Family with two fathers

In the Name of Allah.

All praise is due to Allah, who is the owner of the day of judgement.

"O believers enter into Islam completely ..." (Quran 2:208)
I have been asked many times what I beleived to be the cause of the disunity in muslim Ummah today. We can articulate many reasons, but one reason is the root of this current situation. For example, muslims complain about western media comparing muslim countries to western countries in treatment of women. Their argument is that the media should compare Quran with Bible instead. I disagree, because the abuse of women is happening in real life and not in a book, so the accusation of western media is correct and we should accept the truth and deal with it, instead of denying it. We should put up (establish such community) or shut up (stop complaining).

Islam was established in Medina the first time as a system, where there was a single leader who was the secular authority as well as religous authority, and the qualification to become a leader included complete grasp on Islamic Sharia. Somewhere along the lines, muslim Ummah has degraded to a level where the political leaders have been chosen without any consideration of their Taqwa or Islamic knowledge. Also, the "religous" leaders like Mawlvis or Imams have accpeted this situation, and are enjoying their authority by avoiding secular issues. Some even claim that no one follows Islam in their life anymore, so it is impossible to show an example of a community to compare with US treatment of women.

If it is true, then the movement started with Muhammad bin Abdullah (PBUH) has died, and Islam is no more. Messenger of Allah (PBUH) never made that differentiation in his life nor did his companion. I do not recall any instance where any of them said that Islamic laws don't apply to a certain aspect of our life and we need a secular law to govern it. On the contrary, this was the mian argument that non-beleivers could not accept. They were willing to worship Allah every other year, as long as they can keep the laws of ignorance intact. Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) refused to accept Islam as a ritual and insisted on applying it globally in every part of our lives. For this, he was rejected by the political leaders in Makkah, who did not want their authority to slip away.

I am not sure when this thinking seeped into Muslim Ummah, but muslims now see a separation of religion and state, and like to have a religious leader, and a secular leader. In essence, muslims want two fathers for themselves. One father will take them to masjid and teach them about Islam, and the other father will take them to school and play sports with them. Even in our local masjid, Imams avoid every political issue, and defer to Shura and Trustees who are uneducated in Quran and Sunnah. How can a person with no knowledge in Quran and Sunnah lead us politically? I say that no family can afford two fathers, and it is absurd to have two head of the family, and each pulling in the different direction.

In the battle of Yarmuk, Khalid bin Walid was the Ameer, and was fighting with Roman Army. Romans sent their bishop (religious leader) to give a proposals to muslims. Bishop came to the frontline, and asked to see his religous counterpart in muslim Army. Khalid came forward to meet bishop. Bishop asked to speak to religous leader instead like a Mawli or Maulana or Imam. Khalid told him that there is only one Ameer of muslims here, and it is him. Bishop had hard time understanding this new concept of one Ameer leading muslims militarily and spritually.

If Pope makes the same request today, I can assure you that political leaders will step aside and someone with white beard and white turban will go out to mee him. What a shame? Muslim Ummah is in disunity due to the separation of religious and secular laws. Quran is not a book to be read like a novel, and memorized like a poetry. It is to be followed. If we follow it, then there is no place for a separate law in Islam. Hence, any law that governs human life is comparable to Islam, and vice versa.

We should blame ourselves for the treatment of women under muslim authority, and not the western media, who is doing their job in identifying the faults in Muslims. If there is not a single community that is following Quran as it is to be followed, which we can put forth to Sean Hannity, then Quran is nothing but a pipe dream, but I know that is not be true.

If someone to be blamed for this, it is the scholars who are holding monoply on Islamic Sharia, and who does not allow open debate because of their Taqleed of four Imams even if their rulings are against the will of Allah and will of Muhammad bin Abdullah (PBUH).

Let us compare our practice of Islam to the implementation of US constitution, and see if Quran has any say whatsoover in our lives. If the women have more rights in USA then the most sacred city, Makkah, I don't see how Sean Hannity has to be blamed, rather we should hide our faces due to shame until death reaches us.

