Covering Your Head During Wudu: 6 Essential Things You Need to Know

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Hi all readers! Are you looking for an explanation of covering your head during wudu? If your answer is "Yes," congratulations! You are now reading the right article. Why? Because that is what I will explain in this article. As Muslims, we must understand this. That's why I wrote this article. So, you should read it until the end!

Specifically, there are some important points about covering your head during wudu which I will explain in this article. The important points I mean are as follows:

Wudu in Islam: Why Is It Important?

The important point about covering your head during wudu that I will explain now is "Wudu in Islam: why is it important?". I want you to understand this first before you read further explanations in this article so that you can grasp the urgency of our discussion.

In general, if we read some Islamic literature on wudu in Islam, we will find several reasons why wudu is important. Some of these reasons are as follows:

• Wudu is one of the ways (the most important way) to remove minor hadas.

We can find an explanation that wudu is one of the most important ways to eliminate minor hadas in the following hadith:

عَنْ أَبِيْ هُرَيْرَةَ رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُ أَنَّ رَسُوْلُ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ : لَا يَقْبَلُ اللهُ صَلَاةَ أَحَدِكُمْ إِذَا أَحْدَثَ حَتَّى يَتَوَضَّأَ . مُتَّفَقٌ عَلَيْهِ

From Abu Hurairah radiyallahu anhu, the Messenger of Allah (Prophet Muhammad) sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said, "Allah does not accept someone's prayer if he has hadas (minor impurity) until he performs wudu." This hadith was narrated by al-Bukhari and Muslim.

• If we cannot perform wudu to remove minor hadas, then we must perform tayammum.
• Wudu is one of the virtues of the people of the Prophet Muhammad.

We can find an explanation that wudu is one of the virtues of the people of the Prophet Muhammad in the hadith below:

عَنْ عُمَرَ رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُ قَالَ : قَالَ رَسُوْلُ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ :مَا مِنْكُمْ مِنْ أَحَدٍ يَتَوَضَّأُ فَيُسْبِغُ الْوُضُوْءَ ثُمَّ يَقُوْلُ : أَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللهُ وَحْدَهُ لَا شَرِيْكَ لَهُ وَأَشْهَدُ أَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا عَبْدُهُ وَرَسُوْلُهُ , إِلَّا فُتِحَتْ لَهُ أَبْوَابُ الْجَنَّةِ الثَّمَانِيَّةِ يَدْخُلُ مِنْ أَيِّهَا شَاءَ . أَخْرَجَهُ مُسْلِمٌ وَالتِّرْمِذِيُّ وَزَادَ : اَللَّهُمَّ اجْعَلْنِيْ مِنَ التَّوَّابِيْنَ وَاجْعَلْنِيْ مِنَ الْمُتَطَهِّرِيْنَ

From Umar radliyallahu anhu, he said, "The Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said, 'If anyone performs wudu and perfects it, then says, 'I testify that there is no god but Allah alone with no partner, and I testify that Muhammad is His servant and His Messenger,' the eight doors of Heaven will be opened for him, and he may enter through whichever he wishes.' The hadith is narrated by Muslim and at-Tirmidhi. At-Tirmidhi added, 'O Allah, make me among those who repent and among those who are purified.'"

عَنْ أَبِيْ هُرَيْرَةَ رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُ قَالَ : سَمِعْتُ رَسُوْلَ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَقُوْلُ : إِنَّ أُمَّتِيْ يَأْتُوْنَ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ غُرَّا مُحَجَّلِيْنَ مِنْ أَثَرِ الْوُضُوْءِ ، فَمَنْ اِسْتَطَاعَ مِنْكُمْ أَنْ يُطِيْلَ غُرَّتَهُ فَلْيَفْعَلْ . مُتَّفَقٌ عَلَيْهِ

From Abu Hurairah radiyallahu anhu, he said, "I heard the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam say, 'Verily, my Ummah will come on the Day of Judgment with white marks on their limbs due to wudu. Whoever among you can extend the whiteness, let him do so.' This hadith was narrated by al-Bukhari and Muslim.

If we understand the two hadiths above, we can conclude that wudu is a way to atone for minor sins. Additionally, wudu is one of the things that distinguishes the people of the Prophet Muhammad from the followers of other prophets on the Day of Judgment.

• Wudu can calm the feelings and the mind.

The third reason why wudu in Islam is so important is that it calms feelings and thoughts. So, if we are sad or confused due to something, we are encouraged to perform wudu.

To be honest, I haven't found a specific explanation for this. But if we read the hadith about the sunnah to perform wudu before going to bed, we can conclude that wudu is a way to calm feelings and thoughts.

