Chapter on the Description of Ablution (Wudu)

The Shaykh (Al-Mufid), may Allah سبحانه وتعالى support him, commented: "Washing the face and arms during Wuduʾ is to be done once." He, (Shaykh (Al-Mufid)), continued: "One should not take fresh water for wiping; instead, the moisture remaining from Wuduʾ should be used for wiping." This has already been explained in detail. He, (Shaykh (Al-Mufid)), then said: "If someone makes a mistake in Wuduʾ by washing their arms before washing their face, they must go back and wash their face and then wash their arms again. Similarly, if they wash their left arm before their right arm, they must return to washing their right arm and then rewash their left arm. Likewise, if they wipe their feet before wiping their head, they must return to wipe their head first and then wipe their feet again." This is supported by the verse in which Allah سبحانه وتعالى, the Exalted, says: "And when you rise to (perform) prayer, wash your faces and your hands up to the elbows, and wipe your heads and your feet up to the ankles." (Surat al-Maʾidah, 5:6) A group of grammarians, including al-Farraʾ and Abu ʿUbayd al-Qasim ibn Sallam, have stated that the waw implies order (tarattub). If the waw indeed necessitates order, it is not permissible to perform the washing or wiping of body parts in any sequence other than that prescribed. The verse also provides evidence from another perspective. Allah سبحانه وتعالى says: "When you rise to prayer, wash your faces and your hands up to the elbows." The use of faʾ in faʾghsilu indicates immediacy (taʿqib). There is no disagreement that the faʾ implies sequential immediacy. Therefore, washing the face must begin immediately after rising to perform prayer, as indicated by the faʾ. If the requirement to begin with the face is established as obligatory, this sequence applies to the other body parts in Wuduʾ as well. Among the Muslim scholars, there are two views: 1. One group does not consider the sequence obligatory and permits starting with the feet and ending with the face. 2. Another group considers starting with the face obligatory and extends this obligation to the other parts of Wuduʾ. If someone argues that the faʾ in this verse does not imply immediacy but rather conditionality (jazaʾ), as in the statement "If Zayd comes, then honor him" (fa-akrimhu), they may distinguish between the two types of faʾ: 1. The faʾ of sequential immediacy allows separation of the preceding and following clauses (e.g., “Strike Zayd, then strike Amr”). 2. The faʾ of conditionality does not permit such separation and is integral to the clause. We respond: There is no distinction between these two types of faʾ in the Arabic language. The faʾ always implies immediacy, provided it is not part of the same word. Whether the faʾ is used for conditionality or conjunction, it implies sequential immediacy. For example, in the phrase "If Zayd enters, then give him a dirham," the faʾ implies immediacy after Zayd’s entrance, even though it is part of a conditional statement. Similarly, in "Strike Zayd, then strike Amr," the act of striking Zayd necessitates immediately striking Amr. Thus, it is baseless to assume a difference between the two types of faʾ. Evidence for the obligation of sequence (tarattub) is also found in the Sunnah.