What is the philosophy behind “Wudu” inn Islam?
Performing “Wozu” or minor ablution has been recommended in Islam and in some cases it is obligatory.
If we want to do something like performing prayer or touching the scripture of the holy Quran or the name of Allah or the names of the infallibles i.e. the holy Prophet of Allah, 12 Imams and Lady Fatimah peace be upon them all, it is obligatory to perform Wodu before that. But in general, performing wudu is recommended.
It might be somehow hard for some people to perform Wodu especially at the time of winter but let’s see what is the philosophy of Wodu?
The philosophies of Wudo can be discussed from two aspects, the first aspect, is its sanitary aspect and the second is its spiritual aspect.
Some of the benefits of having Wodu are mentioned in the Narrations, like:
1) It is a cause for prolonging the lifetime.
The holy Prophet of Islam said: “O’ Anas( the name of one of his companions) be on the purity -having Wudu-, (if you are so) Allah will prolong your lifetime, and have Wodu in day and night and if you die on this state, you will have the reward of the martyr.”
2) It is a cause for fulfilling our needs and wishes.
Imam Sadiq peace be upon him said:
“I wonder at a person that is seeking his/her need while he/she has Wodu, if his/her need does not get fulfilled.”
3) If someone sleeps at night while having Wodu, as the holy Prophet said, the bed of that person is like his/her mosque and his/her sleep is like performing prayer till the morning.
4) It is a cause for enhancing the livelihood.
Imam Sadiq peace be upon him said:
“The one who wants the livelihood of his house to be more, he/she must have Wodu while eating the meal.”
5) It is a cause for the destruction of sadness and sorrow.
6) It quenches the anger. The holy Prophet of Islam said:
“If one of you gets angry, he/she should (is beneficial for him/her to) perform Wodu.”
Imam Reza peace be upon him said:
“The servant(of Allah) is ordered to perform Wodu in order to be pure while standing before the Lord and chanting Him and to be obedient to Him and to be away from the impurity and filth, and by Wodu the state of phlegm and snooze is removed and the heart becomes pure for standing before Allah.”
From the scientific perspective, Wodu and Ghusl (as we have mentioned it in the discussion regarding Gusl) make the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system (which are two important systems in the body) have balance, because the lack of this balance, makes the other systems of the body to be out of balance and Wodu and Gusl are two ways that can make this balance to return.
And there are some recommended acts before wodu like entering the water in the mouth and circulating it and lifting the water into the nose and making that come out.
These preliminary acts have some benefits, like: making the blood to circulate into the mouth and heart and at the end to the brain or preventing inside the nose from being dry or making the air that comes into the lungs, cold and other benefits.