Oh Allah! provide us leaders who implements Quran and Sunnah as law, and protect us from the fitnah of two fathers who split laws in secular and religous parts.

JazakAllah Khairin

A person with one father
Abu Arman

Wudu: Do we need to wash the feet?

In the Name of Allah,

All praise is due to Allah, the one whose hands is my life.

If I make a mistake, it is from my ego, and if I say something good it is from Allah.

After my last blog, I receive the following question. I will try to answer it with my limited knowledge. I know there are many readers who are more learned than I, so please correct me with evidence.

"Can you also read the aya of quran about the method of wudu and guide me if the word "wamsahu" is used for both feet and head, then why do we wash our feet. (please dont mention the bracket interpretation of the translator who have added the washing later. Please read the actual arabic language. I think whenever and for whatever reason hadeeth and quran conflict we have to go by quran. As authencity of quran is guaranteed by Allah but hadeets could be changed later by humans."

First, Quran has reached us through ahadith, so Quran is nothing but a hadith itself, because no one but Prophet (PBUH) received, and he conveyed. So, authentic ahadith that we have no doubt over it, are at the same level as Quran, except when there is a direct contradiction, which is very rare. If Allah wanted to provide just a 300 pages book to us, it was very easy to do without the trouble Prophet (PBUH) had to go through. In short, we cannot understand Quran without the explanation in the ahadith. It is true that some ahadith are weak or fabricated, which we should try to avoid, but an authentic hadith has the same binding on us as the Quran does.

 يَـٰٓأَيُّہَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوٓاْ إِذَا قُمۡتُمۡ إِلَى ٱلصَّلَوٰةِ فَٱغۡسِلُواْ وُجُوهَكُمۡ وَأَيۡدِيَكُمۡ إِلَى ٱلۡمَرَافِقِ وَٱمۡسَحُواْ بِرُءُوسِكُمۡ وَأَرۡجُلَڪُمۡ إِلَى ٱلۡكَعۡبَيۡنِ‌ۚ وَإِن كُنتُمۡ جُنُبً۬ا فَٱطَّهَّرُواْ‌ۚ وَإِن كُنتُم مَّرۡضَىٰٓ أَوۡ عَلَىٰ سَفَرٍ أَوۡ جَآءَ أَحَدٌ۬ مِّنكُم مِّنَ ٱلۡغَآٮِٕطِ أَوۡ لَـٰمَسۡتُمُ ٱلنِّسَآءَ فَلَمۡ تَجِدُواْ مَآءً۬ فَتَيَمَّمُواْ صَعِيدً۬ا طَيِّبً۬ا فَٱمۡسَحُواْ بِوُجُوهِڪُمۡ وَأَيۡدِيكُم مِّنۡهُ‌ۚ مَا يُرِيدُ ٱللَّهُ لِيَجۡعَلَ عَلَيۡڪُم مِّنۡ حَرَجٍ۬ وَلَـٰكِن يُرِيدُ لِيُطَهِّرَكُمۡ وَلِيُتِمَّ نِعۡمَتَهُ ۥ عَلَيۡكُمۡ لَعَلَّڪُمۡ تَشۡكُرُونَ

 O ye who believe! When ye rise up for prayer, wash your faces, and your hands up to the elbows, and lightly rub your heads and (wash) your feet up to the ankles. And if ye are unclean, purify yourselves. And if ye are sick or on a journey, or one of you cometh from the closet, or ye have had contact with women, and ye find not water, then go to clean, high ground and rub your faces and your hands with some of it. Allah would not place a burden on you, but He would purify you and would perfect His grace upon you, that ye may give thanks.

I think the following explanation from Muhammad ibn Sâlih al-'Uthaymîn is the best

There are two correct ways of reciting the saying of Allaah (wa Arjulikum) ‘and your feet’ having reached us from the Messenger of Allaah (SAW):

1. Reciting it as ‘wa Arjulakum’ with a fatha on the laam, hence linking it in meaning to ‘wa wujoohakum’ (and your faces), i.e. wash the feet.
2. Reciting it as ‘wa Arjulikum’ with a kasra on the laam, hence linking it in meaning to ‘bi ru’oosikum’ (your heads), i.e. wipe the feet.

