Matn Abi Shuja’ Session 5

Siwak, the tongue and the heart, and the six obligations of wuḍūʾWe opened this lesson the way we open most of them: by going back over what we have already covered before taking a step forward. The book we are studying is Matn al-Ghāyah wa-l-Taqrīb, often simply called Matn Abī Shujāʿ. Its author is al-Qāḍī Aḥmad ibn al-Ḥusayn ibn Aḥmad al-Iṣfahānī, known as Abū Shujāʿ. Abū means father, and shujāʿ means courage: the father of courage.We are in the first book, Kitāb al-Ṭahārah, the Book of Purification. I encourage the students to hold on to these Arabic terms rather than translating everything. They are the vocabulary of the subject, and as you move on to more advanced books you will meet them again and again.Recap: WaterWhy does Imam Abū Shujāʿ begin with water? Because it is the basic ingredient of purification. Before we can purify anything, we need to know what we are purifying with.The matn lists seven waters with which purification is permitted: rain, sea, river, well, spring, snow and hail. Seven can be summarised into two, water from the sky and water from the earth, and two can be summarised into one: naturally occurring water.Then come the four categories: muṭlaq (pure and purifying), mushammas (sun-heated: pure and purifying, but disliked), water that is pure but not purifying (mustaʿmal, and water changed by something pure mixed into it), and mutanajjis (water into which najāsah has fallen).The key word for muṭlaq is natural. Take sea water. It is salty and it smells of the sea. Is it still muṭlaq? Yes, because that is how sea water naturally tastes and smells. You can make wuḍūʾ with it.Now imagine someone scoops sea water into a cup, adds red colouring, sweetens it, freezes it and shakes it up into some fancy bubble tea. Is it still muṭlaq? No. Its colour and taste are no longer natural. The example is ridiculous, but hopefully that is why you will remember it.Or imagine someone has run out of fresh water and really wants coffee to start the morning, so they boil sea water and stir in instant coffee. The water has been changed by something pure mixed into it, so it moves into the third category alongside mustaʿmal. It is still pure, and you can drink it, but you can no longer purify with it.Finally, water that najāsah falls into becomes mutanajjis, unless it is truly vast: two qullahs or more. In that case it only becomes mutanajjis if its taste, colour or smell changes. How much is two qullahs? Around 200 litres. You will find books saying 180, others 190 or more. The exact figure varies, so think of it as roughly 200 litres, give or take.Recap: Carrying the WaterOnce we know which water we can use, the matn turns to how we carry it. That is why the next sections deal with the skins of the maytah, which become pure through tanning, and with vessels: gold and silver vessels may not be used, while vessels of anything else may.Recap: SiwakNow you have your water and you are ready for wuḍūʾ. But before wuḍūʾ comes something very important: the siwak.وَالسِّوَاكُ مُسْتَحَبٌّ فِي كُلِّ حَالٍ إِلَّا بَعْدَ الزَّوَالِ لِلصَّائِمِ، وَهُوَ فِي ثَلَاثَةِ مَوَاضِعَ أَشَدُّ اسْتِحْبَابًا: عِنْدَ تَغَيُّرِ الْفَمِ مِنْ أَزْمٍ وَغَيْرِهِ، وَعِنْدَ الْقِيَامِ مِنَ النَّوْمِ، وَعِنْدَ الْقِيَامِ إِلَى الصَّلَاةِ.The siwak is recommended at all times, except after midday for one who is fasting. In three situations it is more strongly recommended: when the mouth has changed from abstaining from food or otherwise, on rising from sleep, and on rising to pray.Any time is a good time for siwak, with one exception: for a fasting person, once the sun has passed its zenith, it is no longer sunnah.Then there are the three cases where it counts for more. The first is when the taste of the mouth has changed, after a long time without eating or drinking, or a long silence. Think of the end of a fasting day. That is why, after you break your fast, it is sunnah to use the siwak before you pray Maghrib.The second is when you wake up from sleep. Must siwak be done with the stick itself? No, a toothbrush counts too. So we all do siwak when we wake up in the morning, don’t we? I asked the class how many had not brushed their teeth that morning, and told them not to raise their hands. A few looked genuinely unsure. Good. Now you are paying attention.The third is when you are about to pray. There are two moments here: at wuḍūʾ, and again right before you pray. The matn says wa ʿinda al-qiyāmi ilā al-ṣalāh, when you rise to pray. So while the iqāmah is being called, take out your siwak, use it, put it back in your pocket, and pray.Why the Prophet ﷺ loved itRasūlullāh ﷺ loved the siwak. He said:السِّوَاكُ مَطْهَرَةٌ لِلْفَمِ، مَرْض