Is Saying Shahada during the Wudu a Sunna Act?


Shafi'i Fiqh

Answered by Ustadha Shazia Ahmad

Question

Is Saying Shahada during the Wudu a Sunna Act?

Answer

Thank you for your question. I am not familiar with saying the shahada during the ablution (wudu), but rather, only after it.

It was narrated that Ibn `Umar said: “The Messenger of Allah performed ablution washing each part once. He said: ‘This is the ablution of the person from whom Allah will not accept his prayer without it.’ Then he performed ablution washing each part twice, and he said: ‘This is the ablution that Allah appreciates.’ Then he performed ablution washing each part three times, and said: ‘This is how ablution is performed properly, and this is my ablution and the ablution of the Close Friend of Allah, Ibrahim. Whoever performs ablution like this, then on completing it says ‘Ashhadu al-la ilaha illaLlah, wa ashhadu anna Muhammadan `abduhu wa rasuluhu’ (I bear witness that none has the right to be worshipped but Allah and I bear witness that Muhammed is His servant and His Messenger), eight gates of Paradise will be opened to him and he may enter through whichever one he wants.’” [Ibn Maja]

Please consider taking this course to cover the sunnas of wudu:

Getting Started with Your Belief and Practice: Habshi’s Encompassing Epistle Explained (Shafi` i)

May Allah give you the best of this world and the next.

[Ustadha] Shazia Ahmad
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Ustadha Shazia Ahmad lived in Damascus, Syria, for two years, where she studied Aqidah, Fiqh, Tajweed, Tafseer, and Arabic. She then attended the University of Texas at Austin, where she completed her Master’s in Arabic. Afterward, she moved to Amman, Jordan, where she studied Fiqh, Arabic, and other sciences. She recently moved back to Mississauga, Canada, where she lives with her family.