Question 346: If someone performs ablution before the prayer time, can he pray the next prayer with the same ablution?
Answer
✅Answer: Please pay attention to the following narrations:
1 عَنْ حَرِيزٍ عَنْ زُرَارَةَ قَالَ: قُلْتُ لِأَبِي جَعْفَرٍ يُصَلِّي الرَّجُلُ بِوُضُوءٍ وَاحِدٍ صَلَاةَ اللَّيْلِ وَ النَّهَارِ كُلَّهَا قَالَ نَعَمْ مَا لَمْ يُحْدِثْ قُلْتُ فَيُصَلِّي بِتَيَمُّمٍ وَاحِدٍ صَلَاةَ اللَّيْلِ وَ النَّهَارِ قَالَ نَعَمْ كُلَّهَا مَا لَمْ يُحْدِثْ أَوْ يُصِبْ مَاءً الْحَدِيثَ.
📚 Al-Kafi, Vol. 3, p. 63
Translation: Zurarah said: I said to Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): Can a person pray all the prayers of the night and day with one ablution? The Imam said: Yes, as long as no event (hadath) occurs to him (his ablution is not invalidated). I said: With one tayammum, can he pray the prayers of the night and day? He said: Yes, as long as no event occurs to him and as long as he has not found water.
✅There are multiple pieces of evidence in the narrations that we can pray as many obligatory or supererogatory prayers as we want with one ablution, as long as we have not invalidated it with the things that invalidate ablution, and there is no doubt or disagreement on this matter.
✅In some narrations, for the sake of gaining virtue, it is recommended to renew ablution for every obligatory prayer, such as:
2 الْجَعْفَرِيَّاتُ، أَخْبَرَنَا مُحَمَّدٌ حَدَّثَنِي مُوسَى حَدَّثَنَا أَبِي عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَنْ جَدِّهِ جَعْفَرِ بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَنْ جَدِّهِ أَنَّ عَلِيَّ بْنَ أَبِي طَالِبٍ كَانَ يَتَوَضَّأُ لِكُلِّ صَلَاةٍ وَ يَقْرَأُ إِذا قُمْتُمْ إِلَى الصَّلاةِ فَاغْسِلُوا وُجُوهَكُمْ الْآيَةَ- قَالَ جَعْفَرُ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ كَانَ أَمِيرُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ يَطْلُبُ بِذَلِكَ الْفَضْلَ وَ قَدْ جَمَعَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ وَ جَمَعَ أَمِيرُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَ جَمِيعُ أَصْحَابِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَوَاتٍ بِوُضُوءٍ وَاحِدٍ
📚 Ja'fariyat, p. 17
Translation: Imam Sajjad (peace be upon him) said: Ali (peace be upon him) used to perform ablution for every prayer and would recite this verse: 'O you who have believed, when you rise to [perform] prayer, wash your faces... to the end of verse 6 of Surah Al-Ma'idah.' Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) said: Ali (peace be upon him) intended to seek virtue with this act, and indeed the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) and Amir al-Mu'minin (prayers of Allah be upon him) and all the companions of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) prayed multiple prayers with one ablution.
3 عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ قَالَ: مَنْ جَدَّدَ وُضُوءَهُ لِغَيْرِ حَدَثٍ جَدَّدَ اللَّهُ تَوْبَتَهُ مِنْ غَيْرِ اسْتِغْفَارٍ
📚 Wasa'il al-Shi'a, Vol. 1, p. 481
Translation: Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) said: The one who renews his ablution without an event having occurred to him, God renews his repentance without a need for him to seek forgiveness.
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4 قَتَادَةَ عَنِ الرِّضَا قَالَ: تَجْدِيدُ الْوُضُوءِ لِصَلَاةِ الْعِشَاءِ يَمْحُو لَا وَ اللَّهِ وَ بَلَى وَ اللَّهِ
📚 Al-Faqih, Vol. 1, p. 41
Imam Reza (peace be upon him) said: Renewing ablution for the Isha prayer erases 'No, by God' and 'Yes, by God' (meaning false oaths).
4 عَنْ سَمَاعَةَ قَالَ: كُنْتُ عِنْدَ أَبِي الْحَسَنِ إلی أن قَالَ إِنَّ مَنْ تَوَضَّأَ لِلْمَغْرِبِ كَانَ وُضُوؤُهُ ذَلِكَ كَفَّارَةً لِمَا مَضَى مِنْ ذُنُوبِهِ فِي يَوْمِهِ إِلَّا الْكَبَائِرَ وَ مَنْ تَوَضَّأَ لِلصُّبْحِ كَانَ وُضُوؤُهُ ذَلِكَ كَفَّارَةً لِمَا مَضَى مِنْ ذُنُوبِهِ فِي لَيْلَتِهِ إِلَّا الْكَبَائِرَ
📚 Al-Kafi, Vol. 3, p. 72
Translation: Imam Kadhim (peace be upon him) said in a narration: Indeed, the one who performs ablution for the Maghrib prayer, that ablution of his is an expiation for his past sins on that day except for major sins, and the one who performs ablution for the Fajr prayer, that ablution of his is an expiation for his past sins on that night except for major sins.
✅So, although without a doubt we can pray different and multiple prayers with the ablution from before the prayer and with the ablution of the previous prayer, in some narrations, a number of which have been mentioned, renewing ablution for every prayer has virtue.
5 عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ قَالَ: الطُّهْرُ عَلَى الطُّهْرِ عَشْرُ حَسَنَاتٍ
📚 Al-Kafi, Vol. 3, p. 72
Translation: Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) said: Purity upon purity (ablution on top of ablution) is ten good deeds.