Namāz has twelve fards,
seven of which are preconditions, that is, before beginning namāz, these
conditions must exist in order for the namāz to be valid. They are called conditions of namāz. They are: Tahārat (purification) from hadas (state of being without abdast), tahārat from najāsat (substances which Islam
prescribes as dirty), satr-i awrat
(covering private parts), istiqbāl-i
qibla (facing the qibla), waqt (prescribed time), niyyat
(intention), takbīr of tahrīma
(beginning).[1] The existence of
everything is dependent upon doing some action. This dependence can be of five
sorts: If the action is
---------------------------------
[1] Later in the text, all these
new terms will be explained in detail.
within the essence of
the thing and is one of its particles, the action is called Rukn. If it affects the thing externally, it is
called illat. Nikāh (marriage contract
prescribed by Islam.) is an illat of marriage. If it does not affect a
particular action, but if doing a particular action requires its existence, it
is called Sabab the cause (reason). Waqt (appointed time for namāz) is the
sabab the cause (reason) of namāz. If it does not require the existence of a
thing, but if the thing ceases to exist by the action not being done, it is
called Shart (condition). However, if it
does not cease to exist in this case, it is called Alāmat
(sign, property). Adhān (calling to
prayer) is the alāmat of namāz. Five of the fards of the namāz are inside the
namāz. Each of these five fards is also called Rukn.
[Some Islamic scholars have said that takbīr of tahrīma[1] is inside the namāz. According to
them both the conditions of namāz and its rukns are six in number.] In the
chapters ahead, we shall explain all these in accordance with the Hanafī
Madhhab.
There are two kinds of
tahārat from hadas:
1 - Performance of an
ablution by a person who does not have an ablution.
2 - Performance of a
ghusl by a person who does not have a ghusl.
Wudū means ablution; tawaddī means
to perform an ablution; ghasl means to
wash something; ightisāl means to
perform a ghusl ablution, and ghusl
means the ablution of ghusl (in Arabic). He who does not have an ablution is
called muhdis. He who does not have a
ghusl ablution is called junub.
It is written in the
book Halabī-yi saghīr: There are fards,
sunnats, adabs, and forbidden things in an abdast (ablution). If a person
performs namāz without an ablution though he does not have a good excuse for
doing so and though he knows that he does not have an ablution, he becomes a
disbeliever. He who loses his ablution while performing namāz, performs the
salām (Assalam-u alaikum wa rahmat-ullah) to one side right away and stops his
namāz. Re-making an ablution before the prescribed time period is over, he
begins the namāz again.
---------------------------------
[1] The takbīr, i.e. the expression,
Allāhu akbar, which we say to begin performing namāz.
There are
four fards of ablution in the Hanafī Madhhab: To wash the face once; to wash the two arms together with the elbows
once; to apply masah on one-fourth of the head, that is, to rub a wet hand
softly on it; to wash the feet, together with the ankle-bones on both sides
once. [According to the Shafii and Malikī madhhabs niyyat (intention) and
tartīb (order) are fard. In Shafiī one should intend while washing the face.
The ablution will not become sahīh if one intends before the water touches the
face.] It is fard to wash the beard on the face and chin. Washing the hanging
part of the beard is fard in three madhhabs. The Shiītes do not wash their
feet, but only apply masah on them.
There are
eighteen sunnats in an ablution:
1 - To recite the
Basmala before entering the restroom and when beginning to make an ablution. He
who cannot find a lonely place can relieve himself near others if he is taken
short and provided he will cover himself.
2 - To wash the hands
including the wrists three times.
3 - To rinse the mouth three
times by using new water each time. This is called madmada.
4 - To wash both
nostrils three times, taking fresh water each time. This is called istinshāq.
5 - It is sunnat, not
fard, to wet he invisible parts of the skin under the eyebrows, the beard and
the moustache. It is fard to wash their exterior surfaces. If the hairs are
scarce and the skin can be seen, it will be fard to wet and wash the skin.
6 - To wet the section
under the two eyebrows when washing the face.
7 - To apply masah on
the hanging part of the beard. In the Hanafi Madhhab it is not fard to wash it.
In Shāfiī, it is fard to
8 - To comb (takhlīl)
the hanging part of the beard with the wetted fingers of the right hand. The
face is from the upper edge of the forehead to the end of the chin, and from
one to the other front borders of the ears.
9 - To rub and clean
the teeth with something.
10 - To apply masah on
the whole head once.
11 - To apply masah (to
wipe) both ears once. It is fard to wash the parts between the ear and the
cheek.