The hadith I mean is as follows:

قَـالَ النَّبِيُّ - صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - لِلْبَرَّاءِ بْنِ عَازِبٍ رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُ : إِذَا أَتَيْتَ مَضْجَعَكَ ، فَتَوَضَّأْ وُضُوْءَكَ لِلصَّلَاةِ ، ثُمَّ اِضْطَجِعْ عَلَى شِقِّكَ الْأَيْمَنِ… الْحَدِيْثُ . مُتَّفَقٌ عَلَيْهِ

The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said to Barra' bin 'Azib radliyallahu anhu, "When you go to bed, perform wudu as you would for prayer, then lie down on your right side… (al-Hadith)." This hadith was narrated by al-Bukhari and Muslim.

That's a brief explanation of "Wudu in Islam: why is it important?". As Muslims, we must understand this.

When Should You Do Wudu?

The important thing about covering your head during wudu that I will explain now is "When should you do wudu?". I want you to understand that so you know when you have to do wudu and when you are encouraged to do wudu. Why?

The answer is that in some cases wudu is an obligation that must be performed, and in other cases, wudu is a recommendation.

In general, there are three conditions that require you to perform wudu:

• If you want to perform obligatory worship and sunnah worship that requires you to be in a state of purity.

In Islam, there are several obligatory acts of worship and sunnah worship that require Muslims to be in a state of purity if they wish to perform them. Some examples are obligatory prayers (Fajr prayer, Dhuhr prayer, Asr prayer, Maghrib prayer, and Isha prayer), sunnah prayers (Qabliyah prayer, Ba'diyah prayer, Witr prayer, Tahajjud prayer, Duha prayer, and so on), and Tawaf. In other words, if you are going to perform these acts, then you have to do wudu. In such cases, wudu is something that must be done (mandatory).

One rule of Islamic law that we must always remember about such legal changes is as follows:

مَا لَا يَتِمُّ الْوَاجِبُ إِلَّا بِهِ فَهُوَ وَاجِبٌ

Something which an obligation cannot be perfected except by that, then it becomes an obligation.

We can also find an explanation that wudu is an obligation before performing obligatory worship and sunnah worship that requires Muslims to be in a state of purity in the hadith below:

عَنْ عَلِيٍّ بْنِ طَلْقٍ رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُ قَالَ : قَالَ رَسُوْلُ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ : إِذَا فَسَا أَحَدُكُمْ فِي الصَّلَاةِ فَلْيَنْصَرِفْ وَلْيَتَوَضَّأْ وَلْيُعِدْ الصَّلَاةَ . رَوَاهُ الْخَمْسَةَ

From Ali bin Thalq radliyallahu anhu, he said, "The Messenger of Allah (Prophet Muhammad) said, 'If one of you has emitted a soundless wind from his anus while praying (salat), then let him go out, perform wudu, and repeat the prayer (salat).' The hadith was narrated by five sources (Ahmad, Abu Daud, at-Tirmidhi, an-Nasa'i, Ibn Majah).

• If you have minor hadas and you want to always be in a state of purity.
• If you want to calm your feelings and thoughts in an easy way. I have explained the two points above in the previous discussion, so I'm not going to explain them again.

That's a brief explanation of "When should you do wudu?". As Muslims, we must understand that.

Rules of Wudu

The important point about covering your head during wudu that I will explain now is the rules of wudu. I want you to understand that because there are some rules of wudu that Muslims must observe in addition to the things to do and things not to do in wudu.

In general, if we read some Islamic legal literature on the rules of wudu, we can conclude as follows:

Wear clean clothes

Wearing clean clothes is one of the rules of wudu. Why? Wudu is a way to purify the body from minor hadas. So, if there is najis (impurity) in the clothes we wear when we perform wudu, then the najis will stick to our bodies.

Perform all the obligations in wudu

Performing all the obligations in wudu is the second rule of wudu. We can find an explanation of the obligations in wudu in the hadith below:

