This invention relates to water receptacles and washing arrangements incorporating same.
Water, particularly potable water, is an increasingly scarce resource in many parts of the world, particularly in the Middle East and Africa. Today the majority of countries in this region are either consuming or are expected to consume more water than their annual renewable supply.
Water in this region is considered to be the most critical natural resource because these countries lie in arid regions of the world. Several countries in the region are currently suffering from water scarcity due to increased demand resulting from population growth, higher standards of living, urbanisation and economic growth rates. This situation is very likely to affect all countries in the region in the near future.
Problems of finding water supplies, conserving them, and distributing them have been seen as increasingly critical issues for the future of the Middle East and North Africa as a whole.
Water resource conservation and allocation is one of the most urgent and pressing issues for the region. Until- recently, new sources of supply have been exploited to cope with increasing demand. However, this is no longer cost effective due to limited water resources and the economic and environmental costs of tapping new sources. Many countries in the region have virtually tapped all their natural water resources. The potential for developing other renewable sources is limited. Developing alternative water resources is costly and unaffordable for many countries.
Water shortage in the Middle East and North Africa has forced countries to reuse treated waste water for agriculture, industry and recreation. The primary problem associated with using treated waste water (in addition to high cost) are the inherent health risks from water containing bacteria, viruses and a wide range of parasitic organisms.
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Additionally, heating caused by so-called global warming is expected to aggravate the difficulties associated with the provision of water supplies to this region.
Wodou and Ghusl are important Muslim practices which relate to washing. Wodou is an ablution procedure which is obligatory whilst performing all prayers, including the five daily prayers. The majority of practicing Moslems perform Wodou, some five times a day. A Wodou involves washing of the hands, mouth, nose (nostrils), face, arms, wiping of the head and ears, and both feet with handfuls of water. During Wodou, one is required to recite certain Islamic texts and remember given phrases, with the result that a typical Wodou may take some minutes. With running water facilities, a considerable amount of water goes to waste during the practice, since only handfuls of water are collected and used at each washing step.
Ghusl is a practice where the whole body is wiped with handfuls of clean water. It is performed by practicing Moslems every Friday before the Friday midday prayer. In addition, Ghusl is required after sexual intercourse and nocturnal emissions. Therefore, the average Moslem would be expected to perform Ghusl several times a week.
The Wodou and Ghusl practices derive directly from the teaching of the Prophet Mohammed. The prophet Mohamed recommended that minimal quantities of water are used to perform Wodou and Ghusl. Specifically, the equivalent of a Moud of water is what he was known to use for Wodou, and the equivalent of a Sa'a of water is what he was known to use for Ghusl. According to Islamic literature, a Moud is equivalent to 688 grams of water, and a Sa'a is equivalent to four Mouds, or 2752 grams of water. In general Muslims strive to adhere to the practices of the prophet Mohamed as much as is practically possible.
According to Hadith, the Prophet Mohammed urged his followers to use water sparingly and with care when performing Wodou and Ghusl. However, the use of the limited quantities of water known as Moud and Sa'a is not an obligatory requirement for Moslems, and often, even with the best of intentions, water is wasted or, at least, the use is not optimised. Thus, for example, mosques provide Wodou facilities so that several individuals may use stretches of water drainage canals supplied with many water taps for use by individual users. In such facilities, water runs continuously during Wodou and often unattended. It represents a major waste of water.
Reducing wastage of water during Wodou by, for example, the use of traditional water measuring mobile containers to perform Wodou or Ghusl (instead of running water taps) is no longer practical or compatible with modem living facilities. It leads to water spillage on floors and may be perceived to be an unnecessary complication. However, with the widespread availability of running water facilities and high pressure shower fittings, significant waste of water inevitably occurs during Ghusl. Despite the fact that according to Sunna only about 2752 grams of water (ie, a Sa'a) is required to perform a perfectly adequate Ghusl, many times that amount is consumed due to the continuous flow of water.
The present invention addresses the above named problems, disadvantages and considerations. The present invention provides articles which have the practical effect of enabling water wastage to be reduced, and the more spiritual effect of aiding Moslems to adhere to or follow the Sunna to as close a degree as is practically possible.
According to the invention there is provided a wash basin having a washing arrangement according to claim 1 or a bath-tub having a washing arrangement according to claim 4. The receptacle adapted to hold a body of water and having indicator means for indicating when the volume of water held in the receptacle is equal to a volume i) in the range 688 to 757cm3, preferably 688 to 697cm3, most preferably about 689cm3, and/or ii) in the range 2752 to 3028cm3, preferably 2752 to 2786cm3, most preferably about 2757cm3.
