One of the secrets to khushu' in Salah...

Bismillah

The key to Paradise is Prayer

and the key to Prayer is Purification.

(Tirmidhi)

Wudu is an obligation imposed upon the believers in Surat al Maidah Verse 6: Allah Most High says:

O you who have believed, when you rise to [perform] prayer, wash your faces and your forearms to the elbows and wipe over your heads and wash your feet to the ankles. And if you are in a state of janabah, then purify yourselves. But if you are ill or on a journey or one of you comes from the place of relieving himself or you have contacted women and do not find water, then seek clean earth and wipe over your faces and hands with it. Allah does not intend to make difficulty for you, but He intends to purify you and complete His favor upon you that you may be grateful.

Wudu comes from the root word: Daw' ضَوْء

Linguistically wudu means: illumination, light and brilliance.

Technically wudu means: (Muslims) Washing certain limbs as a pre-condition to certain acts of worship.

It is fard for: Salah, Tawaf and holding the Mushaf.

There are many virtues of wudu (briefly):

1. It washes the sins off even if they be under the nails (small/unknown/overlooked sins)
2. Qualifies one to stand before Allah without being weighed down by sins
3. Increases the illumination of Quran, Haddith, gatherings of knowledge
4. Physically illumiates the Muslim
5. Cause of illumination for that Muslim on the Day of Resurrection, a Day that is darkness upon darkness upon darkness
6. Repels shaytan
7. Mark of a true believer (who is upon wudu all the time)
8. Protection from harm (evil eyes, injustice, fear and the like)

The Question now is... How is wudu linked to khushu'?

Many people complain of not being able to ascertain khushu' in Salah, so it is interesting to know what scholars have to say about the various actions of wudu and how they relate to the Akhira and how when thinking about these during wudu one can prepare themselves for Salah in a state of khushu'..

I just want to draw a note here, that this is not sunnah or fard to make these internal thoughts.. But you will see how the connection scholars make between wudu and the Akhira can, in turn, aid us in being able to enter Salah in the right state of mind conjusive to khushu'..

Amidst a day that is constantly filled with dunya and thoughts and worries of dunya this is most definitely a practical way of tearing oneself away from this dunya, cleansing our thoughts of it prior to Salah and concentrating on the Inevitable that is to come and indeed what Salah prepares us for..

I'll go through it all step by step..

To begin:

While washing our hands:

Recite:

أَعُوذُ بِاللَّهِ مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ الرَّجِيمِ

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ

نَوْتُ اَلْوضُوء

A’uthubillahi minash shaytanir Rajim

Bismillahir Rahmanir Rahim

Nawatulwudu

“I seek reguge in Allah from the accursed satan

I begin in the name of Allah, who is Most Merciful Most Gracious.

I intend to make wudu”

We begin by reciting the isti'atha and basmallah and then by making an intention to perform wudu during our hand washing.

For the Ahnaf the intention is sunnah not fard- as they consider it a pre-requisite to Salah and pre-requisites don't need an intention formulated. They say for instance covering your awrah is a pre-requisite to salah, but we don't say out loud "I intend to cover my awrah for salah" so they say the same applies for wudud. According to the Hanafi Madhhab this can just be an internal realisation and this suffices in this madhhab, if they want they can recite it out loud, but it stands that for the ahnaaf this is a sunnah.

For the Shafi'es though they consider it fard to make an intention. So in any case begin with the isti'atha and basmallah, and whether it's, fard or sunnah depending on your madhhab, it's good to recite the intention for the Shafi'es or for the ahnaaf either recite it or have an internal realisation that you are about to make wudu.

(NB: It is sunnah to say the basmallah before washing every limb, so I have included it below with each action..)

One should then make an internal dua

"O Allah free my hands of debt (before my death)"

Washing the mouth:

بِسْمِ اللَّه

"O Allah allow me to say the shahada upon my death"

Washing the nose:

بِسْمِ اللَّه

"O Allah allow me to smell the fragrance of Jannah (tul firdaws al a'la,

always aim high, your dealing with the Most-Generous)

Washing the face:

بِسْمِ اللَّه

"O Allah illuminate my face on the Day of Rising"

Washing the right arm to the elbow:

بِسْمِ اللَّه

"O Allah allow me to receive my book of deeds in my right hand"

Washing the left arm to the elbow:

بِسْمِ اللَّه

"Not in my left hand"

Wiping over the head:

بِسْمِ اللَّه

"O Allah shade me under Your Throne

on the day there is no shade but Your shade"

Wiping the ears:

بِسْمِ اللَّه

"O Allah allow me to hear the call to Jannah (tul Firdaws al a'la)"

Wiping the neck:

بِسْمِ اللَّه

"O Allah free my neck from Hellfire"

Washing the right foot:

بِسْمِ اللَّه

"O Allah make my feet firm on the siraat

the day the feet are made firm or made to fall"

Washing the left foot:

بِسْمِ اللَّه

"O Allah make my feet firm on the siraat

the day the feet are made firm or made to fall"

To be honest with you I like to make these du'a out loud...

I tried the internal du'a thing a few years ago when I first studied this subject but I slowly forgot because thoughts occupy my mind all the time and slowly other thoughts crept in while I was making wudu which made me forget these dua's, now I just make it out loud so it's facilitates me remembering in the long run and making the thoughts more real.

Dua's then upon ending wudu

Look towards the sky and recite:

أَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَحْدَهُ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ وَأَشْهَدُ أَنَّ

مُحَمَّدَاً عَبْدَهُ وَرَسُولَهُ

Ash-hadu al la ilaha illa Allah

wahdahu la sharika lah

wa ashhadu anna Muhammadan 'abduhu wa rasuluh.

"I testify that there is no one worthy of worship besides Allah.

He is all by Himself and has no partner

and I testify that Muhammad is Allah's Rasul (Messenger)".

Eight doors of Jannah will be open for the reciter of this dua.

He will be able to enter from whichever door he pleases. (Mishkat)

It is recorded in the same narration that the dua should be recited three times. (Hisnul Hasin)

Thereafter this dua should be recited:

اللَّهُمَّ اجْعَلْنِي مِنَ التَّوَّابِينَ وَاجْعَلْنِي مِنَ الْمُتَطَهِّرِينَ

Allahuma ij'alni minnat tawwabeena waj'alni minal mutattahireen.

"O Allah, count me (make me) among those who seek forgiveness

and amongst those who stay clean". (Hisnul Hasin)

Also recite this dua:

سُبْحَانَكَ اللَّهُمَّ وَبِحَمْدِكَ أَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا أَنْتَأَسْتَغْفِرُكَ وَأَتُوبَ إِلَيْكَ

Subhanaka Allahuma wabihamdika,

ash hadu al laa ilaha illa anta astaghfiruka wa atubu ilayk.

"O Allah, You are pure,

I praise You and testify that only You are worthy of worship

and I seek forgiveness from You. (Hisnul Hasin)

InshaAllah this is of benefit to those who read it.

And Allah knows Best.