whether Islam is itself a prerequisite for its obligation or not. In truth, the question has little practical weight in positive law, for its consequences relate to the Hereafter rather than to worldly rulings.

As to the moment when ablution becomes incumbent, it is once the time of prayer has begun and a person wishes to perform any act for which ablution is a condition—even if that act is not bound to a specific time.

There is no disagreement that, when the prayer time enters, the person who is in a state of minor ritual impurity must perform ablution, for the Almighty says: “O you who believe! When you rise to pray…” (al-Māʾidah 5:6). The verse makes ablution obligatory whenever one rises to the prayer, and the entrance of the prayer time is itself a prerequisite for the prayer. Proof that ablution is likewise mandatory for other actions that require it will be presented later, when we list those actions and the differences of opinion concerning them.

Chapter Two
Knowing the Component Acts of Ablution

With respect to the manner of performing ablution, its basis is the description given by the Almighty:
“O you who believe! When you rise to pray, wash your faces and your hands up to the elbows, wipe over your heads, and wash your feet up to the ankles” (al-Māʾidah 5:6),

as well as the established reports describing the Prophet’s ﷺ ablution. Twelve well-known foundational questions relate to this subject: they address the conditions and pillars, the description of the acts, their number and designation, and the precise points at which each ruling applies.

The first question, concerning the conditions: the scholars of the various regions disagreed over whether intention (niyyah) is a prerequisite for the validity of ablution. This comes despite their unanimous agreement that intention is required for acts of worship, based on the Almighty’s words, “They were commanded only to worship Allah, devoting the religion sincerely to Him” (al-Bayyinah 98:5), and on the Prophet’s ﷺ famous saying, “Actions are judged only by intentions.”

One group therefore held that intention is indeed a condition—this is the position of al-Shāfiʿī, Mālik, Aḥmad, Abū Thawr, and Dāwūd—while another group maintained that it is not, namely Abū Ḥanīfah and al-Thawrī.

The root of their disagreement lies in the dual character of ablution. On the one hand, it may be viewed as a purely devotional act whose rationale is not fully comprehended and which is performed solely as an act of drawing near to Allah, like the prayer itself. On the other hand, it may be regarded as an act whose meaning is understood, such as washing away physical impurity. The scholars concur that a purely devotional act requires intention, whereas an act with an evident rationale does not. Because ablution shares qualities of both worship and cleanliness, the jurists differed: sound reasoning requires examining which aspect predominates and attaching the ruling accordingly.