The heart isn’t the only part of our body affected by our acts, it is just the most sensitive part in us and the easiest to be affected by them.
The Messenger of Allah (saws) said, “He who performs the Wudu (ablution) perfectly (according to Sunnah), his sins (on his body) will depart from his body, even from under his nails.’’(Muslim).
Our ablution washes away the effect of sin from our body no matter how hard it is to get at and in what place, this is the significance of water to religion.
In the following hadith the prophet (saws) shows how our sins have effects on all the different parts of the body which we need to purify with water.
The Messenger of Allah (saws) said, “When a Muslim, or a believer, washes his face (in the course of Wudu’), every sin which he committed with his eyes, will be washed away from his face with water, or with the last drop of water; when he washes his hands, every sin which is committed by his hands will be effaced from his hands with the water, or with the last drop of water; and when he washes his feet, every sin his feet committed will be washed away with the water, or with the last drop of water; until he finally emerges (physicaly) cleansed of all his sins.’’(Muslim).
The Messenger of Allah (saws) said, “The adornment of the believer (in Jannah) will reach the places where the water of Wudu’ reaches (his body).” Our reward in Jannah and the spiritual world is literally determined by the extent of our Wudu.
Allah created creation in a way that our actions impact the spiritual world (ghayb) in various ways and they in turn affect us.
The Messenger of Allah (saws) said: “On the Day of Resurrection, my followers (or Ummah) will be summoned (Al-Ghurr Al-Muhajjalun) from the traces of (their) Wudu’. Whoever can increase the area of his radiance should do so.’’(Al-Bukhari and Muslim).
Al Ghur as the Ullumah explained is like the mane of a horse, on the day of Judgment the spiritual effects of our wudu will show on our body like the mane of a horse and each place we washed will be white like a bright light. The Ummah of Muhammad (saws) will be known on that day by this Ghura, or marks of wudhu on their forehead, face, arms and legs so whomever can increase the area of their wudu should.
The spiritual effects of our actions in this life that we can’t see now will be seen then because on that Allah will lift the veils from our eyes allowing to see ghayb, in this hadith is the understanding that these marks are present on us in life but we can’t see them because they are at the quantum level of the universe and invisible to our eyes.
The Messenger of Allah (saws) went to the cemetery (of Baqi) and said, “May you be secured from punishment, O dwellers of the abode of the believers! We, if Allah wills, will follow you. I wish we (could) see my brothers.” The Companions said, “O Messenger of Allah! Are not we your brothers?” He (saws) said, “You are my Companions, but my brothers are those who have not come into the world yet (the later generations).’’ They said; “O Messenger of Allah! How will you recognize those of your Ummah who are not born yet?” He (saws) said, “Say, if a man has white-footed horses with white foreheads among horses which are pure black, will he not recognize his own horses?” They said; “Certainly, O Messenger of Allah!” He (saws) said, “They (my followers) will come with bright faces and white limbs because of Wudu’; and I will arrive at the Haud (Al-Kauthar, the drinking lake) ahead of them.’’(Muslim).
The Messenger of Allah (saws) said, “Shall I not tell you something by which Allah effaces the sins and elevates ranks (in Jannah)?” The Companions said; “Certainly, O Messenger of Allah.” He (saws) said, “Performing the Wudu’ thoroughly in spite of difficult circumstances, walking with more paces to the mosque, and waiting for the next Salat (prayer) after observing (a) Salat; and that is Ar-Ribat, and that is Ar-Ribat.’’(Muslim).
The Messenger of Allah (saws) said: “Wudu’ is half of Iman (faith).’’ (Muslim)
Scholars considered this hadith to be among the most significant hadith’s of the prophet (saws) just like the hadith of Jibril (as), it is one of the reasons why water and cleanliness was so significant in Islamic society.
The most important step in reaching the stage of Ihsan (Human perfection), wudu, is worth half of a persons Iman (faith) because of the importance of cleaning the body spiritually from the sins that mark it, weigh it down and stop it from receiving the light of Allah that expands the breast and allows a persons heart to uphold truth and act rightly.
