At the beginning of Islam, the number of literates in the whole Mecca was about 17 people (1). In those times, it was even considered as a shame to be able to read or write (2). In the ancient times, people mostly weren’t able to read and literacy was the exclusive privilege of the royal families or rich people. However, in the Arabia, even the royal families couldn’t read or write. Once, Prophet Muhammad (PBUH & HP) wrote a letter to “Bakr ibn Va’il”, a large Arab tribe, and enjoined them to believe in Islam; but when they received the letter, they weren’t even able to read it (3).
In spite of these shameful circumstances, Allah al-mighty sent His most important apostle to the people with only a book as his miracle. The first verses of the Quran, revealed to the Prophet (PUBH & HP), are about reading:
Read in the Name of your Lord who created; (1) created man from a clinging mass. (2) Read, and your Lord is the most generous, (3) who taught by the pen, (4) taught man what he did not know. (5) [96:1-5]
Muslims differentiate between the era before the Messenger (PBUH & HP) and the era after him based on peoples’ knowledge. We call the time before the rise of Islam “The Ignorance era”.
The holy Prophet (PBUH & HP) taught people that knowledge is the criterion that sets them apart . The Holy Quran says:
Say, ‘Are those who know equal to those who do not know?’ Only those who possess intellect take admonition (39:9)
About learning, the Holy Messenger (PBUH) says:
Seek knowledge even if you have to go to China to find it. (4)
Imam Ali (AS) also highlights the Importance of knowledge in his speech with one of his companions:
O Komeil! Knowledge is better than wealth, because knowledge protects you. But for wealth, you have to protect it. Wealth and money get less when you spend them, but by using your knowledge or by teaching it to others you even get more knowledgeable … O Komeil! The ones who love wealth excessively, are like dead people (spiritually) even if they are alive (Physically). However, the spirit of knowledgeable ones will always be alive in the hearts of people even if their bodies are dead. (5)
The Holy Messenger (PBUH & HP) even considered learning as “Vajib” which means that learning is an obligation for every Muslim:
Seeking knowledge is an obligation for every Muslim, men and women (6)
One of the clearest signs that shows the Prophet (PBUH & HP) wanted everybody to be literate and knowledgeable is that he ordered the slaves after the Badr war to teach the children of Medina to read and write and in return, the slaves would be free. (7)
The Holy Quran says:
By the pen and what they write (68:1)
We all know that without writing, we weren’t able to communicate our thoughts and ideas with each other and we couldn’t keep them for future generations. In this regard, the Holy Prophet (PBUH & HP) says:
Keep your knowledge safe.
Some people asked:
How can we do that?
The Prophet (PBUH & HP) replied:
By writing it! (8)
Moreover, Imam Sadiq (AS) said to one of his pupils, Mufazzal ibn Umar:
Write and spread your knowledge among the people and if you were going to die, leave your writings for your children because there will be a chaos in the future and in those times, people will not find any peace except in their books (9)
He also said:
Keep your writings because you will need them in the future (10)
Imam Hassan (AS) would gather his children,his niece and nephews and tell them:
You may be considered as kids now, but it is so likely that you will be the elders of many groups and families in the future. Therefore, it is your duty to seek for knowledge. And if there are some people among you who cannot memorize their knowledge, they must write and put their writings in their houses and keep them safe. (11)
Action and knowledge are inseparable in the Islamic view. If you act without having enough knowledge and data about the work you’re going to do, you will spoil it and your efforts will be in vain. Imam Sadiq (AS) says:
The one who acts without having enough knowledge is like a passenger who goes on the wrong road. So they get farther and farther from their destination as they go faster and faster. (12)
On the other hand, knowledge without acting is also useless. Imam Ali (AS) says:
Knowledge without action is like a tree without fruit or like a bow without its string (13).
The Holy Quran also says:
The example of those who were charged with the Torah (Old Testament), then failed to carry it, is that of a donkey carrying books. Evil is the example of the people who deny Allah’s signs, and Allah does not guide the wrongdoing lot. (62:5)
Resources
- Fotooh al-Boldan, Pg.473
- Al-She’r va ash-Sho’ara, Pg.334
- As-Sahih fi sirah an-Nabi al-A’zam, Vol.1, Pg.49
- Vasa’il al-Shia, Vol.18, Pg.14, number 20 & 23
- Nahj al-Balaghah, Utterance no.147
- Kafi, vol.1, pg.3
- At-Tabaghat al-Kubra, vol.2, pg.22
- Bihar al-Anvar, vol.2, pg.151
- Kafi, vol.1, pg.52
- Kafi, vol.1, pg.52
- Kanz al-Ummal, vol.1, pg.752
- Tohaf al-Uqul, pg.362
- Mizan al-Hikmah, vol.4, pg.2841
Full body ablution (Ghusl) refers to an Islamic ritual in which an adult (Mukallaf) Muslim is recommended to wash his/her full body with specific rulings.
