rules regarding the
necessary purifications. It will be convenient to follow the same order.

Taharat or legal purification is of three kinds: (1) Wazu, the lesser
lustration; (2) Ghusl, the greater lustration; (3) Tayammum, or
purification by sand.

(1). Wazu is an ablution made before saying the appointed prayers. Those
which are 'farz' are four in number, viz:--to wash (1) the face from the
top of the forehead to the chin, and as far as each ear; and (2) the hands
and arms up to the elbow; (3) to rub (masah) with the wet hand a fourth
part of the head; also (4) the feet to the ankles. The authority for these
actions is the text: "O Believers! when ye address yourselves to prayer,
wash your hands up to the elbow, and wipe your heads, and your feet to the
ankles" (Sura v. 8). The Sunnis wash the feet: the Shia'hs are apparently
more correct, for they only wipe, or rather rub, (masah) them. In these
ablutions, if the least portion of the specified part is left untouched,
the whole act becomes useless and the prayer which follows is vain.

The act of making wazu, however, has not been allowed to remain in this
simple form. The Sunnat regulations regarding it are fourteen in number.
They are, (1) to make the intention of wazu, thus: I make this wazu for the
purpose of putting away impurity; (2) to wash the hand up to the wrist, but
care must be taken not to put the hands entirely into the water, until each
has been rubbed three times with water poured on it; (3) to say one of the
names of God at the commencement of the wazu[186] thus: "In the name of the
Great God," or "Thanks be to God for the religion of Islam;" (4) to clean
the teeth; (5) to rinse the mouth three times; (6) to put water into the
{190} nostrils three times; (7) to do all the above in proper order; (8) to
do all without any delay between the various acts; (9) each part is to be
purified three times; (10) the space between the fingers of one hand must
be rubbed with the wet fingers of the other; (11) the beard must be combed
with the fingers; (12) the whole head must be rubbed once; (13) the ears
must be washed with the water remaining on the fingers after the last
operation; (14) to rub under and between the toes with the little finger of
the left hand, drawing it from the little toe of the right foot and between
each toe in succession. Imam Shafa'i holds that (1) and (7) are farz duties
and that (12) should be done three times. Imam Malik considers (8)