Dr. Sayed Inseram AliB.Sc. (Hons), M.sc,; AACC, ASMT,ASM:USAR.M. CANADA; IFFCC U.K

In the Name of God,The Compassionate,

The Merciful

Because of the continuous development of medical science, many discoveries have been made over the recent years. Interestingly, many of these breakthroughs had already been revealed in the Qur’an and established in the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) more than 1,400 years ago. As a result many non-Muslims are realizing that the teachings of Islam are the unequivocal truth. Sayed Inseram AliMadinah Munuwara, Saudi ArabiaOctober, 2000

Explaining the medical interpretations of ablution is a bit technical; however, what follows is hopefully a clear presentation and explanation of this subject for those having little background of medical knowledge. There is a branch in the medical sciences called Immunology. This subject is defined as the way in which the body can protect itself from invasion by pathogenic (infectious) microorganisms and provide a defense against their harmful effects. The healthy human body continually comes into contact with microorganisms such as bacteria, fungus, virus, etc. these microorganisms may be ingested through food, inhaled or enter into the body through blood, a cut or through nasal and mouth droplets while sneezing and coughing etc. despite the constant challenges from the environment, the body naturally guards itself against infection. So it is possible fro a person to overcome the microorganism and become immune to that infection. This protection is maintained by a number of defense mechanisms working on their own or together. Many theories have been suggested to explain immunity. The theory most commonly used today is the Defense Mechanism of the Body, which is divided into two major groups: 1. Natural Immunity (non-specific)2. Acquired Immunity (specific)

Natural (non-specific) immunity is provided by all the mechanisms that form an immediate non-specific barrier to infections. They consist of four sub groups: 1A. Mechanical Barriers: These include the skin, the stomach lining, the genital area and the mucous membrane of the respiratory tract. Nasal and ear hairs act as a filter. The action of coughing and sneezing removes mucous that contains microorganisms. 1B. Chemical Barriers:These are secretions that contain substances which have an anti microbial action; for example, mucous membrane secretions contain the enzyme lysozyme which is found in the eye, the respiratory tract and the in the genital area. Secretions containing acid are present in the gut and genital area. That salt and fatty acids found in skin secretions are also anti microbial.

1C. Phagocytosis: In the blood, phagocyte cells engulf and destroy an organism by digestion at the site of entry or infection, thereby protecting the body. 1D. Anti Microbial Commensal Flora: Commensal flora of the body stops the growth of pathogenic organism by performing antagonistic action against bacteria with certain substances like colicin. 2A. Acquired Immunity (specific): By taking vaccines, toxins and microorganisms are usually inactivated or destroyed which gives protection against specific organisms. Thus under the topic of ablution, I will discuss the first two factors of natural (non-specific) immunity, which is also known as the First Line Defense Mechanism.

When a person performs ablution five times a day, he gets protection from different bacterial, viral and fungal infections. There is no doubt that if proper cleaning has not been done or procedure of ablution has not been conducted, a person is likely to get any infection. On the hand, if the proper cleaning of the exposed parts of the body is done frequently as in ablution, a person is maximizing the natural ability of his body to protect himself against different infections. All microorganisms require time, moisture, food, a favorable pH (acidic or alkaline) and salts for growth to occur.

So, if all of the factors are favorable, then the microorganisms will grow and cause infection. One of the benefits of ablution is that it breaks up the microbial deposits on the body and helps protect it from infection. Thus, ablution acts as the first line of defense and does not allow the microorganisms to enter into and establish their activity on the skin and on the other exposed parts of the body.

In the Holy Qur’an, Allah describes ablution, as in the following verse: “O you who have believed, when you rise to [perform] prayer, wash your faces and your forearms to the elbow and wipe over heads and wash your feet to the ankles…” (5:6) Performing ablution has many steps. The religious formality is started by having the intention to purify oneself for the sake of Allah and in accordance with the Sunnah by saying: Bismillahirahmanirahim (in the Name of God, The Compassionate, The Merciful).

The next step involves washing one’s hands three times. When a Muslim washes his hands for ablution, he must also wash in between the fingers to eliminate all the dirt and dust particles from the skin. Without a doubt, the hands are exposed to a lot of dirt and dust particles on daily basis. These particles contain microorganisms, and in the presence of sweat and fatty acids, these microorganisms grow well and cause infections. Thus the hands are not safe for eating, praying etc. unless they are washed in this way

After washing the hands, the mouth is washed. This step of ablution is also significant. As humans, we are often suffering from all different kinds of throat infections. Since the tissue in the mouth and at the back of throat is very soft, any irritation can cause infection. Three different type of microorganisms cause these throat infections: viral, bacterial and fungal. To protect the throat against these infections, the mouth should be washed with a gargling motion that reaches the throat. This is the area where most of the dust particles accumulate, whether a person is typically outside or in an air-conditioned room. For example, in a dry climate with a lot of dust, the dust particles can settle in the mouth and cause an infection.

By washing five times a day all the bacterial or dust particles that are settling in the throat can be eliminated, thereby protecting the individual against infections. In addition, washing the mouth and using the meswak (a tooth stick) five times a day cleans the gums and the intradental spaces of the teeth. This eliminates the bacteria and food particles in the mouth leaving it with a fresh, clean smell. This illustrates a further case of how a mechanical barrier safeguards our body from infections.

