At-Tasmiyyah (Mentioning Allaah’s Name)

Abu Hurairah (radhiAllaahu’ anhu) said that Rasoolullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) said

There is no wudoo for him who does not mention Allaah’s name upon it.

 [Reported by Ibn Maajah (no.399), At-Tirmidhee (no.26), Abu Dawood (no.101) and others. 
 Ash-Shaikh al-Albaani says: hadeeth Saheeh (Saheeh ul-Jaarni’, no.7444)].

Imam Ahmad in one of his two sayings is of the opinion that it is obligatory in wudoo, ghusl, and Tayammum. He was followed in this opinion by Abu Bakr, and it is the saying of al-Hasan (al-Basaree) and Imam Ishaaq – as reported by Ibn Qudaamah in ‘al-Mughnee’ (1/84) and their proof is this hadeeth.

Ibn Qudaamah adds: If we take the saying that it is obligatory, then the wudoo of one who deliberately leaves it is not correct as he has left an obligatory duty in Purification – just as if he had left the intention; and if he left it forgetfully then his purification is correct.

(Al-Mughnee). And this is the saying that we regard as being correct.

As for Ibn Taimiyyah (rahimahullah) he held it to be obligatory if the related hadeeth was authentic – as occurs in his Kitaab-ul-Imaan – and the hadeeth is authentic, so therefore his opinion (rahimahullah) is that it is obligatory.

Al-Bukhaaree and Muslim report from Anas (radhiAllaahu ‘anhu) that

Some of the Companions of the Prophet (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) sought water for wudoo , so Rasoolullah (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) said

Does any of you have water? So he put his hand into the water and said Make wudoo in the name of Allaah. And I saw the water coming out from between his fingers until they all made wudoo .

Thaabit said: “I said to Anas (radhiAllaahu’anhu): How many were there? He said: About seventy.

[Al-Bukhaaree, 1/236, Muslim, 8/411, An-Nasaa’ee, V8]

As for the proof for that which we have stated – it is his (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) saying Make wudoo in the name of Allaah. As for those who say that it is only sunnah mu’akkadah then they base that upon the relative hadeeth being da’eef ( There is no wudoo … ). However since the hadeeth is saheeh as we have explained, then there remains no proof for them and the proof is with us, and Allaah Knows Best.

So it is therefore obligatory as we have shown, however the one who forgets should mention Allaah’s name when he remembers.