12 - To apply masah on
the neck once with three adjacent fingers of both hands.
In order to perform the
last three procedures together, the two hands are moistened. The three thin
adjacent fingers of both hands are joined together; their inner surfaces are
placed on the beginning of the hair right above the forehead. The ends of these
three fingers of both hands must be touching one another. Thumbs,
pointing-fingers and palms must be in the air, not touching the head. The two
hands are drawn backwards, thereby applying masah on the head with those three
fingers of each hand. When the hands reach the end of the hair in the back, the
three fingers of each hand are detached from the head and the palms of both
hands are then slightly pressed against the hair of both sides of the head and
drawn forward, applying masah on the sides of head. Then, putting the
pointing-fingers of both hands in the ears and the inner surface of the thumbs
on the back of the ears, we apply masah on the ears by drawing the thumbs
downwards. Then the outer surface of each three thin fingers is put on the back
of the neck and masah is applied on the neck by drawing them from the middle of
the neck towards the sides.
13 - To wash (takhlīl) between the fingers and the toes. For
washing between toes, the little finger of the left hand is inserted between
the toes from under them in sucession, beginning with the little toe of the
right foot and, after finishing with the right foot, carrying on with the big toe
of the left foot.
14 - To wash every limb
three times which is to be washed. At each washing every part of the limb must
be moistened. It is sunnat not to pour water three times but to wash it
completely three times. It is makrūh to wash more than three times. If one gets
confused counting, one can complement the counting to three. If in this case
one counts more than three it will not be makrūh.
15 - To intend through
the heart when beginning to wash the face. [It is written in Ibni Ābidins book
that it is sunnat, mustahab or bidat to intend orally. And it is written in Berīqa and Hadīqa
as well as in Ibni Ābidins book that when something is said to be sunnat or
bidat, it is better not to do it. For this reason we must not intend orally.
It is fard to intend for every worship (ibāda) in the beginning, and it is
also permissible to say in shā-allah. It is not a necessity to intend for an
oath, tilāwat (reading the Qurān al-kerīm),
dhikr, adhān and while doing a certain part of a worship, such as an ablution
and ghusl.]
16 - Tartīb. In other
words, to wash the two hands, the mouth, the nostrils, the face, the arms, then
to apply masah on the head, on the ears, on the neck, and then to wash the feet
successively, and not to change this order. Tartīb is fard in the Shāfiī
Madh-hab.
17 - Dalk, to rub the
limbs washed. Dalk and muwālāt are fard in the Mālikī Madhhab.
18 - Muwalāt, to wash
the limbs one right after another quickly.
Adabs of an
ablution: In this context adab
means something which causes blessings when done but incurs no sin if omitted.
But to do the sunnat is a great blessing and not to do it is tanzīhī makrūh.
Adabs are called mandūb or mustahab, too. The adabs of an ablution written in
the book Halabī-yi saghīr are as follows:
1 - To make an ablution
before it is time for namāz. Those who have excuses[1] must make it after the
time has begun.
2 - When cleaning
oneself in the toilet, the qibla must be on ones right or left-hand side. It
is tahrīmi makrūh to turn ones front or back to the qibla when relieving
oneself or urinating. It is an adab to squat oneself down with the feet wide
apart.
3 - If the private
parts have not been smeared with najāsat, it is an adab to wash them with
water. If the najāsat is less than one dirham [which is equal to one mithqāl:
four grams and eighty
---------------------------------
[1] These special excuses,
called udhr, are prescribed by Islam.
centigrams], it is sunnat to wash. If one has been smeared with one
dirham of it, it is wājib, and if more than that it is fard to wash. There is
not a prescribed number of washing. It is necessary to wash until one becomes
clean. One does the cleaning with the inner surfaces of one or two or three
fingers of the left hand.
4 - To wipe oneself dry
with a piece of cloth after washing. If there is no cloth one must wipe with
ones hand.
5 - To cover oneself
right after the cleaning is completed. It spoils the adab to uncover
unnecessarily at isolated places.
6 - Not to ask for help
from anybody, but to perform the ablution by oneself. If someone pours water
for one without being asked, it will be permissible.
7 - To turn towards the
qibla when making an ablution.
8 - Not to talk while
making an ablution.
9 - To recite the
kalima-i shahādat while washing each limb.
10 - To recite the
prescribed prayers (duā) of ablution.
11 - To put water in
the mouth with the right hand.
12 - To put water in
the nose with the right and to clean the nose with the left hand.
