Should I Splash Water on My Limbs after Wudu to Be Sure I Didn’t Miss a Spot?

Answered by Ustadha Shazia Ahmad

Question

I am prone to waswasa. Knowing this, when I had doubts about whether I had wiped a body part properly and could not see any evidence one way or another, I splashed extra water on it so that I would not be able to investigate more. Then I’d assume it was done. Is this irresponsible? We are supposed to ignore waswasa and assume it was done correctly. But does ‘cheating’ my way to avoid seeing the dryness mean that I intended to have an incomplete wudu? Should I repeat the prayers done with it?

Answer

Thank you for your question. Your prayers are valid, and your ablution (wudu) was valid.

Waswasa

Because of those baseless misgivings you are afflicted with, it is permissible to move on to the next step of your ablution and not look back. Don’t check whether something is dry and assume that your ablution was valid. There is also no need to splash extra water.

If you were not prone to waswasa, I would ask you to follow the ruling given in the Reliance of the Traveller:

If one has doubts during the course of the ablution that one has washed a particular limb or the head, then it is obligatory to wash it again and everything that follows it in the ablution sequence. But if these doubts arise after one has finished ablution, one need not repeat anything. (A: The same is true of the purificatory bath (ghusl).)

Dua

Recite this dua daily:

”أَعـوذُ بِكَلِمـاتِ اللّهِ التّـامّـاتِ مِن غَضَـبِهِ وَعِـقابِهِ وَشَـرِّ عِبـادِهِ وَمِنْ هَمَـزاتِ الشَّـياطينِ وَأَنْ يَحْضـرون.“

“I seek refuge in the Perfect Words of Allah from His anger and punishment, from the evil of His slaves, and the taunts of devils and their presence.” [Abu Dawud; Tirmidhi]

Please see these important links as well:
How to Deal With Waswas Regarding Purity According to the Shafi’i School?
How Do I Combat Doubts Regarding the Invalidation of Wudu?
Key Principles Relating to Certainty, Doubt, and Baseless Misgivings (waswasa)

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, tafsir, and Arabic. She then attended the University of Texas at Austin and completed her Masters in Arabic. Afterward, she moved to Amman, Jordan, where she studied fiqh, Arabic, and other sciences. She later moved back to Mississauga, Canada, where she lives with her family.