The Messenger of Allah (saws) said, “Whoever of you performs Wudu’ carefully and then affirms: `Ash-hadu an la ilaha illallahu Wahdahu la sharika Lahu, wa ash-hadu anna Muhammadan `abduhu wa Rasuluhu
“To those who reject Our signs and treat them with arrogance, no opening will there be of the gates of heaven, nor will they enter the garden, until the camel can pass through the eye of the needle. Such is Our reward for those in sin”. (Qur’an 7:40)
“And those who feared their Lord will be led to the Garden in crowds, until behold, they arrive there. Its gates will be opened, and its keepers will say: ‘Peace be upon you! You have done well! Enter here, to dwell therein.” (Qur’an 39:73)
This is the spiritual significance of wudu, the eight gates of Jannah are opened for that person as a result of his effort in life and He can enter by which ever one he chooses, some people will only enter by one gate according to the action they performed best in life others will be given a choice of more than one, but perfecting wudu constantly perfect and affirming the shahada (testimony of faith) surpass all of these and will open all eight gates, such is it’s importance in life.
Abu Hurairah narrated that the Prophet said: “Whoever spends two things in the way of Allah will be called from the gates of Paradise and will be addressed, ‘O slave of Allah, here is prosperity!’ So whoever was among the people who used to offer their prayers will be called from the gate of prayer; and whoever was among the people who used to participate in jihad will be called from the gate of jihad; and whoever was among those who used to observe fasts will be called from the gate of ar-Rayyaan; and whoever was among those who used to give in charity will be called from the gate of charity.”
The Doors of Jannah are, “Baab As-Salaat”, the door of prayer, it is for those who perfect they’re prayer and are constant in it, “Baab Al-Jihad”, the door of fighting in the cause of Allah, it is for those who perform Jihad, “Baab As-Sadaqah”, the door of charity, it is for those who constantly give charity, “Baab Ar-Rayyaan”, the door of fasting, it is for those who constantly fast and perfect the fast during ramadan, “Baab Al-Hajj”, the door of pilgrimage, it is for those who perfect their Hajj and are attached to it, “Baab Al-Kaazimeen Al-Ghaiz Wal Aafina Anin Naas” this door is reserved for those who control their anger and forgive others, “Baab Al-Iman”, the door of faith, it is for those who perfect their iman and increase on account of their Sincerity and Sidq (truthfulness), “Baab Al-Dhikr”, the door of remembrance, it is for those who constantly remember Allah and are aware of him.
Some will enter by the gate of fasting or by the gate of charity others by another gates, but because wudhu is the thing that opens the way for all these actions to be performed in the name of Allah all the gates of Jannah will be opened because of it.
For this same reason it is also worth half of our Iman (faith), it opens the way for most of our actions.
Incidentally the prophet (saws) said marriage completes a persons religion, so Allah placed the other half of religion with women, they open the way for men to perform the other acts in life.
The aim of wudu is to prepare us for prayer, the Prophet (saws) instructed us to pray at certain times of the day and avoid certain times because of the spiritual harm and benefit in these times.
He (saws) was drawing a complete picture for us of the unseen world, its benefits and harms, so we could understand the hidden reality of this Universe, and how the acts we perform in life affect us from that level of creation. Some of the acts we perform in Islam are dependent on the time of day because spiritual conditions on earth change through out the day with the day and night cycle, primarily because of the sun and it’s effects on our solar system at the quantum level and because of the other celestial bodies and earths atmosphere and gravity.
Allah even takes an oath by this fact in surah al Shams (91) “By the Sun and It’s radiance” it’s radiance is literally what affects man on earth at the quantum level, then Allah talks about the moon, earths atmosphere and expanse (i.e gravity) and how they affect people spiritually, the first 10 verses of the surah are about the human self and what influences it and moulds our character through out the day and night.
We can illustrate this by saying good weather puts us in a good mood and bad weather puts us in a bad mood and that shapes our character during these times, in a similar way Allah is talking about something deeper at the quantum level of the universe which does a similar thing. The sun affects our earth through the fields it generates and the gravity it creates, at the beginning of the day that is when this is first beginning, by midday the sun is at it’s strongest and by sunset it’s weakest, this is consistent every single day on earth so there are daily, seasonal and yearly cycles, the sun along with the other bodies in space through all the cycles we experience shape mans self and mould it, it is clear from many ahadith the prophet (saws) understood this and advised us in regards to it.