13 - When washing the
mouth, to brush the teeth with a miswāk.
While the fingers of the right hand are stretched, the thumb and the little
finger hold the miswāk on the lower side and the other three fingers hold it on
the upper side, then the miswāk is rubbed gently on the teeth, three times on
the teeth on the right side and three times on the ones on the left side. It
should not be rubbed hard lest it will damage the teeth. When rubbed softly it
strengthens the teeth and the gums. Miswāk is a span long piece of stick cut
from a branch of a tree of Erāk (Peelo), which grows in Arabia. In case an erāk
branch is not available, branches of olive trees or others can replace it. But
not a pomegranate branch because it is bitter and will cause the things eaten
and drunken to taste bitter. If one cannot find a miswāk, a brush can be used.
If a brush is not available, either, one must clean ones teeth with ones
thumb and second little finger; for doing this, the former is rubbed on the
teeth on the right hand side and the latter is rubbed on the ones on the left
hand side, three times each. It is not sharan (canonically) makrūh to use
someone elses miswāk or comb with his permission, but it is taban[1] makrūh. Also, smoking
---------------------------------
[1] That which is repugnant to the human nature.
14 - When washing the
mouth, rinse it if not fasting. It is always makrūh to gargle in the throat
(glottis).
15 - When washing the
nostrils, to draw the water almost up to the bone.
16 - When applying
masah on the ears, insert each little finger into each earhole, respectively.
17 - To use the little
finger of the left hand when washing between the toes by inserting (takhlīl)
from the lower sides of them.
18 - To shift the ring
when washing the hands. It is necessary and fard to shift a tight ring.
19 - Not to waste water
though it may be plentiful.
20 - Not to use too
little water so as to appear rubbing with oil. During each of the three
washings, at least two drops of water must fall from the place washed.
21 - After using a
container for ablution, to leave the container full of water. One should put
the ewer in its place with its mouth pointing towards the qibla. Any other
traveller who wants to perform the namāz can easily determine the direction of
the qibla by way of the ewers mouth.
22 - To recite the
prayer (duā) Allahummajalni minattawwābīn... after or during the ablution.
23 - To perform two
rakats (units) of namāz called Subhā
after an ablution.
24 - To make ablution
though one has an ablution. In other words, after performing one namāz, renew
your ablution for the next namāz.
25 - To clean the inner
corners of the eyes and clear away the dried mucus in the eyelids when washing
the face.
26 - When washing the
face, the arms and the feet, wash a little more than the compulsory amount.
When washing the arms, we must fill our palm with water and then pour it
towards the elbow.
27 - When performing an
ablution, do not let the water used splash back on the body, the clothes, etc.
28 - Ibni Ābidīn, while listing the things that
nullify an ablution, writes that if something that is not makruh in ones
madhhab is fard in another madhhab, it is mustahab to do that thing.
Imām-i Rabbānī wrote in his 286th letter that since rubbing the limbs
(dalk) is a fard of ablution in Mālikī, one should certainly rub them. While
explaining the rijī talāq (irrevocable divorce) Ibni
Ābidīn wrote that it is better for a Hanafī person to imitate Mālikī
Madhhab because Imām-i Mālik was like a student of Imām-i Azam[1].
There are
twelve prohibitions in performing an ablution. Doing them is either harām or makrūh; they are as follows:
1 - When relieving
oneself or urinating in the toilet or out-doors, one should not turn ones front
or back towards the qibla.
It is makrūh also to
stretch ones feet towards the qibla or the Qurān. If the Qurān is above one
it will not be makrūh. One can enter the toilet with the Qurān or an amulet
that is wrapped up with a separate cover.
2 - It is harām to open
ones private parts near someone in order to make tahārat.
3 - One should not make
tahārat with ones right hand.
4 - When there is no
water, it is makrūh to make tahārat (to clean oneself) with food products,
manure, bones, animals food, coal, someone elses property, a piece of
flowerpot or tile, reeds, leaves, a piece of cloth or paper.
5 - One must not spit
or throw mucus into the pool where one makes an ablution.
6 - One should not wash
ones limbs of ablution much more or less than the prescribed limit, nor wash
them more or less than three times.
7 - One must not wipe
ones limbs of ablution with the same cloth used for tahārat.
8 - While washing the
face, one must not splash the water on ones face, but pour it from the upper
forehead downwards.
9 - One must not blow
on or over the surface of the water.
10 - One must not close
ones mouth and eyes tightly. If even a tiny part of the outward part of the
lips or the eyelids is left dry, the ablution will not be acceptable.
