today, another the next day, and so on.

Know also that if the wiping period ends while one is still in a state of ritual purity, that purity is not diminished; the mere expiry of the time limit does not break the ablution. If, however, the ablution itself is broken, he must take off the two khuffs and wash his feet. Likewise, if he removes the khuffs after having wiped over them while still pure, his ablution remains valid. When he later wishes to perform a new ablution, he must wash his feet after having removed the khuffs. The guiding rule—so the matter is not confused—is this: whenever footwear that has been wiped over is taken off, it is not put back on for further wiping; rather, the foot must be washed and the khuff re-worn if he intends to make ablution again.

The third condition: facing the qiblah. Facing the qiblah is a prerequisite for the validity of the prayer; the prayer is not sound without it, for Allah, exalted is He, has commanded and repeatedly emphasized it. He says, “From wherever you set out, turn your face toward the Sacred Mosque; and wherever you may be, turn your faces toward it” (Q 2:150)—that is, toward its direction.

When the Prophet—peace and blessings be upon him—first arrived in Medina, he used to pray toward Jerusalem, placing the Kaʿbah behind him and greater Syria before him. Later, however, he awaited a different ruling from Allah, turning his face toward the sky in hope that Gabriel would bring revelation commanding him to face the House of Allah in Mecca. Allah, exalted is He, said: “We have certainly seen the turning of your face toward the heaven; so We will turn you to a qiblah that you will be pleased with. Turn your face toward the Sacred Mosque” (Q 2:144). Thus Allah commanded him—