Why do Shia wipe their feet in wudu instead of washing them?? (all evidence from Sunni books) Wiping the Feet During Ablution (Wudu’) The followers of the ahl al-bayt (pbut) follow what the Holy Qur’an teaches them to do during wudu’ by wiping their feet instead of washing them since the Holy Qur’an commands: “O you who believe! When you intend your prayers, wash your faces and your hands from the elbows and wipe (by passing wet hands over) your head and your feet up to the ankles.”[145] Those who practice the washing of their feet during wudu’ argue that “your feet” in the Holy Qur’an is linked to washing the face, whereas the followers of the ahl al-bayt argue that “your feet” is linked to rubbing the head and, therefore, they should be wiped but not washed. In support of the latter view, Ibn ‘Abbas narrates from the Holy Prophet (pbuh&hf) that they used to rub their feet during the time of the Holy Prophet (pbuh&hf).[146] Undoubtedly, Muslims at the time of the Messenger of Allah (pbuh&hf) all used to perform wudu’ in the same way. No disagreements occurred between them since the Messenger of Allah (pbuh&hf) was present among them and all the Muslims used to submit their disagreements to him in accordance with the Holy Qu’ran: “And if you differ in anything amongst yourselves, refer it to Allah and His Messenger.”[147 ] The same situation existed during the time of the first caliph, Abu Bakr (11-13 h.); no disagreements over the performance of wudu’ have been reported from that time period. Similar was the period of the second caliph, ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab (13-23 h.) except for the fact that he allowed wiping of the socks rather than the bare feet as the Holy Qur’an directs (5:6). However, the disagreement regarding the performance of the wudu’ began during the time of the third caliph, ‘Uthman ibn Affan (23-35 h.) when he began to wash his feet instead of wipe them.[148] Al-Muttaqi al-Hindi, in his book Kanz al-‘Ummal [149] mentions that the third caliph ‘Uthman ibn Affan was the first to differ during his caliphate in performing the wudu’. In Sahih Muslim[150] and Kanz al-‘Ummal, [151] ‘Uthman ibn Affan says that, during his caliphate, some of the companions of the Holy Prophet (pbuh&hf) who performed the wudu’ differently than himself attributed their practice to the Holy Prophet (pbuh&hf). More than twenty narrations narrated by the third caliph are about the new manner of performing wudu’. These traditions indicate his establishment of the new method. Some prominent Muslim historians, such as Ibn Abi al-Hadid al-Mu’tazili,[1 52] regard this trend as nothing new in the tradition of the third caliph since the third caliph was known for his numerous introductions. There is a near consensus among the Muslim historians that the third caliph ‘Uthman was murdered by Muslim revolutionaries in 35 h. because of political and financial issues. However, other Muslim historians interpret the third caliph’s introductions regarding some of the religious rules during the last six years of his caliphate as a departure from the tradition of the first and second caliphs. The majority of the Muslims during his caliphate looked at this third caliph as a follower of the first and second caliphs and the implementor of their practices. Since the third caliph witnessed numerous introductions during the time of the second caliph, and since he saw himself religiously and intellectually not less than his predecessors,[1 53] he decided to depart from the previous policy and to have an independent opinion regarding different political, financial, and jurisprudential issues, such as washing the feet during wudu’. Although some people today consider washing the feet to lead to better cleanliness and hygiene than merely wiping the feet, Allah the Almighty, Who legislated all the acts of worship, including the wudu’, is more aware of the advantages and disadvantages of washing or wiping the feet. It has been narrated that Imam ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib (pbuh) said: “If religion were according to human opinion, the bottom of the foot would be more worthy of wiping than the top. But I saw the Messenger of Allah (pbuh&hf) wiping the top of his foot.” [154] Notes: [145] Qur’an 5:6 [146] Wudhu’ al-Nabi, al-Shahrastani [147] Qur’an 4:59 [148] Sahih al-Bukhari, 1:52; Sahih Muslim, 1:204 [149] Kanz al-‘Ummal, al-Muttaqi al-Hindi, 9:443, hadith #26890 [150] Sahih Muslim, 1:207 – 8 [151] Kanz al-‘Ummal, al-Muttaqi al-Hindi, 9:423, hadith #26797 [152] Sharh Nahj al-Balagha, Ibn Abi al-Hadid, 1:199-200 [153] Tarikh, al-Tabari, 4:339 [154] Al-Musannath, Abu Shaybah, 1:30 #6; Sunan Abi Dawud, 1:42 #164
Posted on: Tue, 11 Nov 2014 20:13:33 +0000
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