Wudu in the Quran
Allah says: “O you who believe, when you rise for prayer, wash your faces and your arms up to the elbows, wipe over your heads, and wash your feet up to the ankles” (Quran 5:6). These four acts are the core of wudu. The other steps below come from how the Prophet ﷺ performed it.
How to perform wudu, step by step
This is the wudu of the Prophet ﷺ as shown by Uthman ibn Affan (Sahih al-Bukhari 159) and Abdullah ibn Zaid (Sahih al-Bukhari 185).
- Intention. Intend in your heart that you are making wudu for prayer, and say Bismillah.
- Wash your hands up to the wrists, three times.
- Rinse your mouth three times.
- Rinse your nose: draw water in gently and blow it out, three times.
- Wash your face three times, from the hairline to the chin and from ear to ear.
- Wash your arms up to and including the elbows, three times, starting with the right arm.
- Wipe your head once with wet hands: from the front to the back of the head and back to the front (Sahih al-Bukhari 185). Many also wipe the ears.
- Wash your feet up to and including the ankles, three times, starting with the right foot, and wash between the toes.
Washing each part once is valid; three times is the Sunnah. Keep the order shown in the verse, and don’t waste water.
Dua after wudu
أَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَحْدَهُ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ، وَأَشْهَدُ أَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا عَبْدُهُ وَرَسُولُهُ
Ashhadu an lā ilāha illā-llāhu waḥdahu lā sharīka lah, wa ashhadu anna Muḥammadan ʿabduhu wa rasūluh. “I bear witness that there is no god but Allah alone, without partner, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger.” The Prophet ﷺ said that the eight gates of Paradise are opened for whoever says this after wudu, to enter by whichever they wish (Sahih Muslim 234).
The reward of wudu
The Prophet ﷺ said that when a believer washes their face in wudu, every sin they looked at with their eyes is washed away with the water; when they wash their hands, the sins of their hands; and when they wash their feet, the sins they walked to, until they come out pure (Sahih Muslim 244).
What breaks wudu?
- Using the toilet (urine or stool) and passing wind: the Prophet ﷺ said prayer is not accepted from someone in this state until they make wudu (Sahih al-Bukhari 135).
- Deep sleep. Scholars differ on light dozing while sitting.
- Losing consciousness.
Some other things (such as eating camel meat or touching the private parts) are discussed by scholars with different conclusions. For your own practice, follow a qualified scholar or the school you follow.
Next: prayer
With wudu done, you’re ready to pray. Check today’s prayer times for your city, or learn how to pray Tahajjud.