such a cause is also the sexual contact and the fact of ejaculation in general. If a person has just converted to Islam or for some reason did not practice namaz, then he is also instructed to perform the ghusl, since the probability that in the previous life he did not have such moments when the rules of Islam required full ablution are close to zero.

Rules for the complete ablution of the body

The rules of the Shari'ah narrate how to bathe properly before salah. According to them, the nose, mouth and whole body should be washed. But, before doing ablution, you need to get rid of everything that can prevent the penetration of water. It can be wax, paraffin, cosmetics, paint, nail polish and so on. During washing, it is especially necessary to wash the places of the body, in which the water gets hard. For example, ears, navel, patches behind ears, holes from earrings. The skin on the head should also be washed with water along with the hair. Regarding how to bathe women with long braided hair, the rules of Islam explain that if they, being braided, do not interfere with the penetration of water, they can be left as they are. But if water can not get because of them on the scalp, then the hair needs to be untwisted. Another recommendation on how to do ablution for women concerns their female genital organs. Their outer part is also required to be washed, preferably while squatting.

Rinse your mouth

As for mouthwash, this procedure must be done three times. At the same time, from the teeth and from the oral cavity, everything that prevents the penetration of water to the surface should be removed as far as possible. On the question of how to do ablution properly, if there are fillings, prosthesis or crowns in the teeth, the rules of the ghusl answer that these things should not be touched. Also, there is no need to clean up various devices, such as corrective plates and braces, which only the doctor can safely remove. It should be for the time of bathing to get rid of only those things that are easily removed and easily inserted back. As to how to do ablution correctly, it must be said that certain sunnts and adabs are attached to this action, that is, some ritual actions, which in general are not necessary. But if you fulfill them, then the reward from Allah, as Muslims believe, will be increased. But since these are optional things, we will not touch them in this article.

What is forbidden without full ablution except prayer?

There are things that are forbidden to Muslims who have not performed a full bath. Except, in fact, namaz, they include making prostrations while reading certain lines of the Koran and prostrations from gratitude to Allah. In addition, it is forbidden to touch the Qur'an or its parts, printed in other books. Even in a state of impurity, it is forbidden to read the Koran, even if you do not touch it. It is allowed to read only single words, the aggregate of which is less than one verse, that is, verse. This rule, however, has an exception. Thus, the surahs, which are prayers, are permitted to be read. Without ritual full ablution, it is forbidden to go to the mosque and circumvent the Kaaba during the Hajj.

There is one subtlety - a state without ritual washing is classified into three levels. In one of them it is allowed to hold the fast of Ramadan, but in others - not. But this is another topic, and we will not touch upon this issue.

Small bath

Now let's talk about how to do a small bath. First, it must be said that such a method of washing is called in Arabic voodoo. It is also important to note that it does not replace a full wash - gusl.

When is voodoo done?

To understand how to properly do the bath before salah according to the rules of voodoo, one must learn when it is necessary. Let's say you did a full wash, but then, before namaz, visited the toilet. In that case, you need to do a little washing. It is also necessary if you fall asleep or faint, since the state of unconsciousness leads to a partial loss of ritual purity. Ceremony voodoo requires and the situation when a person has gone blood, mucus or pus. The situation is similar with the situation when there was an attack of nausea, and the person vomited. Severe bleeding in the oral cavity (if there is more blood than saliva) is also considered a reason for passing a small bath. Well, concludes this list of the situation of alcohol intoxication or other clouding of reason.

When is it not necessary to do voodoo?

There are things in relation to which it is not entirely clear whether one should do ablution after them, or not. And, probably, the most common among them is the question of expectoration. The rules of ritual purity of Islam say that expectoration of mucus does not lead to the need to carry out ablution. The same applies to cases where small parts of the flesh - hair, pieces of skin and so on - are separated from the body. But only if it did not cause bleeding. Touching the genitals (it does not matter, either by their own or someone else's) does not lead to the fact that a repeated washing is required. Touching a person of the opposite sex, if he is not included in the category of mahram, is also not considered an excuse for repeating voodoo.

Voodoo procedure

Now let's talk directly about how to do ablution before namaz according to the order of voodoo. In accordance with the norms of the Sharia, it includes four mandatory items - the washing of the face, hands, feet and nose.

To wash your face, you need to understand what is considered a person in Islam, that is, where its boundaries pass. So, if the width, the border of the face will pass from one earlobe to the other. And along the length - from the tip of the chin and to the point at which hair growth begins. How to do the washing of hands, also teach the rules of the sharia: the hands should be washed up to the elbows, including the last. Similarly, legs are washed to the ankles. On how to do ablution before namaz, if something is present on the surface of the skin that can interfere with the penetration of water, the rules unequivocally say that such things should be removed. If water does not fall on the entire area of the designated parts of the body, then ablution can not be considered valid. Therefore, you need to remove all the paint, jewelry and so on. However, drawings from henna do not prevent ablution, since it does not interfere with the penetration of water. After all parts of the body are washed, you need to wash your head. How to do a bathing of the head according to a small rank, again, the rules dictate. In fact, ablution will be considered simply rubbing a quarter of the area of the head with a damp hand. But you need to be careful, as wiping your hair, not on your head, but on your forehead, neck, or rubbing your hair, twisted on your head, will not be considered valid.

It should also be noted that without ablution (unless, of course, you have just completed the full one) some ritual actions are prohibited. Their list is identical to those that are forbidden in the absence of a filled ghusl. There are also their adabs and sunnis to a little bath, which we do not consider in this article. Another important point is that when doing voodoo, you do not need to remove contact lenses from your eyes, as this is not required by Sharia law.