How Are the Verses About Wudu Interpreted?

Question:

Do you mind giving an explanation about the different readings in Quran 5:6 for wiping or washing the feet?

Answer:

Wa ‘alaykum assalam wa rahmatullah wa barakatuh.

I pray you are well.

The more commonly recited qira’a is understood by all to mean washing your face, arms, and feet and to wiping your head. There is another qira’a which some have understood to mean that one should wipe the head and the feet.

This came from the vowel on the word for feet being the same as the word for heads. The majority of scholars did not take this interpretation, and they said the ruling given by both readings is the same. The great mufassir (exegete) Zamakhshari explained the difference as being a way to highlight that one should not waste water in wudu. [Zamakhshari, al-Kashaf]

Please refer to our course “The Wisest Laws,” where the verse is discussed in detail.

https://seekers.flywheelstaging.com/quran-studies-stream/#

May Allah bless you with the best of both worlds.

[Shaykh] Abdul-Rahim Reasat

Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Shaykh Abdul-Rahim Reasat began his studies in Arabic Grammar and Morphology in 2005. After graduating with a degree in English and History he moved to Damascus in 2007 where, for 18 months, he studied with many erudite scholars. In late 2008 he moved to Amman, Jordan, where he continued his studies for the next six years in Sacred Law (fiqh), legal theory (Usul al-fiqh), theology, hadith methodology, hadith commentary, and Logic. He was also given licenses of mastery in the science of Quranic recital and he was able to study an extensive curriculum of Quranic sciences, tafsir, Arabic grammar, and Arabic eloquence.