Ablution and health purity

Allah says; “O believers, when you stand up to pray, wash your faces, and your hands up to the elbows, and wipe your heads, and your feet up to the ankles. If you are defiled, purify yourselves…” (5:6)


[ يا أيها الذين آمنوا إذا قمتم إلى الصلاة فاغسلوا وجوهكم وأيديكم إلى المرافق وامسحوا برؤوسكم وأرجلكم إلى الكعبين، وإن كنتم جنبا فاطهروا] (المائدة 6).


Ablution is the weapon of the faithful:

• Ablution is not just cleaning the external organs several times a day before prayers. The psychological and spiritual impact felt by the Moslem after ablution is more deeper than words can express, particularly when perfecting ablution. Ablution plays an important role in the life of the Moslem, as it keeps him always in a state of vitality, vigilance and fitness. The Prophet (PBUH) said; “He who performs ablution, and perfects it, his sins would come out from his body, till they pass out from under his nails.”
• The process of washing the organs usually exposed to dust is no doubt of a great significance to public health. These body parts are exposed all day long to numerous numbers of microbes counted in millions in every cubic centimeters of air. These microbes are in a constant offensive state against the human body at the exposed areas of skin. In ablution, microbes are taken by a surprise sweep from the surface of the skin, specially with perfect massaging and enough pouring of water, as guided by the Prophet (PBUH). Following such a process, no dirt or germs are left on the body except what Allah decrees.
• Rinsing the mouth. Modern science has proved that rinsing the mouth protects the mouth and throat from inflammation and the gums from suppuration (pyorrhea). It also protects and cleans teeth by removing food remnants.
• Sniffing the nose. Washing and sniffing the nose strongly helps keep the nostril clean and free of inflammation and germs, thus reflecting positively on the health status of the whole body.
• Washing the face and the two hands. Washing the face and the two hands up to the elbows is of a great benefit in removing dust and microbes as well as sweat from the surface of the skin. This also cleans the skin from the fatty substance secreted by skin glands, and which is usually a very suitable place for the proliferation and sustenance of germs.
• Washing the two feet. Washing feet with massaging lead to a feeling of quietness and complacency that engulfs the Moslem after ablution.
• Other secrets. Scientific research has proved that blood circulation in upper limbs from the hands to the forearms, and in the lower limbs from the feet to the legs is weaker than it is in other organs, being peripheral to the centre of regulating blood circulation, namely, the heart. So washing these limbs with massaging at every ablution help strengthen the blood circulation in these parts, thus increasing the vitality and activity of the body.

Science has proved the effect of sun rays, particularly the ultra violet ones, in causing skin carcinoma. This effect decreases very well with the consequence of ablution, as it constantly dampens the surface of the skin with water, particularly the parts exposed to such rays. This helps protect the surface and internal layer cells of the skin from the harmful impact of rays.