The third part of ablution is washing the nose. Water is inhaled and exhaled from the fright hands into the nose three times. There is a filtration system in the nose comprised of small hair follicles. This filtration system prevents the dust particles from going directly inside the nose.

Another significant pint while making ablution is that the nose should be washed from the inside, especially in cold, dry places, as there is always a secretion inside the nose.

This secretion is dried and forms a crust inside the nose. If this is attached to the hair itself, it may cause a chance for infection to occur if the dry crust is removed. The internal part of the nose is very soft tissue and is therefore extremely sensitive and liable to bleed. Furthermore, any little injury to this area can help the organism to settle and cause an infection. Washing back to the middle part of the nose three times can eliminate all the settled dust particles and secretions, thereby protecting one from different nose infections like sinuses and boils in the root of the hair follicles.

The next stage is to wash the face from the forehead to chin, including the cleaning and messaging of eyes. Washing the face increase the circulation, cleans the eyes and all the dust particles deposited on the face. Likewise, the sweat on the is also removed. These secretions of sweat being cleaned off are in the nature of fatty acids and they form a layer on the skin. . If this layer on the skin is not cleaned often, it provides a good opportunity for bacteria to grow to make a skin infection.

On the contrary, frequently washing the face, as in ablution, eliminates the chances for wrinkling of the skin and keeps the skin smooth, even at old age. Interestingly, it is a practice to many women in china to wash and message their eyes with water. They believe that by doing this they will not get any eye infections or develop the cataract eye. This inside corner of the eye has special enzyme that kills most of the bacteria and protects the eye from infections. However, if dust particles accumulate in this area over time because they were not washed out, then there is more of a likelihood that an eye infection will occur.

The following true story also illustrates the importance of washing the face in ablution. There was a catastrophic civil war in Rwanda in which cholera was prevalent. Two medical doctors, one from Sudan and the other from Rwanda, were working in Germany at the time. Because of strife in Rwanda, both of these doctors went to Rwanda to help the injured people. These injured people were in lined up to be treated. The Rwandan doctor mentioned to the Sudanese doctor that the population of Rwanda is only about 1% Muslim. Thereafter, the Sudanese doctor said he would be able to identify which people standing in the treatment are Muslims.

A few days of being amazed at how the Sudanese doctor was able to precisely tell the Muslims from the non-Muslims, the Rwandan doctor asked, “How do you know that certain people are Muslim and others are not?” The Sudanese doctor disclosed that in Islam we perform the ritual of ablution before prayers. This ablution makes faces clean, clear and with spiritual light. The Rwandan doctor was affected deeply. Before along, he became a Muslim.

Washing both arms up to the elbow is the next step. The washing of the arms ensures that sweat, fatty acids and dust particles near the hair follicles are removed to prevent any possible infection.

The next step is washing the head. This step also includes the washing of the ears because the ears have openings that have deep grooves and hairs. These grooves and hairs are ideal for the settling of dust particles. Therefore, cleaning the ears with a moist index finger five times a day protects the ears from dust accumulation and possible infection. Cleaning the neck is also preferred as it helps prevent itching due to acidity which can possibly lead to an allergy.

Washing the feet up to the ankles is the last step in performing ablution. When washing the feet up to the ankles, one must wash between the toes since these are the areas where sweating and fatty secretions are more predominant. If this area is not washed frequently and properly, a defensive odor may occur. Similarly, a fungus may develop, which is commonly known as athlete’s foot. When the feet are washed properly and regularly, one feels a relaxed and fresh feeling.

Performing ablution has another important benefit. Using hot and cold water for the ablution increases the blood circulation throughout the body. As a result, one feels refreshed and more energetic. Furthermore, increasing the blood circulation throughout the body makes the body’s defense mechanisms more active and powerful. Moreover, making ablution can reduce static electricity which is often attributed to skin problems like the shrinking of the skin

In conclusion, from all this explanation it is well understood that the immunological hypothesis provides the principles of immunity and the first line of the defense mechanisms; nevertheless, in all of this information, no guidance is provided on how to protect ourselves from infectious diseases. However, Islam required ablution more than 1,400 years ago which shows humanity how to be protected from infectious diseases by a thorough washing of exposed body parts five times a day. To my knowledge, Islam is the only religion that requires its believers to follow certain hygienic procedures that safeguard the human from infectious diseases.

There is a very common saying: An apple a day keeps the doctor away. So let’s also say: Make ablution five times a day and keep the doctor away. Clearly, health is wealth and blessing from God.

About the Author:

Sayed Inseram Ali is a microbiologist who worked as a Lecturer with the Department of Microbiology at the University of Karachi from 1965-1970. Thereafter, he joined the Ministry of Health in Saudi Arabia as a Regional Director of Laboratories in Madinah for twenty years (1970-1990). He has been working at the Zain Clinical Laboratory as the Technical Director since 1990. He also writes and delivers lectures on Islam and the medical sciences

Sayed Inseram Ali, Technical Director

Zain Clinical Laboratory

PO Box # 803

Madinah, Saudi Arabia

Telephone: (9664) 5236361

Fax: (9664) 8251978