format_quote Originally Posted by
orange
Hello
I was just wondering if you dont do wudo properly - is your salat not accepted -
for eg - if my sleeves never went back up to my elbows i used to just wash my arms up to the point they did go up, i used just used a wet hand and run it through my face and feet - is this acceptable -
even though i knew its not the proper way i thought it would be ok - have i been committing sins?? have my prayers not been accepted??
also if you go to do Umrah which i have done are all your sins forgiven??
:sl: Salaah is not normally accepted if Wudhu is not done properly and thoroughly however Allah is most understanding and forgiving and i'm sure if you repent sincerely and ask of Allah to pardon your errors and mistakes then he may forgive you inshallah, but you must always ensure Wudhu is done properly and thoroughly aswell as all of the other acts of purification.
Wudu is such a beautiful thing. It is done so that we can purify ourselves before we stand for prayer in front of Allah. And all of us make wudu, because we know that without it our prayer will not be valid. But usually we do it routinely, swiftly washing our hands and feet, splish splash on the face, a quick wipe over the head and we are done, not thinking much of it. And sometimes we even get lazy and don’t do it properly, especially at times like Fajr, when we are sleepy and during cold weather.
But there is more to wudu than just being a condition for worship. Something that makes it more than just a routine thing before prayer…… something higher and more complete…. something that most of us neglect or overlook.
And that is…..that the very act of wudu is a form of worship in itself. By performing wudu you can get closer to Allaah….you can increase your Imaan and strengthen your faith. By performing wudu, you can intensify your love for Allaah and His Messenger (Sal Allahu Alayhi wa Sallam)…and you can have your sins forgiven. And how can one do all that ?
Every time you make wudu, be conscious of Allaah, your Rabb, and remember that it is Him, Who ordered you to perform wudu in the first place. And you are carrying out His Orders, His Command….you are obeying Him. And you love to obey Him. So be conscious of your obedience to Him and thank Him for enabling you to carry out His Command as
He says:
(O you who believe! When you intend to offer As-Salat (the prayer), wash your faces and your hands (forearms) up to the elbows, rub (by passing wet hands over) your heads, and (wash) your feet up to ankles)
[Surah Maidah:6]
This will increase your love for Allaah, and strengthen your Imaan….and improve your relationship with Him. It will make you more conscious of Him when you stand in front of Him in prayer and give you more Khushoo.
And every time you perform wudu, be conscious that you are following the Sunnah of our beloved Prophet (sal Allaahu Alayhi wa Sallam). It is the same way he did wudu….. the Prophet that you love and honor and respect….and it is his Sunnah that you love to follow. Not only will Allaah will reward you for following His Messenger (sal Allaahu Alayhi wa Sallam), but it (the wudu) will also increase your love for the Sunnah as well.
The Prophet (sal Allaahu Alayhi wa Sallam) said: “He who performs wudu like this wudu of mine and then offered two rakahs of prayer without allowing his thoughts to be distracted, all his previous sins are expiated.”
(Muslim)
So the key to sins being expiated is performing wudu like the Prophet (sal Allaahu Alayhi wa Sallam) and then praying. And every single time you perform wudu, do it sincerely for the sake of Allaah, expecting a reward from Him, asking Him to accept it from you, hoping that He will forgive you.
Because wudu expiates sins. “When the Muslim or believing slave does wudu and washes his face, every wrong thing that he looked at with his eyes comes out from his face with the water or with the last drop of water. When he washes his hands, every wrong thing that he did with his hands comes out from his hands with the water or with the last drop of water. When he washes his feet every wrong thing that he walked to with his feet comes out from his feet with the water or with the last drop of water, until he emerges cleansed of sin.”
(Muslim)
And whenever you do wudu, think of the People who will have bright hands and faces on the Day of Resurrection and know that if you try to do your wudu properly, doing it sincerely for the sake of Allaah, then He will make you among those. The Prophet (sal Allaahu Alayhi wa Sallam) said: “(On the Day of Resurrection) You will have distinctive marks
“Al-Ghurr-ul- Muhajjalun” which nobody among the peoples (except you) will have; you would come to me (at the Cistern of al-Kauthar) with blazing forehead and bright hands and feet on account of the traces of ablution.”
(Muslim)
Try and maintain your wudu at all times as this is a sign of a believer.
The Prophet (sal Allaahu Alayhi wa Sallam) said: “Only the believer will remain with his ablution (sustaining it at all times).”
(Saheeh al-Jamee) And even if you have difficulty in doing wudu, like cold weather, or any other situation that makes wudu difficult, still try your best to maintain it, since there is tremendous reward.
The Prophet (sal Allaahu Alayhi wa Sallam) said: “Shall I not tell you something by which Allah effaces the sins and elevates ranks (in Jannah)?”
The Companions said; “Certainly, O Messenger of Allah.”
He said, “Performing the Wudu thoroughly in spite of difficult circumstances, walking with more paces to the mosque, and waiting for the next prayer after observing a prayer; and that is mindfulness”.
(Muslim)
And don’t forget the Siwaak. It is something that Allaah and His Messenger love.
He (sal Allaahu Alayhi wa Sallam) said: “Siwak is a purification for the mouth and satisfaction for the Lord”.
(al- Nisaee and Ibn Khuzaima -Sahih at Targheeb)
And when you finish wudu, be sure and say the Sunnah duas that the Prophet (sal Allaahu Alayhi wa Sallam) taught us to say AFTER we are done with wudu. Remember there are NO duas to be said during wudu. There is nothing proven about that from the authentic Sunnah. Just START your wudu with Bismillaah and when you are DONE,
then say the following:
1) Ashhadu an laa ilaaha ill-Allaah wahdahu laa shareeka lah, wa ashhadu anna Muhammadan abduhu wa rasooluhu.
(Meaning: I bear witness that there is no god except Allaah alone, with no partner or associate, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger.)
(Muslim)
2) Allaahumm ajalni min al-tawwaabeena wajalni min al-mutatahhireena
(Meaning: O Allaah, make me one of those who repent and make me one of those who purify themselves).
(Tirmidhi)
3) Subhaanaka Allaahumma wa bi hamdika, ashhadu an laa ilaaha ill anta, astaghfiruka wa atoobu ilayka
(Meaning: Glory and praise be to You, O Allaah, I bear witness that there is no god but You, I seek Your forgiveness and I repent to You)
(al-Nasaai)
May Allaah make us among those who purify themselves for His sake, physically as well as spiritually. Ameen.
In regards to Umrah,
Abu Hurairah (Radhiallaho anha) reported:
The Messenger of Allah (Sallallaahu 'alaihi wasallam) said,
"(The performance of) `Umrah is an expiation for the sins committed between it and the previous `Umrah; and the reward of Hajj Mabrur (i.e., one accepted) is nothing but Jannah.''
[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].
Umrah is an expiation of minor sins. For the forgiveness of major sins one has to sincerely repent with the intention of never committing the act again. Umrah is great reward and you should ask of Allah to forgive you for any errors you did whilst performing Umrah and to accept it from you.
We should always repent to Allah and ask of him to forgive our minor and major sins and to forgie us for any errors or faults whilst conducting our obligations to Allah and any good deeds that we do on a daily basis. We should be hopeful that Allah will accept it from us as this is also a part of faith.
and Allah knows best in all matters
Here are some useful links for you on:
Isthinja
http://www.inter-islam.org/Actions/Part2.html
Wudhu
http://www.inter-islam.org/Actions/Part3.html
Ghusl
http://www.inter-islam.org/Actions/Part4.html