ABSTRACT
as allĀh is both al-Ẓāhir (the Outward, the Manifest) and al-Bāṭin (the Inward, the Hidden), He has sanctioned for mankind some formal rites to be performed in order for them to draw nearer to Him. This nearness is achieved when the performer tries to realize the inner significance of these rites while maintaining their external form. In order to perform these rites properly, the first necessary element for Muslims is purification (ṭahārah), which also has an outward form and an inner meaning. Outwardly, one has to wash one's hands up to the wrist three times, rinse one's mouth with water thrown into it with the right hand, sniff water into the nostrils and throw it out thrice, wash the face thrice, wash first the right and then the left arm up to the elbow thrice, wipe the head with the inner surface of the fingers of both hands, put two forefingers in the two eardrums and wipe the backs of the ears with the thumbs; with the back of the fingers of both the hands jointly one has to wipe the back of the neck, and then wash the right and then the left foot up to the ankles thrice. 1
