In the Book of Allah (swt) there is only one verse related to ablution. One of the scholars entered a mosque and found the Sheikh who was teaching in this mosque explaining the chapters on purity and the chapters on ablution on the first day, then on the second day, then on the third, and a month passed and every time the scholar passed by the mosque he heard the Sheikh talking about the topic of purity and ablution, which are imperative issues in Islam, so this scholar was astonished and asked him: In the whole Qur’an there are six thousand two hundred and thirty-six verses, and only one verse is related to ablution, so is it reasonable to restrict the religious thought only to one verse and leave six thousand two hundred and thirty-six verses? So it is one verse, and the believer must abide by it, but someone will say: Why does the Holy Qur’an move to talk about ablution after the previous verses? The answer: This is the miracle:

 أَفَلَا يَتَدَبَّرُونَ الْقُرْآنَ ۚ وَلَوْ كَانَ مِنْ عِندِ غَيْرِ اللَّهِ لَوَجَدُوا فِيهِ اخْتِلَافًا كَثِيرًا

(Then do they not reflect upon the Qur’an? If it had been from [any] other than Allah, they would have found within it much contradiction.) (An-Nisa: 82)

We think of the Quran as we think of a book written by a human being, but Allah (swt) wants us to think well if it was from other than Him (swt), how would it be? The answer: There will be unity in the subject, and you are surprised that Allah (swt) talks about food, then He (swt) talks about marriage, and then he moved to the preparations before prayer, which is ablution. This is not a distraction but a lack of understanding from our side; because the Holy Qur’an is the Book of Allah (swt) and it is an integrated unit, you cannot classify or differentiate between issues of faith. The general issues of religion, matters of worship, matters of transactions and matters of morals, are classified by scholars and jurisprudents, but in the Holy Quran they are all focusing on one issue, which is the religion. You cannot separate religion by saying: I pray and I do not give zakat, or I believe that cattle are permissible and dead animals are forbidden, but I do not perform ablution or do not pray.. So the Holy Qur’an is an integrated unit of faith; accordingly, the requirements of faith, which you see as separated, are complementary to the religious faith functions that are mentioned in the Book of Allah (swt), here lies the harmony, and not as some people believe that the Holy Qur’an talks about a topic and then moves to another one which is not related to it, the Holy Quran does not move from one issue to another topic, rather they are all within the one circle of faith which regulates the movement of society therefore it moves from (do) to (don’t do), and from a Qur’anic story to a moral lesson expressed in the stories to the scientific signs that proves Allah’s (swt) existence. The cause of abstaining from doing anything is to obey the commander and not for a reason, moreover, Islam is not a culture, as some believe, but rather an integrated and interconnected method of life, that is why we find the topics in the verses moving from marriage to purity to ablution to lawful to forbidden to morals to stories within the focus on the faith. As such, you do not worship is not restricted to prayer, fasting, zakat and pilgrimage only, but every work you do, you are in an act of worship.

Now we return to the preparations of prayer mentioned in this verse. What is prayer? Prayer is a supplication and a link and communication with the Creator, you live in this life with the Donator (swt). The previous verses are related to the lawful and lawful of the worldly matters, the blessings of Allah (swt), and now you are prepared to meet the Donator directly, so there must be a triple preparation in time, place and condition. The temporal preparation is the times of prayer:

 إِنَّ الصَّلَاةَ كَانَتْ عَلَى الْمُؤْمِنِينَ كِتَابًا مَّوْقُوتًا

(Indeed, prayer has been decreed upon the believers a decree of specified times.) (An-Nisa: 103)

The spatial preparation is to direct to Ka’ba in a purified place. The physical preparation is to be pure and to make ablution, here we begin with the physical preparation:

(… يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا ) (O you who have believed,…): Does not say: “O people”, because those who do not believe will not perform ablution.

(… إِذَا قُمْتُمْ إِلَى الصَّلَاةِ فَاغْسِلُوا وُجُوهَكُمْ وَأَيْدِيَكُمْ إِلَى الْمَرَافِقِ وَامْسَحُوا بِرُءُوسِكُمْ وَأَرْجُلَكُمْ إِلَى الْكَعْبَيْنِ …) (…when you rise to [perform] prayer, wash your faces and your forearms to the elbows and wipe over your heads and wash your feet to the ankles. …): These are the mandatory acts of performing ablution, some of the organs should be washed, others to be wiped. The other acts of ablution not mentioned in the verse, are Sunnah, such as washing the hands three times when starting the ablution and rinsing the mouth and nose. Hence, the obligatory acts of ablution are: Washing the face and the arms to the elbows, wipe a part of the head and washing the feet to the ankles in the sequence mentioned in the verse.

