Chapter on the Virtue of Wudu’ (Ritual Ablution)

Allah the Exalted says, “O you who believe! When you rise for prayer, wash your faces…” until His words, “Allah does not wish to place you in hardship; rather, He wishes to purify you and perfect His favor upon you so that you may be grateful.”

Explanation

Al-Nawawi—may Allah have mercy on him—opens his book Riyad al-Salihin with the heading: “Chapter on the Virtue of Wudu’.”

Linguistically, wudu’ is taken from the root wadā’ah, which conveys brightness, beauty, and cleanliness. Legally, it is the purification of four limbs in a specific manner. These four limbs are the face, the hands, the head, and the feet.

Wudu’ is one of Allah’s favors to this community: He commanded them to perform it and promised the reward that will be detailed in this chapter, Allah willing. The Exalted said, “O you who believe, when you rise for prayer …,” the verse.

Whenever you hear Allah say, “O you who believe,” give it your full attention, for it will be either a good you are ordered to do, an evil you are forbidden from, or a truthful report from which you can draw benefit.