Abu Najih ‘Amr bin ‘Abasah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported, when the Prophet (saws) emigrated to Madinah: “I went to Al-Madinah and came to him and said, “O Messenger of Allah, do you recognize me?” He (saws) said, “Yes, you are the one who met me in Makkah (at the time only Abu Bakr and Bilal where his only followers).” I said, “O Messenger of Allah, tell me of that which Allah has taught you and of which I am unaware. Tell me about Salat (prayer) first.” He (saws) replied, “Perform the Fajr (morning) Salat, then stop Salat until the sun has risen up to the height of a lance, for when it rises, it rises up between the horns of the devil (a simile because the sun is constantly rising on earth and the devil is not literally following it or that large), and the infidels prostrate themselves before it at that time.
Then perform Salat, for Salat is witnessed and angels attend it (the Angels are countless and their witnessing it means man receives spiritual benefit from their presence as they attend to it), until the shadow becomes equal to the length of its object; then stop Salat, for at that time Jahannam (Hell) is heated up…
[In previous scriptures Allah revealed to the prophet Idris (as) that Black Holes are Hell, and in the Quran He gave a simile for their crushing force saying the people of Hell will need to surpass a black holes crushing gravity to escape hell, “To those who reject Our signs and treat them with arrogance, no opening will there be of the gates of heaven, nor will they enter the garden, until the camel (which is larger than a horse) can pass through the eye of the needle (referring to a black hole’s crushing gravity, that shrinks matter, in order to escape it and go to Heaven). Such is Our reward for those in sin” (Qur’an 7:40). If we keep this in mind then we can see how the prophet (saws) is referring to the black hole at the centre of our Galaxy affecting us and space, black holes contribute a small amount to all gravity effects (as well as other forces) in the milky way, the black hole at the centre of our galaxy has a mass that is about 4.5 million times that of the sun and in some ways behaves like our sun emitting forces that effect the rest of the galaxy, in 2014 for example it unleashed a record-breaking X-ray flare that was 400 times brighter than the normal level of radiation.It isn’t a coincidence that at the centre of every galaxy in the universe there is a black hole, just like we rotate around the sun our solar system and all stars rotate around their black hole. In some ways our circulation around the kaaba mimics the circulation of the earth around the sun, which mimics our solar systems rotation around a black hole which mimics the milky ways rotation in the Universe, Allah is connecting our souls to the greater order in creation and the soul is always perceiving what is occurring in ghayb.
During prayer we connect our self to this order because we pray facing the Kaaba, a black holes influence in space is significant when a person is praying because that is when man is trying to connect spiritually to Allah, meaning the heart at the quantum level is open and perceiving what is there sub-atomically, and this is a time when “Hell is heated up”, it’s effects are stronger than usual. From all this we can see how Allah wanted us to be aware of the effects of the sun, moon, earth and it’s atmosphere, the stars and blackholes on us in the cycles we experience in life because they mould and shape us spiritually. If we understand anything about symmetry and harmony it is significant to learn that the golden mean or ratio of the earth is located in Makkah, this same ratio also defines the spiral shape of our milky way galaxy, “Behold the first House [of worship] set up for mankind was the one at Becca (Makkah); it is blessed and a guidance for [everyone in] the Universe” (3:96)].
…Then pray when the shadow becomes longer, for the prayer is witnessed and angels attend it, until you perform ‘Asr prayer; then stop Salat till sun sets, for it sets between the horns of a devil. At that time the infidels prostrate themselves before it.” (because the prophet (saws) mentioned it’s worship the simile more than likely means that is a time when the evils draw power from it and use that power against man causing him to worship it, which was common in the world at the time of the prophet (saws), so we shouldn’t be praying at this time).
