WO2014189352A1

WO2014189352A1 - Disposable ablution pack

Info

Publication number: WO2014189352A1
Application number: PCT/MY2014/000044
Authority: WO
Inventors: Abdullah M. JAFFAR ALI Bin
Original assignee: University Of Malaya
Priority date: 2013-05-21
Filing date: 2014-03-26
Publication date: 2014-11-27
Also published as: MY155742A

Abstract

The present invention provides an ablution kit for the Muslim worshippers to do ablution before performing prayer. The ablution kit is able to be used in lieu of water in difficult situations such as emergencies, war, traveling or non-conductive environment such as highly polluted washrooms or overcrowded public toilets in which the performance of ablution is likely to inconvenience the public at large. The ablution kit consists of an outer zipper pack, an inner pack, a water bottle with sterile drinking water and several pieces of wet towels. The wet towels are immersed in special formulated disinfectant solution comprising deionized water, polysorbate 20, triclosan, benzalkonium chloride, boric acid, sodium borate, sodium benzoate, benzoic acid, thymol, eucalyptus pure essential oil and tea tree pure essential oil.

Description

DISPOSABLE ABLUTION PACK FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates, in general, to an ablution kit. More specifically, the present invention relates to a one-off use disposable ablution kit to solve the problem faced by the worshipper in searching a sanitary station equipped with clean water system. The present invention helps worshipper to perform a valid ablution or Wudhu in difficult conditions such as emergency situations or when there is a lack of water or when is unconducive because of overcrowding such as in some public toilets in which the performance of ablution is likely to inconvenience the public at large.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

An ablution is a form of ritualistic cleansing or washing prior to prayer. For Muslims, ablution, which also known as Wudhu, is compulsory before prayer. Muslims have been given specific instructions on how to make Wudhu in both the Quran and the hadith. Before performing the prayer, they must be in a state of cleanliness, for this, they make ablution. However, Muslims must ensure their bodies are free from all impurities or the ablution is invalid. The ablution must be made with clean and flowing water such as water from the rain, river, sea, well, fountain, dew and melted snow.

Muslims are able to do their prayer at any place as long as the place is clean. Normally, Muslims will search for mosque to perform the prayer because mosque is equipped with clean water system for ablution. However, Muslims that live in some countries may have difficulty locating a mosque. In addition, there are certain situations in which Muslims might face difficulties to find clean water system such as during traveling, emergencies, war or when the washroom is not clean and is likely to pollute the worshipper instead or is unconducive because of overcrowding such as in some public toilets in which the performance of ablution is likely to inconvenience the public at large.

So, Muslims have to plan ahead and be prepared to perform the ablution before prayer. According to statistics from the United Nations (U.N.), Islam is now the second largest religion in world and the annual growth rate of Islam is around 6.40%. Also according to these statistics, one in five people on the planet are Muslim (by birth or geographical reference). Muslims are active outdoors and may face difficulty in locating a source of clean water to perform ablution when they are out and about.to perform ablution before prayer. Oftentimes even in the availability of water, the worshipper may face difficulty in spending time on the ritualistic ablution process due to the large number of people that may also want to use the same water source for their personal cleanliness. The worshipper taking time to perform the ablution ritual at public washrooms may thus be viewed as an unwelcome hindrance to the general public. It therefore follows that a solution is needed to make ablution simple and a pleasant affair that does not hinder or annoy the general public. There are some sets or kits produced for the Muslim worshipper that consists of a compass, pocket prayer rug, and others items, but, to date no ablution kit has been invented that can be carried by the Muslims everywhere which could enable them to perform ablution anywhere. The present invention, aims to solve the problem of performing ablution ritual under unconducive conditions. The researcher has invented a disposable ablution kit that comprises several pieces of wet tear-resistant paper towels held under sterile conditions, dual packing plastic packing one of which is re-usable zipper bag. The package also contains a bottle of sterile drinking water that enables the worshipper rinse his mouth as part of the ablution ritual.

