Mentioning Allah’s Name is obligatory in wudu when one remembers, ………
His statement, “Mentioning Allah’s Name is obligatory in wudu when one remembers,” means that one says, “In the Name of Allah,” at the beginning of wudu, due to the Prophet’s saying, peace and blessings be upon him: “There is no wudu for one who does not mention Allah’s Name over it” (1). This indicates that it is obligatory and that it is to be done at the beginning. This is the well-known position, because mentioning Allah’s Name over something is done when performing it, as Allah Most High says:
“So eat from that over which Allah’s Name has been mentioned.” [al-An‘am: 118]
And the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: “Whatever causes the blood to flow, and Allah’s Name has been mentioned over it, then eat it” (2).
Mentioning Allah’s Name over an animal is done at the time of slaughter, before beginning it. This is the well-known position of the legal school, based on the well-known principle: “Negation first negates existence, then validity, then completeness.” Thus, when a text in the Quran or sunnah contains a negation of something, the basic principle is that this negation is a negation of the existence of
(1) Narrated by Ahmad, 2:418; Abu Dawud, Book of Purification, chapter: “Mentioning Allah’s Name at the Time of Ablution,” no. 101; Ibn Majah, Book of Purification, chapter: “Mentioning Allah’s Name at the Time of Ablution,” no. 399; and others, on the authority of Abu Hurayrah. Its chain of transmission includes Yaqub ibn Abi Salamah, who is unknown. However, it has also been narrated on the authority of Abu Said, Said ibn Zayd, Aishah, Sahl ibn Sad, Abu Sabrah, Umm Sabrah, Ali, and Anas, though none of these chains is free of criticism. Ibn Kathir said: “It has been narrated through routes that strengthen one another, so it is a hasan (sound) or sahih (authentic) hadith.” Ibn Hajar said: “It appears that the combined force of these hadiths lends them strength.” It was authenticated by Abu Bakr ibn Abi Shaybah and graded hasan by al-Iraqi, Ibn al-Salah, Ibn Taymiyyah, Ibn Kathir, and others. See Ibn Taymiyyah, Sharh al-Umda, 1:170; Ibn Kathir, Irshad al-Faqih, 1:36; al-Talkhis al-Habir, no. 70.
(2) Narrated by al-Bukhari, Book of Partnership, chapter: “The Division of Spoils,” no. 2488; and Muslim, Book of Sacrifices, chapter: “The Permissibility of Slaughtering with Anything That Causes Blood to Flow,” no. 1968, on the authority of Rafi ibn Khadij.