…I then asked the Messenger of Allah to tell me about Wudu’ (ablution), and he (saws) said, “When a person begins the Wudu’ and washes his mouth and nose, the sins committed by his face, mouth and nostrils are washed out. Then when he washes his face as commanded by Allah, the sins of his face are washed out with the water from the sides of his beard. Then when he washes his hands up to his elbows, the sins of his hands are washed out through his fingers with the water. Then he passes his wet hands over his head and the sins of the head are washed out through the ends of his hair with water. Then he washes his feet up to the ankles, the sins of his feet are washed out through his toes with the water. Then, if he stands up for Salat (prayer) and praises Allah, glorifies Him, proclaims His Greatness as He deserves and devotes his heart wholly to Allah, he emerges sin free as the day he was born” (the effects of sin are no longer on him, it doesn’t mean his book of records is wiped and he will not be accountable on the day of judgment for his actions, here we see the prophet (saws) talking about the “physical” effects of sin on the body and how to get rid of them).
When ‘Amr bin ‘Abasah (May Allah be pleased with him) narrated this Hadith to Abu Umamah (May Allah be pleased with him) a Companion of the Prophet (saws), the latter said to him, “Watch what you are saying. O ‘Amr bin ‘Abasah, a man will be getting all of this in one shot?” (getting to much information at once) ‘Amr (May Allah be pleased with him) replied, “O Abu Umamah, I have attained old age, my bones have become dry, my death is approaching and there is no need for me to tell lies concerning Allah and His Messenger (saws). Had I not heard this from the Messenger of Allah only once, twice, thrice (and he counted up to seven) I would never have reported it. Indeed I have heard this frequently”.(Sahih Muslim, Imam Nawawi also records it in Riyad al Saliheen).
This science and knowledge the prophet (saws) taught to his companions on a regular basis using words they could understand, so it is something every person in the Umma should know because it is at the core of Islam. It was well known among the companions, a single companion heard it from the Prophet (saws) seven times, so when people asked about prayer and ablution this is what the prophet (saws) taught everyone on a regular basis, not just how to wash and prostrate but there spiritual (subatomic) reality as well.
The prophet said the same thing about prayer as He did wudhu, and while water is physical and we can understand how it can have cleaning effect even in the subatomic world because everything exists at every level of the universe, the atoms water is made from are made from even smaller particles.
We should ask our self how prayer, which is an act and not a substance can do the same thing as water.
The prophet (saws) said, “The five set Prayers may be compared to a stream of fresh water, flowing in front of your house, into which you plunge five times each day. Do you think that would leave any dirt on your body?’ When they replied: ‘None at all!’ The Prophet, on him be peace, said: ‘Indeed, the five Prayers remove sins, just as water removes dirt.” (Muslim)
The short answer to this question is that our own body cleanses itself because of prayer, if we play sport the physiological result is that we develop muscles and become healthier, the act of prayer also has physiological effects which affect the body on a subatomic level, the most obvious way is the bodies own electromagnetic field produced by the heart and brain, it is made from quantum particles and connected to the two organs that are the centre of mans consciousness and self, it surrounds the entire body stretching out some 3 to 4 ft from it and above all else the other name for an electromagnetic field is light, the very same substance Allah uses to do many things.
While ablution washes away minor and normal sins, prayer can wash away the effects of major sins. The prophet (saws) said “The five set Prayers are an expiation, for there is something amongst them by which major sins are repelled” (Muslim), here in literal terms the prophet (saws) is telling us prayer and the acts Allah made impermissible have a subatomic reaction with the human body, a reaction that occurs in the ghayb (unseen) of this universe, which should also tell us that everything we do is to protect ourself from the bad effects that occur in the ghayb of the universe.
The Prophet even described the nature of it’s effects, He (saws) said: “The prescribed Prayer is like a pair of scales: whoever gives full measure will also receive in full.” Scales and measure is just another way of mentioning science to desert arabs, for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction, this hadith is just the law of conservation in physics, energy cannot be created or destroyed, just transformed from one form to another. If the prayer is performed properly you will receive it’s full benefit, if you fall short in anyway the results will fall short as well.
The prayer isn’t simply the actions of bowing and prostrating, the prophet and companions used to go to great lengths to make certain their and self were completely in prayer and focused on it.
The Prophet, on him be peace said: “Two members of my Community may perform the Prayer in such a way that their bowing and their prostration are as one, yet their Prayers may be as far apart as heaven and earth.”(Bukhari) (In respect of their humility, that is.)
The Prophet, on him be peace, said: “Abu Hurayra, command your family to perform Prayer, for Allah will provide you with blessings too numerous to reckon.” Meaning the benefit of prayer, in a similar way to how sport has benefits, are to many to count.
