His other question says: I heard that one of the conditions for the validity of wudu' is maintaining the intention, and my obsessions increased when I heard this. So when I reach the wiping of the head...
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner : His other question says: I heard that one of the conditions for the validity of wudu' is maintaining the intention, and my obsessions increased when I heard this. So when I reach the wiping of the head, I repeat the wudu' from the beginning, or I repeat it up to the left hand. This situation may repeat more than four times. What do you advise us?
The Shaykh : We advise you by informing you that maintaining the intention means not intending to break the wudu'. This is the meaning of maintaining the intention.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : It means not intending to break it. The meaning of maintaining the intention is not that you must be constantly remembering it from the beginning of the wudu' to the end. If it slips from your mind and you forget it or become inattentive to it, that does not harm you, because maintaining it means not intending to break it. So if you reach the washing of your head or the washing of your left arm and you doubt whether you continued with this intention or not, the original state is that it remains and continues, so do not repeat the wudu'. And I warn you against indulging in this matter, because if you indulge in it, it will not be limited to wudu' only, but it will extend to prayer and other acts of worship. And then you will always remain in confusion and anxiety. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) cut this matter off when he was asked about the man who imagines that he finds something in his prayer? He said (peace and blessings be upon him):Sahih Muslim 361 So you, my brother, cut off the obsessions from yourself and know that if you were required to act without intention, you would not be able to. Every sane person is aware of what he does or says; he will not say anything except with intention, and he will not do anything except with intention. Yes.
The questioner : This questioner, Sana' Adnan Muhammad from Iraq, Baghdad, sent two questions.
The Shaykh : We advise you by informing you that maintaining the intention means not intending to break the wudu'. This is the meaning of maintaining the intention.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : It means not intending to break it. The meaning of maintaining the intention is not that you must be constantly remembering it from the beginning of the wudu' to the end. If it slips from your mind and you forget it or become inattentive to it, that does not harm you, because maintaining it means not intending to break it. So if you reach the washing of your head or the washing of your left arm and you doubt whether you continued with this intention or not, the original state is that it remains and continues, so do not repeat the wudu'. And I warn you against indulging in this matter, because if you indulge in it, it will not be limited to wudu' only, but it will extend to prayer and other acts of worship. And then you will always remain in confusion and anxiety. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) cut this matter off when he was asked about the man who imagines that he finds something in his prayer? He said (peace and blessings be upon him):
He should not return (from prayer) unless he hears a sound or perceives a smell (of passing wind).
لا ينصرف حتى يسمع صوتاً أو يجد ريحاًThe questioner : This questioner, Sana' Adnan Muhammad from Iraq, Baghdad, sent two questions.