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Integrals of Ablution Six things are obligatory for the validity of the ablution.
The sequence of washing the parts is obligatory |
Is it offensive to leave the water running during wudu?
Yes, leaving the water running while performing ablution is considered wasteful and offensive, even if the water only runs a little bit, because it constitutes consuming water without benefit. Someone performing ablution should only take the amount of water that he needs to completely wash his limbs; anything beyond this is offensive wastefulness. Opening and shutting the tap while making ablution does not require significant time and hardship.
Integrals of the Purificatory Bath
Two things are obligatory for the validity of the purificatory bath:
- Having the intention when water is first applied to the parts that must be washed. the intention depending on the state to be lifted: eg. to lift a state of majore ritual impurity (janaba), or menstruation, or the general intention "to be permitted to perform the prayer".
- That the water reaches all of the hair and skin to the roots of the hair, under the nails,the outward visible portion of the ear canals,and the private parts of the non-virgin woman which are normally disclosed when she squats to relieve herself.
Unlike ablution, the sequence of washing the parts is not obligatory.
Ghusl is simple: make an intention and then wash everything. The key point to remember is that you are not required to have certainty that you have washed everything. The fuqaha explicitly state that as long as you think that "most likely I washed everything," you have fulfilled your obligation before Allah Most High, even if, in actual fact, you missed a tiny portion of your body. The question you should be asking when making wudu and ghusl is not "am I really certain that I completely washing that part?" but "did I most likely completely wash that part?" If the answer to the latter question is "yes", then you should simply ignore your doubts and get out of the shower.