Congregational Prayer has an even stronger benefit than individual prayer, the Prophet, on him be peace, said: ‘The merit of congregational Prayer surpasses that of individual Prayer by twenty-seven degrees.” The number twenty seven is a multiplication of it’s benefit and result.
A scholar once said: “One who performs Prayer is like a merchant, who does not start making a profit until he has recovered all his capital. In similar fashion, one who performs Prayer gets no credit for supererogatory devotions until he has discharged his basic obligations ( the obligatory prayers).”
Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, used to say: “When it is time for Prayer, get up and extinguish the Hellfire you have kindled for yourselves”, throughout the day through your actions, Abu Bark (ra) is referring to what is occurring in the ghayb (unseen) of the universe because of mans actions in life, “for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction” whether in physics, chemistry or biology, today we call the unseen part of space, the quantum universe.
The prophet (saws) didn’t just teach people the benefit and harms that exist in the unseen world, He (saws) described in detail what was occurring, “Then when he washes his face as commanded by Allah, the sins of his face are washed out with the water from the sides of his beard.”… “Then when he washes his hands up to elbows, the sins of his hands are washed out through his fingers with water”… “Then he passes his wet hands over his head and the sins of the head are washed out through the ends of his hair with water.”… “Then he washes his feet up to the ankles, the sins of his feet are washed out through his toes with water”.
This is a description of what is occurring at the quantum level, hence this narration shows that what is occurring at the subatomic level in our universe establishes the system and laws we know as Shariah.
Looking at this more broadly, the laws that Allah placed there govern the world of Jinn and Angels, in this understanding that the unseen world is the subatomic part of the universe we can see how things like Baraka (a general term meaning blessing), Sakina (tranquility) and Sihr (dark magic) work, all of which interact with us according to specific laws today we call these laws quantum mechanics, the physics of the quantum universe.
The hadith also tells us that both ghayb (the unseen) and our universe are the same universe, and the veil (brazakh) placed on mans perception is the only thing stopping us from seeing the unseen part of this universe, it doesn’t stop one part of the universe affecting the other.
Those who converted to Islam in the first days where better and closer to Allah than those who converted later, almost but not always in the order of their conversion, because their perfection and character drew them to the light of Allah before others who needed more proof before they understood who the prophet (saws) was, the hadith regarding prayer and ablution came to us from one of the first people in Islam who went to the prophet (saws), His moral character is significant because it was through Him that Allah chose to teach the rest of the Umma this knowledge.
Abu Najih ‘Amr bin ‘Abasah (May Allah be pleased with him) began the hadith mentioned earlier by telling us his story, He was the third person who wanted to convert to Islam (after the prophets immediate family) and possibly the first who was not of the prophets (saws) tribe as he came from a distant land, He (r.a) said:“”In the Pre-Islamic Period of Ignorance, I used to think that people who used to worship idols, were deviated and did not adhere to the true religion. Then I heard of a man in Makkah who was preaching a message. So I mounted my camel and went to him. I found that (this man who was) the Messenger of Allah (saws) remained hidden because of the persecution by his people. I had entered Makkah stealthily and when I met him I asked him, “Who are you?” He (saws) said, “I am a Prophet.” I asked; “What is a Prophet?” He said, “Allah has sent me (with a message)”. I asked, “With what has He sent you?” He said, “He sent me to strengthen the ties of kinship, to destroy idols so that Allah alone should be worshipped and nothing should be associated with Him”. I asked, “Who has followed you in this?” He said, “A freeman and a slave”. (At that time only Abu Bakr and Bilal (May Allah be pleased with them) were with him). I said, “I shall follow you”. He said, “You can not do that now. Do you not see my situation and that of the people? Go to your people, and when you hear that my cause has prevailed, come to me”. So I went back to my people, and while I was with my people, the Messenger of Allah (saws) emigrated to Al-Madinah. I continued to ask people about him till some of my people visited Al- Madinah. On their return, I asked them, “How is that man who has arrived in Al-Madinah faring?” They said, “People are hastening to him. His own people had planned to kill him but did not succeed.” Then I went to Al-Madinah and came to him” (Sahih Muslim), this is when the prophet (saws) taught him about ablution and prayer.