DETAILED ANSWER
"Wudu" is one of the important obligations in Islam. performing the obligation of prayer without "Wudu" or its substitute [ tayamum , ghosl ] is not correct and won 't be accepted by god almighty.
يا أَيُّهَا الَّذينَ آمَنُوا إِذا قُمْتُمْ إِلَى الصَّلاةِ فَاغْسِلُوا وُجُوهَكُمْ وَ أَيْدِيَكُمْ إِلَى الْمَرافِقِ وَ امْسَحُوا بِرُؤُسِكُمْ وَ أَرْجُلَكُمْ إِلَى الْكَعْبَيْنِ وَ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ جُنُباً فَاطَّهَّرُوا وَ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ مَرْضى أَوْ عَلى سَفَرٍ أَوْ جاءَ أَحَدٌ مِنْكُمْ مِنَ الْغائِطِ أَوْ لامَسْتُمُ النِّساءَ فَلَمْ تَجِدُوا ماءً فَتَيَمَّمُوا صَعيداً طَيِّباً فَامْسَحُوا بِوُجُوهِكُمْ وَ أَيْديكُمْ مِنْهُ ما يُريدُ اللَّهُ لِيَجْعَلَ عَلَيْكُمْ مِنْ حَرَجٍ وَ لكِنْ يُريدُ لِيُطَهِّرَكُمْ وَ لِيُتِمَّ نِعْمَتَهُ عَلَيْكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَشْكُرُونَ (مائده/6)ـ
O you who have faith! When you stand up for prayer, wash your faces and your hands up to the elbows, and wipe a part of your heads and your feet, up to the ankles. If you are junub, purify yourselves. But if you are sick, or on a journey, or any of you has come from the toilet, or you have touched women, and you cannot find water, then make tayammum with clean ground and wipe a part of your faces and your hands with it. Allah does not desire to put you to hardship, but He desires to purify you, and to complete His blessing upon you so that you may give thanks (5:6).
There is difference between Muslims in how to perform Wudu. one of these differences is how to touch or wash our feet
the view of Shiite according to this verse and valid narrations from Prophet Muhammad [pbuh] and Ahl Al-bayt [as] is this that, feet must be touched, because this sentence [wipe a part of your heads ] is the factor of the word [feet] and the word [ feet] refers to the word [heads] ,in this case the meaning of verse is this:" wipe your heads and feet".
Thus, the verdict of head and feet is "WIPE“.
On the other hand, some of valid narrations from prophet Muhammad [PBUH] and his Ahl Al-bayt confirm this opinion of Shiite and indicate that prophet [PBUH] would perform wudu like this so, the act of Shiite is accordance with Holy Quran 's decree and the method of prophet [PBUH].
The view of some Sunni is that feet are washed. Their main reason is this that the word [feet] is object for the word [wash] which is in previous sentence.it means they believe that the word [washing] is the factor for the word [feet] not the word [wipe] which in the same sentence.
In response to the misconception of these guys, Ibn Al-hazm a Sunni famous scholar says:
مسألة : وأما قولنا في الرجلين فإن القرآن نزل بالمسح . قال الله تعالى : { وامسحوا برءوسكم وأرجلكم } وسواء قرئ بخفض اللام أو بفتحها هي على كل حال عطف على الرءوس : إما على اللفظ وإما على الموضع ، لا يجوز غير ذلك . لأنه لا يجوز أن يحال بين المعطوف والمعطوف عليه بقضية مبتدأة. وهكذا جاء عن ابن عباس : نزل القرآن بالمسح - يعني في الرجلين في الوضوء - وقد قال بالمسح على الرجلين جماعة من السلف ، منهم علي بن أبي طالب وابن عباس والحسن وعكرمة والشعبي وجماعة غيرهم ، وهو قول الطبري ، ورويت في ذلك آثارـ
'But our opinion about feet ' s decree is this that, wiping feet has been sent down in Holy Quran it means what is written in Quran is this that feet must be wiped.
The word [feet] whether its fourth letter is majroor [Arjol
eekom] or with fathe[Arjol
akom], in both cases it refers to [heads], this reference is whether to the word or place [if it refers to the word [heads] , since its I'rab is Majroor(Ro'oos
eekoom) , the word [feet] must be read majroor (Arjol
eekom) and if it refers to the place of [heads], since the word "heads" is in the position of subject and its I'rab is Mahallan(i.e., positionally) Mansoob, "feet" must be read mansoob (Arjol
akom)], and any thing except what was told is incorrect, because a new matter could not be raised between referred word and reference. And it 's been quoted by "Ibn Abbas" according to "Holy Quran" feet 's decree is wiping.
A group of ancients like : Ali, Ibn Abas, Hasan basri, Akrame, sha'bi and some other one believe in touching feet."
(Source:
Al-Zahery, Ali Ibn Ahmad Ibn Saed Ibn Hazm aboo Ahmad [died in 456 Hejira], almahali , v 1, P 301, SEARCED BY: lajanat ahya Al-toras Al-arabi , PUBLISED BY: Dar Al-afaghAl- jadidah – Beirut)
According to valid narrations that have been quoted in Sunni valid resources, Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) and Commander of faithful (i.e., Imam Ali-as) and some of companions , performed wudu like Shiite.
In this writing , we present these narrations along with the scan of books to the honorable readers.
To be continued, Insha Allah.....
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