And that which explains when one should wipe the feet and when one should wash them is the sunnah, for the Messenger (SAW) used to wash his feet when they were uncovered, and wipe over them when they were covered by khuffs.

Quran was not revealed or written down with  "fatha" or "kasra", and Uthman ibn Affan added these harakat to help non-Arabs to read properly. Similar to modern dictionary have pronunciation helpers. So, the fatha was selected for this word, and it attaches the feet to washing. If kasra would have been selected, it would have reflected the other meaning. We should accept the translation of "wash" and not wipe.

However, it does not make a big difference whether it was wiping or washing, because both are acceptable.  What people consider washing nowadays is bathing the feet with running water. If the word "Faghsilu" means pouring running water over that body part, then please try doing that to your face at any wudu place. "Faghsilu" here menas clean thoroughly. In the following hadith companions were wiping/washing their feet.

Narrated 'Abdullah bin 'Amr:

Once the Prophet remained behind us in a journey. He joined us while we were performing ablution for the prayer which was over-due. We were just passing wet hands over our feet (and not washing them properly) so the Prophet addressed us in a loud voice and said twice or thrice: "Save your heels from the fire."  (Bukhari Vol 1, 3:57) 

Prophet (PBUH) did not say "wash your feet" or "save your foot from the fire". He said "save your HEELS from the fire", which means that companions were not wiping over heels and just wiping in the front of the foot in a hurry. What would make the wudu invalid is leaving any part dry on the foot up to the ankle.

Quran does not go into details of implementation of the rules, rather Prophet (PBUH) was charged with that task, and he clarified by his tongue and his action. Taking water in the hand and wiping the feet with water is enough, as long as there is no dry portion of the feet up to and including the ankle. Bathing the feet under running water is the best way to clean them, but not fardh.

Arabs didn't have enough water to bath the feet in running water like us, so we can't take washing the feet in that meaning. If there is someone who believes that Prophet (PBUH) used running water on his feet regularly for wudu, please contact me with evidences.

Moreover, face is washed by taking water in our palms and rubbing the surface, and not by spraying water on our face. It is hard to believe that the Prophet (PBUH)  "washed" the feet with running water, because it would have been waste of water to try to bath the feet.

So, if one has running water, it is better to bath the feet in it, but it is not fardh to bath the feet. It is however fardh to make sure the feet is free of dirt and filth and everything is wet below ankle, and that could be easily done with taking water in the palm and rubbing vigorously over the feet all over.

I have stopped using sink for a while now, because it does not suite a civilized person to put their feet in the sink, unless it is below waist height. My feet are clean when I am done "washing" them (taking water in my hand and rubbing all over).

One brother got hurt recently washing his feet in the sink, and another had issue with his private parts for stretching the leg for years to wash in the sink.

If you think, it is necessary to bath the feet with running water, please go ahead and do it, and Allah will judge you for your intentions, but there is no Sunnah where Prophet (PBUH) bath his feet in running water.

Please do not make things difficult for yourself. Purity is the intention of the wudu and not water wash, because wudu is even allowed with dirt, if water is not available. So, if running water is not available at a lower height, do your best to clean your feet.

It is acceptable to wipe the feet with water, but it is forbidden to leave any portion of the feet dry. So, if one can remove the filth (not dirt) from the feet with several wipes, then washing is not necessary. However, if washing is not possible, why not wash (bath) the feet?

Narrated Humran

(The slave of 'Uthman) I saw 'Uthman bin 'Affan asking for a tumbler of water (and when it was brought) he poured water over his hands and washed them thrice and then put his right hand in the water container and rinsed his mouth, washed his nose by putting water in it and then blowing it out. Then he washed his face and forearms up to the elbows thrice, passed his wet hands over his head and washed his feet up to the ankles thrice. Then he said, "Allah's Apostle said 'If anyone Performs ablution like that of mine and offers a two-rak'at prayer during which he does not think of anything else (not related to the present prayer) then his past sins will be forgiven.' " (Bukhari 1:161)

And Allah knows best.