In this article, we will explain different types of full-body ablution (Ghusl) and their rulings.
Muslim jurists have driven the rules of full-body ablution (Ghusl) based on different verses of the Quran and different narrations and traditions. The main verse of the Quran that is referred to in deriving the rules of full-body ablution (Ghusl) is the following:
“O you who have faith! Do not approach prayer when you are intoxicated, [not] until you know what you are saying, nor [enter mosques] in the state of ritual impurity until you have washed yourselves, except while passing through. But if you are sick or on a journey, or any of you has come from the toilet, or you have touched women, and you cannot find water, then make your full-body ablution on clean ground and wipe a part of your faces and your hands. Indeed Allah is all-excusing, all-forgiving.” (4:43)
Based on the above verse, Muslim jurists have provided the following rules for full-body ablution (Ghusl):
Different types of full-body ablution (Ghusl) can be categorized as follows:
a) The full-body ablution (Ghusl) for ritual impurity (Janabah)
b) The full-body ablution (Ghusl) for touching a corpse (Mass al-Mayyit)
c) The full-body ablution (Ghusl) given to a corpse (Mayyit)
d) The full-body ablution (Ghusl) that becomes obligatory on the account of a vow (Nazr), oath (Qassam), etc.
a) The full-body ablution (Ghusl) for menstruation (Haydh)
b) The full-body ablution (Ghusl) for lochia (Nifas)
c) The full-body ablution (Ghusl) for irregular blood discharge (Istihadhah) [1]
There are some specific times that Muslims are recommended to perform full-body ablution (Ghusl), for example, the Friday Full-body ablution (Ghusl-e Jum’ah), or the full-body ablution (Ghusl) that are recommended to perform on specific Islamic occasions such as the nights of decree. (Laylatul Qadr). [2]
There are two methods to perform full-body ablution (Ghusl) that will be described in this part. The first thing to do before starting the full-body ablution (Ghusl) is to make an intention for it. However, it is not necessary to perform a separate full-body ablution (Ghusl) for different intentions.
If there are several recommended (Mustahab) or obligatory full-body ablutions (Ghusl) to be performed and one performs one full-body ablution (Ghusl) with the intention of performing all of them, it is sufficient. However, if one of them is full-body ablution (Ghusl) of ritual impurity (Janabah) and the intention is made to perform it, it suffices for all other full-body ablutions (Ghusl), although caution is to make the intention for all of them. [3]
In sequential full-body ablution (Ghusl), one must – based on obligatory precaution – first, with the intention of full-body ablution (Ghusl), wash the entire head and neck and then the entire body. It is better to first wash the right side of the body, then the left. If one intentionally or due to being negligent in learning the laws of full-body ablution (Ghusl)does not wash the entire head and neck before washing the body, then based on obligatory precaution his full-body ablution (Ghusl)is invalid. Furthermore, based on obligatory precaution, when performing full-body ablution (Ghusl), it is not sufficient to make the intention of full-body ablution (Ghusl) when moving the head, neck, or body while they are already under the flow of water; rather, the part that one wants to perform full-body ablution (Ghusl)on – on the condition that it is already under the flow of water – must be taken out from under the flow of water and then washed with the intention of full-body ablution (Ghusl). [4]
In this type of full-body ablution (Ghusl) water must cover the entire body in one go. However, it is not necessary for the entire body to be out of the water before starting the full-body ablution (Ghusl): rather it will suffice if part of the body is out of the water and the person goes under the water completely with the intention of performing full-body ablution (Ghusl). An example of instantaneous immersive full-body ablution (Ghusl)is when a person, with the int¬ention of performing full-body ablution (Ghusl), dives/jumps into a swimming pool and in doing so completely immerses himself in the water; or, the person may already be partially immersed in the water and he then completely immerses himself with the intention of full-body ablution (Ghusl). [5]
In gradual immersive full-body ablution (Ghusl), one must gradually – but in a way that can be commonly considered to be one unified action – immerse his body in water with the intention of full-body ablution (Ghusl). In this type of full-body ablution (Ghusl), it is necessary for each part of the body to be out of the water before it is washed. An example of gradual immersive full-body ablution (Ghusl) is when a person, with the intention of performing full-body ablution (Ghusl), immerses part of his body in a bathtub of water and then takes that part out of the water; then, he immerses another part of his body and takes it out, and so on until all the parts of his body have been immersed. [6]
The water that is permissible for full-body ablution (Ghusl) can be Rainwater, Well water, water from spring, sea, or river water, water of melting snow or hail, the water of a big tank or pond. Ghusl is not allowed with unclean or impure water or water extracted from fruit and trees. [7]
References:
- Ghusl
- ablution
- ghusl
- Full body ablution
- obligatory baths
- bathing
- Imam Khomeini, Risalah Tozih al-Masa’el, p. 39-40
Unlike many socialistic or capitalistic economies, the Islamic economy is the one in which all kinds of people have their own right to financially benefit from their society. Therefore, a typical feature of this kind of economy is essentially social justice in which poor people are not neglected or excluded from the beneficiary circle of society. Accordingly, Islam, the religion that even cares about animals and plants let alone human beings [i], has established some rules with regard to people who are suffering from deprivation; one of the most important of which is called “Zakat” (Alms Tax).
