A ‘Jurist-linguistic’ Reading of the wuḍūʾ Verse (Q. 5:6)

Abstract

This article sheds light on the role of grammar in understanding legislative texts, with reference to the wuḍūʾ verse (Q. 5:6). The first section deals with the issue of washing the elbows along with the feet as part of ritual ablution, and lists the various interpretations of the preposition ilā in the aya, and discusses the grammatical theory used by different fuqahāʾ to support their arguments. The second section tackles how much of the head should be rubbed in ritual ablution, with regard to the use of the preposition bi- in the phrase bi-ruʾūsikum, while the third focuses on the two readings of the phrase arjulakum/arjulikum (‘your feet’) and on passing legislative judgement on whether the feet be washed or just rubbed. The study concludes that lugha and fiqh theory are of mutual importance and together help to clarify legislative judgements, and, on this basis, that jurists should not pass any legislative judgement without referring to language.