Covering Head While Doing Wudu: 6 Things You Must Understand - Guidelines Islamic Law

Covering Head While Doing Wudu

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

Specifically, there are six important things about "covering head while doing wudu" which I will explain in this article. The six important things I mean are as follows:

Wudu in Islam: Why Is It Important?

The first important point about “covering head while doing wudu” that I will explain now is “wudu in Islam: why is it important?”. I want you to understand that first before you read more explanations in this article so that you can understand the urgency of our discussion.

In general, if we read some Islamic literature on wudu in Islam, then we will find several reasons why wudu is important. Some of the reasons I mean 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, that the Messenger of Allah (Prophet Muhammad) sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said, "Allah does not accept someone's prayer from you if he has hadas (small hadas) until he performs wudu." This hadith was narrated by al-Bukhari and Muslim.

As for 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 alaihi wa sallam said, "It is not one of you who performs wudu then perfects it, then says, "I testify that there is no god but Allah who has no partner, and I testify that Muhammad is His servant and His Messenger, "except the eight doors of Heaven have been opened for him. He can enter any door he wants." The hadith is narrated by Muslim and at-Tirmidhi. He (at-Tirmidhi) added another editor, "O Allah, make me among those who repent and make me including those who are cleansed."

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 have heard the Messenger of Allah (Prophet Muhammad) sallallahu alayhi wa sallam say, "Verily my Ummah on the Day of Judgment will come with white light on all members of wudu (the limbs that are washed and rubbed in wudu) from the former wudu. Whoever of you is able to extend his white light, let him do that." This hadith was narrated by al-Bukhari and Muslim.

If we understand the two hadiths above, then we can conclude that wudu is one way to repent for minor sins. In addition, wudu is one of the things that distinguishes the people of the Prophet Muhammad and the people of the 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 soothes feelings and thoughts. So, if we are sad or confused because we are thinking about something, then we are encouraged to do wudu.

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

The hadith that 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 (Muhammad) sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said to Barra' bin 'Azib radliyallahu anhu, "If you are going to sleep, then do your wudu like your wudu for prayer (salat), 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 that.

When Should You Doing Wudu?

The second important thing about “covering head while doing wudu” that I will explain now is “when Should you doing wudu?”. I want you to understand that so that you understand when you have to do wudu and when you are encouraged to do wudu. Why?

The answer is because 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 holy condition.

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 (Dawn, Dhuhr, Asr, Maghrib, and Isha), sunnah prayers (Qabliyah, Ba'diyah, Witr, Tahajjud, Duha, and so on), Tawaf, and so on. In other words, if you are going to do that, 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 which requires Muslims to be in a holy condition 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) has said, "If one of you has emitted a soundless wind from his anus while praying (salat), then let him go out and perform wudu, then repeat the prayer (salat)." The hadith was narrated by five people (Ahmad, Abu Daud, at-Tirmidhi, an-Nasa'i, Ibn Majah).

• If you have a small hadas and you want to always be in a holy condition.
• 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 that again.

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

Rules of Wudu

The third important point about “covering head while doing 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 holy clothes

Wearing holy 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 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 palms three times. Then he rinsed his mouth, put a little water in his nose and let the water out of his nose. Then he washed his face three times. Then he washed his right hand up to the elbow three times. Then his left hand is like that (like his right hand). Then he rubbed his head. Then he washed his right foot up to the ankle three times. Then his left leg like that. then he said, "I have seen the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam performing wudu like this wudu." The hadith was narrated by al-Bukhari and Muslim.

Specifically, if we read some Islamic legal literature on wudu, then we will find an explanation 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, because of Allah Taala.

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

Those are the six obligations in wudu. What it means is that Muslims have to do it all while they are performing wudu. If there is one of the obligations in wudu that they do not perform, then their wudu is invalid.

Perform some of the suggestions or some of the suggestions in wudu

The recommendations for wudu are as follows:

1. Wash two palms before wudu.
2. Gargle.
3. Perform istinsyaq (inhaling some water) and instinsyar (removing the water that has been inhaled).
4. Wipe all the hair of the head.
5. Pray after wudu.
6. Siwak after wudu.

Those are the six suggestions in wudu. What this means is that Muslims are encouraged to do it all. If they do that, then they will get an extra reward. But if they don't do that, then they are innocent and their wudu is valid.

Don't speak when you are performing wudu.

If you are doing wudu, then you should try to make your wudu perfect. If you talk while you are doing wudu, then it will spoil your concentration. That's why you are forbidden to speak when you are 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 fourth important thing about "covering head while doing wudu" which I will explain now is "is it compulsory to cover head while doing wudu?". I want you to understand that 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", then we find no explanation that covering the head while performing wudu is obligatory. In other words, we may not cover our heads while performing wudu.

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

The fifth important point about “covering head while doing wudu” which I will explain now is “wudu with hijab on for cover head: who should do it?”. That is one of the common questions regarding wudu. Usually, these questions relate to Muslim women.

But Muslim women do not have to wear the hijab when performing wudu. If she performs wudu in a house or a special room for women, then she may perform wudu without wearing a hijab.

Performing Wudu in Public: Should You Cover Your Head?

The sixth important point about “covering head while doing wudu” which I will explain now is “performing wudu in public: should one cover one's head?”. I want you to understand that because under certain conditions a Muslim must 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 done. But the first thing we have to understand if we do wudu in public is if someone else is waiting for us to perform wudu. If someone else is waiting for us to perform wudu, then we should not linger.

The second thing we have to understand is that if there are Muslim men and Muslim women performing wudu in one room, then they must cover their genitals, each must guard against touching each other, and it is better if Muslim women cover their heads.

That's a brief explanation of covering head while doing wudu and six important things about it. Do you understand? If you want to ask, please ask!

I think that's enough for this article. Hope it is useful. Amen.

See you again in the next article.