Purification - Mishkat al-Masabih 453

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. All praise is to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and peace and blessings upon His final Messenger Muhammad.

Textual Analysis

The noble hadith narrated by the Mother of the Believers 'Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) states that when the Prophet (peace be upon him) was in a state of major ritual impurity (janabah) and wished to eat or sleep, he would perform the minor ablution (wudu) as one does for prayer.

This tradition is recorded in the most authentic collections of Bukhari and Muslim, indicating its highest degree of authenticity (muttafaqun 'alayh).

Juridical Ruling

The majority of scholars from the Hanafi, Shafi'i, and Hanbali schools consider this ablution recommended (mustahabb) but not obligatory. The Maliki school holds it as strongly recommended (sunnah mu'akkadah).

The wisdom behind this practice includes: purifying oneself before mentioning Allah's name over food, maintaining cleanliness while sleeping, and facilitating the performance of prayer upon waking if needed.

Spiritual Dimensions

This teaching demonstrates the Prophet's constant state of spiritual awareness. Even in moments of physical need like eating or resting, he maintained connection with purification rituals.

Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani comments in Fath al-Bari that this practice reflects the comprehensive nature of Islamic purity laws, ensuring believers remain in a state of readiness for worship at all times.

Practical Application

When in state of major impurity, one should perform wudu before eating or sleeping, though the full ritual bath (ghusl) remains obligatory before prayer.

This practice applies equally to men and women. The wisdom encompasses both physical cleanliness and spiritual preparation, as sleep is akin to minor death and eating precedes blessings invoked by Allah's name.