Every Muslim should know the conditions of ablution, the obligatory acts, and practices of the Sunnah to be observed while performing it. Both conditions and obligatory acts must be fulfilled as much as possible in order to ensure the validity of ablution.
There are 8 conditions of Ablution:
- Being a Muslim
- Being mentally sound
- Having discretion
- Having the intention of performing ablution:
According to the aforementioned four conditions, ablution is invalid if performed by a disbeliever, an insane person, a young child who does not distinguish between right and wrong, or one who does not have the intention of ablution upon performing it, such as performing it as a way of refreshment in a hot weather, or as a means of cleaning one’s body organs or removing certain impurities or the like. - Using pure water:
Water used for performing ablution must be pure, so impure water is inadequate for performing ablution. - Using legally-obtained water:
If the water used for ablution is unlawfully acquired, or taken by force, ablution will not be valid. - Being preceded by istinja or istijmar:
That is, after cleaning away whatever has been passed from the urethra or anus with water, toilet paper or both. - Removing what may prevent water from reaching skin of the ablution organs:
That is, the one performing ablution has to remove anything covering the organs of ablution, such as mud, dough, wax, accumulated dirt, thick paint, etc., in order to allow water to reach the skin of the organ directly without hindrance.
Also read – The Obligatory Acts of Ablution and The Sunnah Acts of Ablution