Conclusion, ablution kit is highly needed to help the Muslim worshipper to perform the ablution ritual before their prayers. With this kit, Muslims are able to do complete and validate their ablution at any place, besides, it is simple, easier, helps avoid the worshipper use dirty washrooms that could potentially pollute the worshipper, eliminate the need for Muslims to use public water sources not meant for ablution such that the worshipper may no longer be a hindrance to the general public in public toilets, it saves water and time.

It is also anticipated that people of all faiths and cultures may find other uses for the present invention such as a personal hygiene kit. SUMMARY

An object of the present invention is to provide an ablution kit which comprises of several pieces of wet tear-resistant sterile paper towels with different functions and sizes, a water bottle, an outer pack and an inner pack. The present invention is very useful for Muslims to help them to do ablution before prayer in difficult situations such as traveling, emergencies, in the absence of a clean source of water or an environment that is unconducive for performing ablution such as filthy toilets or in times of strive and war. Another object of the present invention is to provide special scented and non-scented disinfectant solution formulation to keep towels in the ablution kit under sterile condition.

These and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be readily apparent from the following description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS/FIGURES

The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the present invention and are incorporated in and constitute a part of the specification, illustrate embodiments of the present invention and together with the description serve to explain the principles of the present invention.

Figure 1 shows a disposable ablution kit. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

In the following detailed description, reference is made to various specific embodiments in which the present invention may be practiced. These embodiments are described with sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the present invention and it is to be understood that other embodiments may be employed and that structural and logical changes may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention. In general, the present invention represents a disposable ablution kit for Muslims to perform ritualistic ablution before prayer. The ablution kit according to the present invention can be easily carried by the Muslims everywhere and can be used in unconducive or difficult situations such as traveling, emergencies, lack of a clean washroom for ablution or war. In a specific embodiment, the ablution kit according to the present invention comprises of an outer pack, a water bottle and several pieces of wet tear-resistant sterile paper towels which comes into different of sizes and functions for different body parts in an inner pack. Figure 1 showed the ablution kit in the present invention. As indicated in figure 1, the ablution kit comprises an outer pack, indicated by the reference numeral (1); a water bottle containing drinking water, indicated by the reference numeral (2); an inner pack, indicated by the reference numeral (3). The inner pack further comprises 8 pieces of wet towels sized 40 cm x 40 cm indicated by the reference numerals (4R), (4L), (6), (7R), (7L) (8), (10R) and (10L) respectively which are packed separately; 4 pieces of wet towels sized 15 cm x 15 cm indicated by the reference numerals (5R), (5L), (9R) and (9L) respectively which come separately or individually within the same pack. The outer pack (1) is a re-usable zipper bag and the water bottle (2) is filled with 150 ml sterile drinking water. The zip of the outer pack is indicated by numeral (21). The water bottle (2) is marked with 2, words of "Drinking Water", a picture of a mouth and a diagram showing mouth being rinsed and followed by spitting out. The wet towel sized 40 cm x 40 cm is indicated by the reference numeral (4R) is marked with "4R", the words "Right Hand", a picture of hand up to wrist and a diagram showing the hand being cleaned or wiped with the towel. The wet towel sized 40 cm x 40 cm that is indicated by the reference numeral (4L) is marked with "4L", the words "Left Hand", a picture of hand up to wrist and a diagram showing a hand being cleaned or wiped with the towel. The wet towel sized 15 cm x 15 cm that is indicated by the reference numeral (5R) is marked with "5R", the words "Right Nostril"; a picture of a nose and a diagram showing the right nostril being cleaned or wiped with the towel. The wet towel sized 15 cm x 15 cm that is indicated by the reference numeral (5L) is marked with "5L", the words "Left Nostril", a picture of a nose and a diagram showing the left nostril being cleaned or wiped with the towel.

The wet towel sized 40 cm x 40 cm that is indicated by the reference numeral (6) is marked with the number "6", the word "Face", a picture of the face and a diagram showing the face being cleaned or wiped with the towel.

