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Chronic annulment of wudu: making up prayers and touching the Qur’an

Answered as per Shafi'i Fiqh by Qibla.com

Answered by Shaykh Hamza Karamali, SunniPath Academy Teacher

1. Is it necessary for someone who is in a chronic state of wudu annulment to repeat the ablution for every obligatory makeup (missed) prayer. Is there any dispensation for this?

Answer:
In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful and Compassionate

1. Repeating Wudu for Every Obligatory Prayer

The position of the madh-hab is that it is obligatory for someone in a chronic state of wudu annulment to make a wudu for every obligatory prayer (Tuhfat al-Muhtaj, 1.397). This implies that a fresh wudu must be performed for each obligatory makeup that one performs. I don’t know if there is a weaker position in the school that permits one to do otherwise. This question will in-sha’Allah be sent to Shaykh Amjad to answer.

2. Three Levels of Intention

Someone in a chronic state of wudu annulment who performs wudu with the intention to make it permissible for him to pray an obligatory prayer may only perform a single obligatory prayer with that wudu. However, he may continue to perform as many supererogatory prayers as he likes, and he may continue to touch the Qur’an until he invalidates his wudu through a means other than the chronic means. The entrance of another prayer time does not removes this permissibility; it is only the invalidation of the wudu through another means that removes the permissibility.

Someone in a state of chronic wudu annulment is like someone performing tayammum in that his intention when performing the act of purification falls into one of three levels.

Level 1: When performing wudu, he intends to make it permissible for himself to perform an obligatory prayer, an obligatory tawaf (circumambulation of the Kaba), or to deliver the Friday sermon.

Level 2: When performing wudu, he intends to make it permissible for himself to perform a supererogatory prayer, supererogatory tawaf, or the funeral prayer.

Level 3: When performing wudu, he intends anything besides the above, such as touching the Qur’an, or performing a prostration of Qur’an recital.

If he intends something in Level 1, he may perform only one of the acts of that level, as well as any number of acts in the second and third levels (this is what you inquired about in your question).

If he intends something in Level 2, he may perform any number of the acts of that level, as well as any number of acts in the third level, although he may not perform any of the acts of the first level.

If he intends something in Level 3, he may perform any number of the acts of that level, although he may not perform any of the acts of Level 1 or Level 2.

(Tuhfat al-Muhtaj, 1.396; Fath al-‘Allam, 1.301)

And Allah knows best.

Hamza.

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