(… وَإِن كُنتُمْ جُنُبًا فَاطَّهَّرُوا …) (…And if you are in a state of janabah, then purify yourselves …): Meaning, after sextual intercourse, there has to be purification, not just an ablution.

(… وَإِن كُنتُم مَّرْضَىٰ أَوْ عَلَىٰ سَفَرٍ أَوْ جَاءَ أَحَدٌ مِّنكُم مِّنَ الْغَائِطِ أَوْ لَامَسْتُمُ النِّسَاءَ فَلَمْ تَجِدُوا مَاءً فَتَيَمَّمُوا صَعِيدًا طَيِّبًا …) (…But if you are ill or on a journey or one of you comes from the place of relieving himself or you have contacted women and do not find water, then seek clean earth and wipe over your faces and hands with it. …): The whole issue is related to the physical preparation before moving on to the temporal and spatial preparation for the prayer, which is a connection with Allah (swt) . When you want to meet a great or a dignitary or a rich man, you prepare with the best clothes and the best words and other things. Hence, is it reasonable to meet Allah (swt) without physical, spatial and temporal preparation!! Therefore, when you want to meet Allah (swt), you must perform ablution, and be pure from the major impurity before ablution.

(… فَتَيَمَّمُوا صَعِيدًا طَيِّبًا …) (…then seek clean earth …): Then perform Tayammum with clean earth in this way:

(… فَامْسَحُوا بِوُجُوهِكُمْ وَأَيْدِيكُم مِّنْهُ …) (…and wipe over your faces and hands with it.…): This is the virtual purification for the sick or when you do not find water to make easy for you.

(… مَا يُرِيدُ اللَّهُ لِيَجْعَلَ عَلَيْكُم مِّنْ حَرَجٍ …) (…Allah does not intend to make difficulty for you, …): This is why He allowed you to use Tayammum when you are ill and when you do not find water, to make things comfortable for you and as mercy for you. Same as in fasting:

 يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا كُتِبَ عَلَيْكُمُ الصِّيَامُ كَمَا كُتِبَ عَلَى الَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَ (183) أَيَّامًا مَّعْدُودَاتٍ ۚ فَمَن كَانَ مِنكُم مَّرِيضًا أَوْ عَلَىٰ سَفَرٍ فَعِدَّةٌ مِّنْ أَيَّامٍ أُخَرَ ۚ وَعَلَى الَّذِينَ يُطِيقُونَهُ فِدْيَةٌ طَعَامُ مِسْكِينٍ ۖ فَمَن تَطَوَّعَ خَيْرًا فَهُوَ خَيْرٌ لَّهُ ۚ وَأَن تَصُومُوا خَيْرٌ لَّكُمْ ۖ إِن كُنتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ

(O you who have believed, decreed upon you is fasting as it was decreed upon those before you that you may become righteous – (184) [Fasting for] a limited number of days. So whoever among you is ill or on a journey [during them] – then an equal number of days [are to be made up]. And upon those who are able [to fast, but with hardship] – a ransom [as substitute] of feeding a poor person [each day]. And whoever volunteers excess – it is better for him. But to fast is best for you, if you only knew.) (Al-Baqara: 183-184)

Whoever is unable to fast due to a disease, then he is to feed for every day during which he broke his fast, and this is to facilitate and relieve embarrassment. Likewise, tayammum here is to facilitate if there is no water for ablution or to remove the major impurity.

(  وَلَٰكِن يُرِيدُ لِيُطَهِّرَكُمْ وَلِيُتِمَّ نِعْمَتَهُ عَلَيْكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَشْكُرُونَ … ) (but He intends to purify you and complete His favor upon you that you may be grateful): Physical purity and moral purity, to complete His favour means to connect with the Giver, Allah (swt). Since you rose from your bed to your return to it, you live in the blessings of Allah (swt), Who controls your health and your illness, your life, your death, your livelihood, your poverty, your happiness and your misery, so how do you meet Him? This is by performing the prayers, and this is the completion of His favour.