Alms-tax (Zakat) is an obligatory rule, which is considered one of the foundations of Islam [ii]. In a literal sense, Zakat means growth and purification while technically it is defined as “paying an exact amount of money that has become obligatory through the rules of Sharia in order to be used in favor of the people in need or for certain beneficial deeds in society” [4] in order to purify and cleanse one’s money or his incomes. Its significance becomes evident through many verses in the Holy Quran, which sometimes consider it along with prayer (Salat) as a sign of true believers [5].
Despite the fact that the concept of Zakat had never existed in the full form that Islam offers, it is not the first religion that introduces Zakat as a kind of task that should be done for the benefit of the individual as well as the society. According to the text of the Holy Quran, Jesus Christ and Moses, as well as Ishmael, are among the prophets who recommended their followers to carry out this advantageous task [8].
In the Bible, Christians are advised to help the poor financially: “Give to him who asks of you, and do not turn away from him who wants to borrow from you” (Matthew 5:42) and “But rather give alms of such things as ye have; and, behold, all things are clean unto you” (Luk 11:41). Moreover, the act of “Tzedakah” in Judaism, is a religious obligation that includes almsgiving as one of its manifestations [9]. However, in Islam Zakat is a compulsory rule while in others it is just a recommendation [3].
The performance of this vital task is accompanied by many definite and specific criteria:
A person will be obliged to pay Zakat if he is grown-up, of sound mind, and in possession of something.
A person is considered a good recipient of Zakat if he is living in poverty, in debt, and cannot pay for it. Also, it can be used for public jobs such as building schools, hospitals, etc.
The amount of money that should be paid depends on the kind of the material through which Zakat has become obligatory; these are two kinds of metal- gold, and silver-, four grains- barley, wheat, date, and raisin- as well as three kinds of animal - cow, sheep, and camel. Each of the aforementioned products has its particular amount and time of payment which have been specified in detail in the sharia of Islam [6]. Nevertheless, under certain circumstances and based on the needs of people at every time, other things – whether an object or a concept (e.g., Knowledge) – may be included to which Zakat is ascribed.
There are certain manners that should be carefully observed when giving someone Zakat; for instance, it should be given with complete contentedness, respecting the person who is receiving it, and also should be from the best materials at hand [3].
Aside from its financial benefits - purifying one’s money, preventing the economy to be manipulated by a certain group of society, and enabling neglected people who are taken care of to act as advantageous agents of society and have a job-, it will also purify and elevate one’s soul.
This happens through collaborating and helping other members of the society which spread the spirit of kindness and affection, causes people to feel more attached to one another, form an unbreakable bond together, and finally direct one’s attention to others’ needs rather than his own. Also, it would relieve him from greediness and eventually make him a better person.
It is noteworthy that Zakat has been ascribed to those products that are provided for human beings through nature; most of the work has been done by nature for free and with the least effort of human beings. Of course, his mental and practical effort is involved, but the main part is accomplished by nature. So in order to make up for this generosity, we would give away a very small amount of money to the ones in need.
Notes:
[i]. It is known through a hadith said by Prophet Muhammad (PBUH&HP) that watering a thirsty tree is like quenching thirsty Muslims with water [1].
[ii]. There are many hadiths that consider the skeleton of Islam to be founded on five practices: prayer (Salat), holy pilgrimage (Hajj), fasting (Sawm), alms-tax (Zakat), and guardianship (Velayat) [2].
References:
- Sheikh Al-Hur Al-Aamili. Wasail Al-Shia. Vol. 7.
- Muhammad ibn Yaqub Al-Kulayni. Al-Kafi (The Sufficient Book). Vol. II. Tehran: Masjed Publication.
- Mohsen Qaraati. Khums and Zakat. Ahl al-beit's Maaref research and publication institute.
- zakat
- Holy Quran 2:177,277- 4:162- 9:71
- zakat
- Morteza Avini website
- Holy Quran 19:31, 55 – 2:43
- Alms