The wet towel sized 40 cm x 40 cm that is indicated by the reference numeral (7R) is marked with "7R", the words "Right Hand"; a picture of the hand up to elbow and a diagram showing a hand being cleaned or wiped with the towel. The wet towel sized 40 cm x 40 cm that is indicated by the reference numeral (7L) is marked with "7L", the words "Left Hand", a picture of hand up to elbow and a diagram showing the hand being cleaned or wiped with the towel.

The wet towel sized 40 cm x 40 cm that is indicated by the reference numerals (8) is marked with the number "8", the word "Head", a picture of head and a diagram showing the head (and hair) being cleaned or wiped with the towel from forehead to the back.

The wet towel sized 15 cm x 15 cm that is indicated by the reference numeral (9R) is marked with the words "Right Ear", a picture of the ear lobe and a diagram showing the right ear being cleaned or wiped with the towel. The wet towel sized 15 cm x 15 cm that is indicated by the reference numeral (9L) is marked with the words "Left Ear", a picture of the left ear lobe and a diagram showing the left ear being cleaned or wiped with the towel.

The wet towel sized 40 cm x 40 cm that is indicated by the reference numeral (10R) is marked with "10R", the words "Right Leg", a picture of a leg and a diagram showing the leg being cleaned or wiped with the towel. The wet towel sized 40 cm x 40 cm that is indicated by the reference numeral (10L) is marked with "10L", the words "Left Leg", a picture of a leg and a diagram showing the leg being cleaned or wiped with the towel. In one embodiment of the present invention, the wet towels (4R and 4L) to (10R and 10L) are made of tear-resistant paper towels and the thickness of the wet towels is from 0.35 to 0.55 mm. Each of these wet towels is immersed in the specially formulated scented and non-scented disinfectant solution. The scented disinfectant solution comprising 1.0% - 5.0% of pol sorbate 20 as the emulsifying and surface active agents, 0.1% - 0.3% of triclosan, 0.1% - 0.3% of benzalkonium chloride, 0.05% - 0.1% of thymol, 0.05% - 0.1% of eucalyptus pure essential oil, 1.0% - 2.0% of tea tree pure essential oil and deionised water up to 100%.

While the non-scented disinfectant solution comprising 1.0% - 5.0 % of polysorbate 20 as the surface active agent, 0.01% of benzalkonium chloride, 1.0% boric acid, 0.2% sodium borate, 0.065% - 0.07% of sodium benzoate or benzoic acid and deionised water up to 100%.

Both disinfectant solutions are devoid of alcohol and all the wet towels are cold- packed with the disinfectant solution under sterile conditions using pre-sterilized paper towels in a GMP Class 100 cleanroom facility. The function of the polysorbate 20 in the disinfectant solution is to emulsify the non- water soluble pure essential oil. Besides, this emulsifying agent also plays an important function in cleansing the body as the emulsifying agent also contains the surface active agent properties. The functions of triclosan, benzalkonium chloride, thymol, eucalyptus pure essential oil, tea tree pure essential oil, boric acid, sodium borate, benzoic acid and sodium benzoate in the disinfectant solution are antibacterial and antifungal agents used to inhibit bacterial growth or kills bacteria. Eucalyptus and tea tree pure essential oil are the compounds which produce the pleasant scent in the scented disinfectant solution.

In the present invention, the worshipper makes the niah (utterance of the intention to perform ablution) and invoking the name of Allah for the purpose of praying to Allah. The worshipper will then start performing ablution. The worshipper tears open the upper portion of the outer pack (1) and then, open the zip of the outer pack (1). Remove the water bottle (2) followed by the inner pack (3) containing the wet towels (4L and 4R) to (10L and 10R). The tora-off upper portion of the outer pack (1) is conscientiously placed into the now empty outer pack (1).