JazakAllah Khairin

A person who clean the feet with any means necessary.

Abu Arman

Wudu: Wiping over cotton socks.

In the Name of Allah,

All praise is due to Allah, the one whose hands is my life.

If I make a mistake, it is from my ego, and if I say something good it is from Allah.

A few days ago, a good friend of mine was making wudu with me, and pointed out that I was wiping over the cotton socks, which were not leather. I told him that it is permissible. He quoted me his Imam that only leather socks are allowed for this purpose. I would like to present the supporting evidence for what I said.

'God desires to lighten things for you, for the human being has been created weak' (Quran 94:28).

First, Prophet (PBUH) has asked us to make Islam easy for others, and we should always keep this command in mind, when analyzing any ruling.


Narrated Ja'far bin 'Amr:  My father said, "I saw the Prophet passing wet hands over his turban      and Khuffs (leather socks)." (Bukhari Volume 1, Book 4, Number 204)

Ibn Mughira narrated it from his father: The Apostle of Allah (may peace be upon him) wiped over his socks and over his forehead and over his turban.  (Muslim Book 002, Number 0532)


There are many ahadith like above, which clearly permits wiping over the socks during wudu, but some scholars will put a condition that the socks have to be leather and any other material would not be acceptable.

One reason given is that Prophet (PBUH) wore only leather socks. Of course, there were no cotton socks, because it was a desert, and they needed better protection. Another reason is given that leather doesn't allow dirt to pass, but cotton sock does. Why would dirt touching our feet would be an issue, since wudu is not affected by dirt?

There is no evidence for disallowing cotton socks for this permissibility. On the contrary, the evidence is for general permissibility, because there is no mention of a reason from the Prophet (PBUH).

In fact, he wiped over his turban in the hadith above, which was not made of leather, and that gives clear evidence that we are allowed to wipe over the cloth as well as leather in this case.

Narrated 'Urwa bin Al-Mughira: My father said, "Once I was in the company of the Prophet on a journey     and I dashed to take off his Khuffs. He ordered me to leave them as he had put them after performing ablution. So he passed wet hands or them. (Bukhari Volume 1, Book 4, Number 205)

From, the above hadith, there is one condition that need to be met is that we were in the state of wudu when the socks were put on. Also, if we enter an state of major impurity, then we have to wash our feet.

Here is an ideal case. A Muslim man gets up and makes wudu, then put on cloths socks, and shoes, then visits the Masjid for Fajr, then put on the shoes and goes to work. He goes to the washroom at work to make wudu for Duhar salah, and remove feet from the shoe and wipe over it. It will be acceptable, because he had wudu before putting on the covering. On top of that, he was wearing shoe all the time, so the oppotunity for feet to get filth is almost none.

Now, I would like to bring attention to a tradition that I think is dangerous. Many muslims buy leather socks from the Islamic store and wear them to masjid with the sole intention to avoid washing their feet. Leather socks are not used in normal circumstances anymore, and this act of buying leather socks to create an artificial scenario where one can wipe instead of wash, is very strange. I would just leave at that.

So, Islam has been placed upside down in this ruling by the scholar, where practicing muslim men, who are working, are being discouraged from praying salah at work, but artificially dressed men are being encouraged to buy more leather socks, which no one uses in real life, to avoid washing their feet.

I urge every muslim with a little fear of Allah and a little common sense to re-evaluate this, and follow the correct path. If you are bound by the chains of slavery of Taqleed, there is no hope. Otherwise, please make wudu before putting on cotton socks, and wipe over them at work, so we don't repel non-muslims, if they see us washing our dirty feet in the sink.

And Allah knows best.

JazakAllah Khairin

A person with no fake socks. Alhamdulilah!
Abu Arman