In this way, a volume of water which exactly, or very nearly, corresponds to the weight of water known as a Moud or the weight of water known as a Sa'a can be conveniently measured out by a user. In this way Wodou and Ghusl can be performed in a manner faithful to the teachings of Hadith, and water usage is minimised.
Henceforth, receptacles having indicator means indicating when the volume of water held in the receptacle is equal to volume i) as defined above are termed Moud receptacles, and receptacles having indicator means indicating when the volume of water held in the receptacle is equal to the volume ii) as defined above are termed Sa'a receptacles.
The indicator means may comprise a marking on the receptacle equivalent to a volume i) as defined above, and/or ii), as defined above.
Alternatively, the capacity of the receptacle may be equal to a volume i), as defined above, or ii) as defined above, and the indicator means may comprise a water releasing feature of the receptacle which releases water once the receptacle is filled to capacity. The water releasing feature may be a hole, a spout or even the top of a perimeter wall of the receptacle.
The width of the receptacle may exceed its depth. Such arrangements are convenient for washing purposes, allowing easy movement of the hand.
In the instance in which the indicator means indicates when the volume of water held in the receptacle is equal to the volume i) as defined above, the receptacle may have the word Moud disposed thereon.
In the instance in which the indicator means indicates when the volume of water held in the receptacle is equal to the volume ii) as defined above, the receptacle may have the word Sa'a disposed thereon. The words Moud and Sa'a need not be written in English - other languages might be used.
The receptacle may comprise one or more gripping portions disposed near to the top of the receptacle, preferably on an upper surface thereof. The gripping portions may comprise handles.
The washing arrangement of the wash basin or of the bath tub of the invention comprises
a receptacles housing adapted to receive the receptacle and being integral with the wash basin or bath tub.
The receptacle housing may comprise a recessed region to receive the receptacle, the recessed region generally conforming to the external shape of the receptacle. Such receptacle housings provide a convenient and aesthetically pleasing way of stowing the receptacle.
Document
Embodiments of receptacles and washing arrangements in accordance with the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
It should be noted that the quantities of a Moud and a Sa'a relate to weights of water: a Moud is 688 grams and a Sa'a is 2752 grams. In principle, the correct weight of water could be used by pouring water into a weight measuring arrangement. However, such an arrangement would be cumbersome and unnecessarily complicated. In the simple and convenient arrangement consideration is made of the correct volume of water. To obtain these volumes, the density of water must be known. However, the density of water is temperature dependent (and to a lesser degree pressure dependent). Table 1 shows the variation of the density of water between 0 and 50°C at a pressure of 1 atmosphere. Also, Table 1 shows the volumes of water which are equivalent to a Moud and a Sa'a at these temperatures.
The pressure dependence of water density causes negligible variation in water density over commonly encountered atmospheric pressures and can be ignored. Volumes considered useful in the context of the present invention range from the Moud and Sa'a volumes at 0°C to volumes which are greater by 10%, ie, from 688 to 757cm3 in the case of a Moud and from 2752 to 3028cm3 in the case of a Sa'a. The volume range 688 to 697cm3 in the case of a Moud (and 2752 to 2786cm3 in the case of a Sa'a) are considered particularly useful since they correspond to temperatures in the temperature range 0 to 50°C, which is the range in which most washing takes place. Volumes corresponding to room temperature (20 °C), ie, 689cm3 and 2757cm3 for a Moud and Sa'a, respectively, are possibly most useful. Although in general a single marking corresponding to a single volume is used, it is possible to dispose a number of markings relating to the relevant volumes on a receptacle. For example, three separate marking might be used to indicate desired volumes corresponding to 'cold', 'warm' and 'hot' water. -
The receptacle 10 of
In a similar manner, a large Sa'a receptacle can be provided having a capacity in excess of 2752 cm3, and having a marking indicating when a volume of water equal to 2752 cm3 is present in the receptacle. Such a receptacle can be used to store an amount of water equal to (or very nearly equal to) a Sa'a, and can be advantageously used in conjunction with Ghusl.
Although the skilled reader will appreciate that a vast number of possible variations exist with regard to the shape of the Moud and Sa'a receptacles, it is preferable that the receptacles, especially Moud receptacles, are spacious in shape so as to allow easy movement of the hand within the receptacle.
Receptacles and receptacle housings can be fabricated from any convenient materials, such as ceramics, plastics or metal. Washing arrangements can be conveniently positioned against walls using conventional fixing means such as bolts, screws, pins and adhesive.
This list of references cited by the applicant is for the reader's convenience only. It does not form part of the European patent document. Even though great care has been taken in compiling the references, errors or omissions cannot be excluded and the EPO disclaims all liability in this regard.