Answered by Ustadh Salman Younas
Question: Assalam aleykum
Cape Town, South Africa is still experiencing a major drought and we try to introduce measures to reduce water wastage. Considering that one can sometimes waste water taking wudoo by a tap I wanted to know if it permissible to take Wudoo using the same bottle one cleans oneself for Istinja?
Answer: assalamu alaykum
As long as the bottle is pure, which is the basic assumption unless there is clear proof to the contrary, then it would be valid to use it for wudu’.
On an additional note, your concern to preserve water is very noble. God willing, you will be rewarded for this action, especially in a context where there is an actual shortage of this essential resource. The Prophet (blessings upon him) advised his companions not to waste water when performing ablution stating that wastefulness applies to ablution ” even if you were on the banks of a flowing river.” (Ibn Maja) Similarly, someone who reflects on the Qur’anic verses relating to water will realize what an enormous blessing it is.
[Ustadh] Salman Younas
Checked and approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
Ustadh Salman Younas graduated from Stony Brook University with a degree in Political Science and Religious Studies. After studying the Islamic sciences online and with local scholars in New York, Ustadh Salman moved to Amman where he spent five years studying Islamic law, legal methodology, belief, hadith methodology, logic, Arabic, and tafsir. He is currently a PhD candidate at the University of Oxford and continues his traditional studies with scholars in the United Kingdom.