Wiping the face after concluding one's prayer is a common practice among some Muslims. But is there a strong legal basis for this act? Ustad Abdul Somad, a popular Islamic preacher on social media, provides insights into this topic in a video shared by the Belajar Mengaji account. Let's delve into the details.
Hadith on Wiping the Face After Supplication
Before discussing the act of wiping the face after prayer, Ustad Abdul Somad first reviews a hadith that talks about wiping the face after supplication. According to him, there is a hadith narrated by Sunan Tirmidhi which mentions that the Prophet Muhammad SAW would always wipe his face after lowering his hands from supplication.
"Whenever the Prophet SAW raised his hands to supplicate, he never lowered them without wiping his face," says Ustad Abdul Somad.
"Every time he lowered his hands, he would wipe his face first, then lower them," he adds.
However, Ustad Abdul Somad also points out that this hadith is considered weak (dhaif) and cannot be used as strong evidence (hujjah) for this practice. Nevertheless, a great scholar named Ibn Hajar Al Askalani suggested that due to the multitude of supporting narrations, this hadith is elevated to the status of hasan (good).
"Ibn Hajar Al Askalani, a hafiz who memorized 300,000 hadiths, stated in his book Bulughul Marom Minadilllatil Ahkam, a book of jurisprudence, that the hadith about wiping the face after supplication is indeed weak, but because it has many chains of narration supporting it, it is elevated to the status of hasan," explains Ustad Abdul Somad.
Ustad Abdul Somad also explains that there are four levels of hadith: sahih (authentic), hasan (good), dhaif (weak), and maudhu (fabricated). Sahih hadiths are the highest in quality, while maudhu hadiths are the lowest. Hasan hadiths, like this one, can still be followed, even though they are not as strong as sahih hadiths.
"So, the hadith about wiping the face after supplication can be practiced, as its status is hasan," says Ustad Abdul Somad.
Wiping the Face After Salat, What's the Evidence?
After discussing the hadith about wiping the face after supplication, Ustad Abdul Somad transitions to the main topic: wiping the face after completing the prayer. He admits that he doesn't know why some people do this, so he decided to inquire about it.
"I don't know. But because I don't know, I asked, as I don't want to accuse anyone," says Ustad Abdul Somad.
"Why do you wipe your faces after prayer? I just finished supplicating, Mr. Ustad. After supplication, we wipe our faces," they respond.
As it turns out, the supplication they are referring to is the additional prayer recited when sitting in the final tashahhud during the prayer. One example of such a supplication is the one taught by Prophet Muhammad SAW, as narrated by Imam Bukhari:
"Allahumma inni a'udzu bika min 'adzabi jahannama wa min 'adzabil qabri wa min fitnatil mahya wal mamaati wa min syarri fitnatil masiihid dajjal."
"That's a supplication. After supplication, we wipe our faces. That's our evidence," they explain.
Does Ustad Abdul Somad Wipe His Face After Salam?
Upon hearing their response, Ustad Abdul Somad mentions that he does not use this evidence to wipe his face after the prayer. He continues to conclude the prayer with a single salutation (salam) and does not wipe his face afterward.
"I give a single salutation, and after that, I don't wipe my face. I wipe my face after finishing the supplication," says Ustad Abdul Somad.
His reasoning is that when referring to the basic hadith, Prophet Muhammad SAW raised his hands while supplicating, and after finishing the supplication, he lowered his hands and wiped his face. However, during the recitation of additional supplications in the final tashahhud of the prayer, our hands are not raised.
"In the previous hadith about wiping the face, the Prophet raised his hands while supplicating. After finishing the supplication, he lowered his hands and wiped his face. But during the final tashahhud, we don't raise our hands," Ustad Abdul Somad clarifies.
That concludes Ustad Abdul Somad's explanation regarding the practice of wiping the face after prayer. We hope you find this information useful. 😊
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