Referring to figure 1, ablution starts with both hands. The worshipper takes out the wet towel marked with "4R" to wash or clean right arm with the wet towel (4R) from palm up to wrist, then, place the used wet towel (4R) in the outer pack (1). Repeat this step using the wet towel marked with "4L" on the left arm, then, place the used wet towel (4L) in the outer pack (1). The soiled wet towels are placed in the outer pack (1).

Secondly is the ablution for the mouth. Using the water from the water bottle (2), the mouth is rinsed 3 times and spat into the outer pack (1). Thirdly is the ablution for the nose. Take out wet towel (5R) marked with "5R" to clean the right nostril as far inside as possible using a clean portion of the towel each time and disposes the soiled wet towel in the outer pack (1). Repeat this step with the left nostril using wet towel (5L) which is marked "5L". Dispose the soiled wet towel in the outer pack (1). Fourthly is the ablution for the face. Take out wet towel (6) marked "6" to wash or clean the face from top of the forehead down to the chin and from ear to ear. Place the soiled wet towel in the outer pack (1).

Still referring to figure 1, the next step in the ablution ritual is the ablution for hand up to elbow. Take out wet towel (7R) marked with "7R" to wash or clean right arm from palm to elbow. Place the soiled wet towel (7R) in the outer pack (1). Repeat this step using wet towel (7L) marked with "7L" on the left arm. Place the soiled wet towel in the outer pack (1). The next step in the ablution ritual is the cleaning of the head. Take out wet towel (8) marked with "8" and run it over the head beginning above forehead and all the way to back of neck and retrace by going back the same way to the forehead. Place the soiled wet towel in the outer pack (1). The next step is the ablution for ear. Take out wet towel (9R) marked with "9R" and wet towel (9L) marked with "9L" to clean ear lobes using these two wet towels and so that a part of the towel goes inside the ears using the forefingers to clean the inside of the ears. While the remaining part of the towel is folded over the external lobes held in place with the thumbs and cleaned. Place the soiled wet towels (9R and 9L) in the outer pack (1). The final ablution step is the ablution for legs. Take out wet towel (10R) marked with "10R" and clean the right leg up to the right ankle. Dispose of the soiled wet towel in the outer pack (1). Then, repeat this step with the left leg using wet towel (10L) marked with "10L". Place the wet towel (10L) in the outer pack (1). Finally, zip the outer pack (1) and conscientiously dispose of it in a waste container made available for the same.

Claims

WHAT IS CLAIMED IS:

1. A disposable ablution kit which provides a convenient way to perform the ablution ritual before prayer comprises:- i) a re-usable zipper outer pack;

ii) a water bottle consisting of sterile drinking water;

iii) an inner pack; and

iv) 8 pieces of wet towels sized 40 cm x 40 cm and 4 pieces of wet towels sized 15 cm x 15 cm immersed in scented or non-scented disinfectant solution.

2. The disposable ablution kit according to claim 1 , wherein the water bottle is filled with 150 ml of sterile drinking water.

3. The disposable ablution kit according to claim 1, wherein the material of the wet towels are selected from tear-resistant paper towels and the thickness of the wet towels is from 0.35 to 0.55 mm.

4. The disposable ablution kit according to claim 1, wherein the wet towels and the water bottle are marked with alphabetic and numeric characters to describe the sequence of use, words and pictures to indicate the parts of body and a diagram to show the procedure for use.

5. The disposable ablution kit according to claim 1, wherein the scented disinfectant solution comprising 1.0% - 5.0% of polysorbate 20, 0.1% - 0.3% of triclosan, 0.1% - 0.3% of benzalkonium chloride, 0.01% - 0.1% of thymol, 0.05% - 0.1 % of eucalyptus pure essential oil, 1.0% - 2.0% of tea tree oil pure essential oil and deionised water up to 100%.

6. The disposable kit according to claim 1, wherein the non-scented disinfectant solution comprising 1.0% - 5.0% of polysorbate 20, 0.01% of benzalkonium chloride, 1.0% of boric acid, 0.2% of sodium borate, 0.065% - 0.07% of sodium benzoate or benzoic acid and deionised water up to 100%.