11 - One must not
expell mucus from ones nose with ones right hand.
12 - One must not make
masah on ones head, ears or neck
---------------------------------
[1] It shuld go
without saying that this suggestion must be saved for such cases as you need to
imitate a Madhhab other than your own.
more than once after moistening the hands each time. But it can be
repeated without moistening the hands again.
Warning: Unless there is a strong necessity, the following eleven rules must be
obeyed:
1 - A person with both
hands paralysed (or no hands at all) cannot make tahārat. Instead he makes
tayammum by rubbing his arms on some soil and his face against a wall. If there
is a wound one his face, he performs the namāz without an ablution in order not
to miss namāz.
2 - If a person is
sick, his wife, jāriya, children, sisters, or brothers may help him perform his
ablution.
3 - Making tahārat with
stones and the like is the same as making it with water.
4 - If a person who
went mad or fainted did not recover within twenty-four hours, he would not have
to perform (qadā) his missed prayers of namāz when he recovered. He who loses
consciousness by taking alcohol, opium or medicine must perform each omitted
prayer. A person who is so heavily ill that he cannot even perform the namāz by
moving his head while lying down, even if he is conscious, is exempted from
performing namāz. However, this state must go on for more than twenty-four
hours.
5 - It is mustahab (a
source of blessings) to use special baggy trousers and to cover the head when
entering the toilet.
6 - When entering the
toilet one must not hold something in ones hand containing Allahs name or
pieces of writing from the Qurān. It must be wrapped up with something or it
must be in ones pocket. The case is the same with an amulet.
7 - One must enter the
toilet with ones left foot and go out with ones right foot.
8 - In the toilet one
must open ones private parts after squatting and one must not talk.
9 - One must not look
at ones private parts or at the waste material or spit in the toilet.
10 - In the toilet, one
must not eat or drink anything, sing, whistle, [smoke] or chew gum.
11 - One must not
urinate into any water, on a wall of a mosque, in a cemetery, or onto any road.
THINGS THAT
NULLIFY AN ABLUTION: It is written in the
book Halabī: In Hanafī Madhhab, seven
things nullify an ablution: Firstly, eveything excreted from the front and rear
organs, for example breaking wind, breaks an ablution. Only the wind
coming out of a mans or womans front does not break an ablution. This happens
with very few people. The worms coming out of the mouth, ears or a wound on the
skin do not break an ablution. When the point of an enema or a mans finger is
inserted into ones back and taken out, if it is moist it breaks an ablution.
If it is dry, it would still be better to renew the ablution. The case is so
with everything that is partly inserted into the anus. If something is inserted
and taken out wholely, it breaks both an ablution and a fast. If a persons
hemorrhoids come out and he drives them back in with his hand or with something
like a cloth, his ablution will be broken.
When a man puts some
oil in his urethra and it flows out, it does not break his ablution according
to Imām-i azam. When a woman applies vaginal lavage, the liquid that flows out
breaks her ablution.
It is permissible for a
man to insert into his urethra a small natural cotton wick lest he will release
urine inadvertenly. In case there is suspicion of leakage, it is mustahab for a
man to do this. But if he sees that it prevents leakage, it will be wājib for
him to use it. Synthetic cotton is not advisable. Unless part of the cotton
remaining outside is moistened, his ablution will not be broken. And if the
cotton is dry when it is taken out, the ablution will not be broken, either. So
is the case with the piece of cloth called kursuf which women insert in their
front. But if a woman puts it on the crevice instead of inserting it, it breaks
her ablution when its inner surface is moistened. If the cotton is put in
wholely it breaks the ablution if it is wet when it is taken out. A piece of
natural cotton that has been inserted into the back and which is lost breaks an
ablution even if it is dry when it comes out. It is mustahab for virgins to use
kursuf only during menstruation and for those who are married or widows to
always use it. If a person finds feces or urine stains on his underwear after
istinjā (cleaning oneself after urination or defecation) he must put a long
piece of cotton between the buttocks and thus cover the anus, and, before
performing an ablution, he must look at the cotton and put it back in its place
if it is clean or change it if it is dirty.
He who suffers from enuresis (involuntary urination) should be extra careful lest his underwear will become dirty. For this, you need a square piece of cloth fifteen centimetres in length. Tying a piece of string about fifty centimetres in length to one of the corners of the cloth, you tie the other end of the string to a safety-
pin attached to the pants. Next the cloth is wrapped around the end of
the penis and secured with the string wound on it and fastened with a knot. If
the leakage of urine is too great, it must be reinforced with a piece of
cotton, which should be thrown away whenever it is found wet with urine. If the
cloth is wet, too, it must be removed, washed and dried so as to be used again.