عَنْ حَمْرَانَ : أَنَّ عُثْمَانَ دَعَا بِوُضُوْءٍ فَغَسَلَ كَفَّيْهِ ثَلَاثَ مَرَّاتٍ ثُمَّ تَمَضْمَضَ وَاسْتَنْشَقَ وَاسْتَنْثَرَ ثُمَّ غَسَلَ وَجْهَهُ ثَلَاثَ مَرَّاتٍ ثُمَّ غَسَلَ يَدَهُ الْيُمْنَى إِلَى الْمِرْفَقِ ثَلَاثَ مَرَّاتٍ ثُمَّ الْيُسْرَى مِثْلَ ذَلِكَ ، ثُمَّ مَسَحَ بِرَأْسِهِ ، ثُمَّ غَسَلَ رِجْلَهُ الْيُمْنَى إِلَى الْكَعْبَيْنِ ثَلَاثَ مَرَّاتٍ ، ثُمَّ الْيُسْرَى مِثْلَ ذَلِكَ ، ثُمَّ قَالَ : رَأَيْتُ رَسُوْلَ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ تَوَضَّأَ نَحْوَ وُضُوْئِيْ هَذَا . مُتَّفَقٌ عَلَيْهِ

From Hamran, that Uthman performed wudu. He washed his hands three times, then rinsed his mouth, inhaled water into his nose, and expelled it. Then he washed his face three times. He then washed his right hand up to the elbow three times, his left hand similarly. Then he wiped his head and washed his right foot up to the ankle three times, then his left foot similarly. He said, "I have seen the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam performing wudu like this." The hadith was narrated by al-Bukhari and Muslim.

Specifically, if we read some Islamic legal literature on wudu, we will find that the obligations in wudu are as follows:

• Niyyah for wudu. The niyyah for wudu is as follows:

نَوَيْتُ الْوُضُوْءَ لِرَفْعِ الْحَدَثِ الْأَصْغَرِ فَرْضًا لِلَّهِ تَعَالَى

I intend to perform wudu to remove minor hadas, as an obligation, for the sake of Allah Taala.

• Wash the face.
• Wash the hands up to the elbows.
• Wipe some of the hair of the head.
• Wipe the two earlobes.
• Wash the feet up to the ankles.

These are the obligations in wudu. This means Muslims must perform all these actions during wudu. If they neglect any of these obligations, their wudu is invalid.

Perform some of the recommendations in wudu

The recommendations for wudu are as follows:

1. Wash the palms before wudu.
2. Gargle.
3. Perform istinsyaq (inhaling water) and istinsyar (removing the water that has been inhaled).
4. Wipe all the hair of the head.
5. Dua after wudu.
6. Use siwak after wudu.

These are the six recommendations for wudu. This means Muslims are encouraged to do all these actions. If they do them, they will receive extra reward. But if they do not, their wudu remains valid.

Don’t speak while performing wudu

If you are performing wudu, try to make it perfect. Speaking during wudu can break your concentration. That is why it is advised not to speak while performing wudu.

That is a brief explanation of the rules of wudu. As Muslims, we must understand that.

Is It Compulsory to Cover Head While Doing Wudu?

The important thing about covering your head during wudu which I will explain now is "Is it compulsory to cover the head while doing wudu?". I want you to understand this because it is one of the most common questions on the topic we are discussing now.

If we understand the explanation of the rules of wudu, we find no evidence that covering the head while performing wudu is obligatory. In other words, it is not necessary to cover our heads while performing wudu.

Wudu with Hijab on for Covering Head: Who Should Do It?

The important point about covering your head during wudu that I will explain now is "Wudu with hijab on for covering the head: who should do it?". This is one of the common questions regarding wudu, especially related to Muslim women.

Muslim women do not have to wear the hijab when performing wudu. If they perform wudu in a private space, such as a house or a special room for women, then they may perform wudu without wearing a hijab.

Performing Wudu in Public: Should You Cover Your Head?

The important point about covering your head during wudu that I will explain now is "Performing wudu in public: should one cover one's head?". I want you to understand this because, under certain conditions, a Muslim may need to perform wudu in public.

In general, there is no difference between performing wudu in public and performing wudu in a private room. All the obligations in wudu must be fulfilled. However, the first thing to understand when performing wudu in public is whether someone else is waiting for us to complete it. If someone else is waiting, then we should not linger.

The second thing to understand is that if there are both Muslim men and Muslim women performing wudu in the same room, they must cover their genitals, avoid touching each other, and it is preferable for Muslim women to cover their heads.

Conclusion

Thank you for reading this article on the importance of covering your head during wudu. We have covered essential aspects of wudu, from its significance in Islam to the nuances of performing it in both private and public settings. Understanding these details helps us uphold the purity and sanctity of our acts of worship.

Remember, wudu is not just a ritual but a profound practice that connects us to our faith. It cleanses us physically and spiritually, preparing us for prayer and other acts of devotion. If you have any more questions or need further clarification, feel free to reach out. Your journey towards understanding and performing wudu properly is valuable, and we are here to support you.

Thank you for your time and attention. May this article be beneficial to you and enhance your practice of wudu. Ameen.

See you in the next article!