ABSTRACT
The observance of this minor ablution is of great eflicacy, for the Prophet has declared that the countenance, hands, and feet of him who purifies himself for prayer will at the Day of Judgement be recognized among the crowd by their shining in all the effulgence of the full moon. 'Verily my sect will be called towards Paradise on the Day of Resurrection
with bright faces, hands, and feet ; then he amongst you who has power to increase the brightness _of his face, let him do so.' 1 According to the Shafai doctrine, ablutions are lawful only if performed in running water, and hence in the time of Shahjahan a canal was dug at Sialkot to provide it. 2 It is not necessary to perform the greater ablution each time when one goes to prayer, but only when the body has been defiled in any one of the following-ways : by obeying a call of nature, crepitus ventris, discharge of blood or matter in any part of the body, vomiting, sleeping, fainting, loud or immoderate laughter during prayer, and coitus.3 Any of these is enough to defile a man, and then ablution is required before prayer.