Thus a piece of cloth can be used for months. People who practise this hygienic
cleanliness will never suffer prostatic ailments.
The second group of
things breaking an ablution consists of those unclean things coming out of the
mouth. Of these, vomit and thick blood; blood, food and water coming out of the
stomach break an ablution when they amount to a mouthful. They all are najāsat-i ghalīza (strong pollutant). Matter
vomitted by a suckling child is qaba najāsat. Vomitting phlegm will not break
an ablution. Vomiting thin blood coming down from the head does not break an
ablution if it is less than the spittle. Inside the mouth, in terms of an
ablution, is deemed an inner limb, but it is considered an external limb when
one is in a state of fasting. That is the reason why the blood issuing from a
tooth or a wound inside the mouth while remaining in the mouth does not break
an ablution. But after coming out of the mouth, if the blood is more than the
spittle it breaks an ablution. Thick blood coming down from the head does not
break an ablution even if it is more than the spittle. If the blood issuing
from the stomach or from the lungs is thin it breaks an ablution even if it is
less than the spittle, according to Shaikhayn (imām-i azam Abū Hanīfa and
imām-i Abū Yūsuf (rahmatullahi alaihim)). If any oil dropped into the ear goes
out through the ear or the nose it does not break an ablution. But if it goes
out through the mouth it breaks an ablution. If something sniffed into the nose
comes back, even if after several days, it does not break an ablution.
Thirdly, blood, pus, or
yellow liquid issuing through the skin, and colourless liquid issuing painfully
break an ablution in Hanafī. The fact that these do not break ones ablution in
Shafiī and Mālikī is written in the Persian book Menāhij-ul-ibād.
If the
blood or the yellow liquid issuing from a person with small-pox or from
an abscess, ear, nose, wound, or colourless liquid that issues with pain or
because of an ailment, speads over the places that must be washed in a ghusl
ablution, it breaks ones ablution. For instance, if blood coming down the nose
goes beyond the bones it breaks an ablution. And if blood coming through the
ears comes out of the ears it breaks an ablution. If one sponges the blood or
the yellowish liquid on ones wound or boil (abscess) with cotton it breaks
ones ablution. Colourless liquid issuing and flowing from them without pain or
ailment does not break an ablution [according to Tahtāwī][1]. If one sees blood on the thing one bites into, ones ablution will
not be broken. If one sees blood on the miswāk or on the tooth pick, this will
not break ones ablution if the inside of the mouth has not been smeared with
blood. But, on the other hand, it will break ones ablution if one puts ones
finger on the suspected part in ones mouth and then sees blood on ones
finger. If a person who suffers from sore eyes sheds tears all the time he is
one who has an excuse. (The meaning of the phrase having an excuse will be
explained later on). But, except when one has a sore, weeping for some other
reason, such as because of onions, smoke and other kinds of gases, does not
break an ablution. In the Shāfiī madhhab an ablution is not broken in either
case. A womans suckling her child does not break her ablution. Sweating, no
matter how much, does not break an ablution. Liquid coming out of the ears,
navel or nipples because of some pain breaks an ablution. A leech sucking too
much blood breaks an ablution. Harmful insects such as flies, mosquitos, fleas
and lice do not break an ablution even if they suck a great deal. A little
blood on the skin that does not spread, blood which is formed in the mouth and
which is not a mouthful, and a little vomit that is thrown up do not break an
ablution; therefore they are not najs (religiously dirty).
The fourth cause that
breaks an ablution is to sleep, in all the four Madh-habs. In Hanafī, sleeping
in a position that will leave the anus loose, such as by lying on ones flank
or back or by leaning on ones elbow or on something else, will break an ablution.
If one does not fall down when the thing on which one leans is taken away
suddenly, ones ablution is not broken.
---------------------------------
[1] Ahmad bin Muhammad bin Ismā'īl Tahtāwī 'rahmatulāhi 'alaih' (d. 1231 [A.D. 1815] was the Muftī of Cairo representing the Hanafī Madhhab.
Sleeping in namāz does not break an ablution. Sleeping by drawing up
the legs and putting the head on the knees does not break an ablution. Sleeping
by sitting with the feet on one side does not break an ablution. If a person
sleeps by erecting one of his shanks and sitting on the other thigh, his
ablution will break. Sleeping on a bare animal does not break an ablution,
provided the animal is going uphill or on a level road. Sleeping on a saddle
and panel does not break an ablution in any case.
Fifthly, fainting,
going crazy, or having an epileptic fit breaks an ablution. Being as drunk as
to waver when walking breaks an ablution.
Sixthly, laughter
during namāz with rukūs and sajdas breaks both the namāz and the ablution. But
it does not break a childs ablution. Smiling in namāz breaks neither the namāz
nor the ablution. When heard by those who are near one, it is called laughter.
When one does not hear ones own laughing it is called smiling. If no one but
the person who laughs hears it, it is called dahk,
which breaks the namāz only.
The seventh cause is Mubāsharat-i fāhisha, that is, when a man and
woman physically rub their private parts (sawatain) on each other. In this
case, the ablution of both the man and woman is broken. In Hanafī, touching a
womans skin lustfully does not break an ablution.
Cutting ones hair,
beard, moustache or nails does not break ones ablution. It is not necessary to
wash the places cut. It is written in the Persian explanation of Fiqh-i Ghidānī: Cutting the nails does not break
an ablution. It is mustahab to wash the hands. Peeling of the skin on a wound
does not break it, either.
Any cracks on the skin
must be washed when making an ablution. If one cannot put water on it, one
makes masah. If masah is not possible, either, one may omit it. If one has put
some ointment on a crack on ones foot, one washes over the ointment. If
washing will harm the crack, one makes masah over it. If the ointment drains
off after washing, one washes under it if the wound has healed. If it has not
healed one does not wash it. [See chapter 5]. If one has wounds on both hands,
and if washing will be harmful, one makes tayammum. If one hand is healthy, one
uses it for ablution. If ones hand has been cut off from the elbow or if ones
foot is cut off by the heel, one washes the place of the cut.
Halabī-yi kebīr writes; If a person knows that he has performed ablution and doubts if it has been broken later, it is judged that he has an ablution. If he knows that his ablution has been broken and doubts whether he has performed ablution again, he has to perform an ablution. If he doubts whether he has washed a limb while performing an ablution, he washes the limb. If he has the doubt after finishing the ablution it is not necessary to wash the doubtful limb. If a person who notices some wetness on himself after performing ablution doubts whether it is urine or water, he performs ablution again if this happens to him for the first time. If it often happens to him, it will be understood that it is a doubt caused by satan; therefore, he will not renew the
ablution. In order to eliminate such doubts, he must sprinkle water into his pants or underwear [Kimyā-yi saādat], or use a cellulosic cotton wick. If a person doubts whether his pots, pans, dresses, body, water, well, pond, or any butter, bread, clothes, food and others prepared by the ignorant or by disbelievers are dirty, they are to be judged clean.
It is harām to hold the
Qurān al-kerīm without having an ablution. It is permissible to recite it without an ablution. It is sunnat to go to bed with an ablution. It is written in the explanation of Shirat-ul-islām: It is permissible and blessed to recite the Qurān al-kerīm without an ablution while lying in bed. But, one must hold ones head out of the blanket and put ones legs together.
When wadī or mazī is emitted, ones ablution is broken according to all of the four madhhabs. Even the ghusl is necessary in the Hanbalī madhhab [Ināya]. It is harām to enter a mosque when you are junub or during menstruation, and it is mekrūh without an ablution [Durar Gurar]. If frontal or anal emissions which normally break an ablution take place because of an illness and there is haraj [difficulty] in making an ablution for such reasons as extremely cold weather, illness or old age, ones ablution will not be broken according to the Mālikī Madhhab.
It is stated in Kitāb-ur-rahma, Continuous involuntary urination is termed silis-ul-bawl. One cup of chick-peas and two cups of vinegar are put in a container. Three days later, three chick-peas and one teaspoonful of vinegar are taken three times daily. Or, one spoonful of seeds of rue and ginger and cinnamon and blackpepper are pulverized and mixed. One teaspoonful of the mixture is taken with water, once early in the morning, without having eaten anything, and once before going to
bed at night. The
medical book entitled Menāfī'-un-nās (and
written in Turkish in the
hegiral year 986 [A.D. 1578] by Dervish Nidāī) contains various medical
formulas devised and recommended for the
treatment of incontinence of urine. One of them is this: Two dirhams of
frankincense is mixed with two hums of black cumin and four dirhams of honey
and the mixture is consumed piecemeal, one
piece as big as a walnut in the morning and another in the evening.
Frankincense is an aromatic gum resin from trees (called Boswellia). It is like
chewing gum.