How To Perform Wudu

By Last Updated: March 20, 2024Views: 49

Wudu is a purification process in Islam and performed before any worship (ibadah) especially before salah. In wudu there are four obligatory actions, which are mandatory for valid wudu. In wudu, we wash specific parts of our body in specific order to obtain physical and spiritual purification. Hazara Muhammad (SAW) said:
“If a person does wudoo and completes his wudoo’, then he starts to pray and completes his prayer, he will come out of his prayer free of sin as he came out of his mother`s womb.”
قَالَ إِنَّ الْعَبْدَ إِذَا تَوَضَّأَ فَأَتَمَّ وُضُوءَهُ ثُمَّ دَخَلَ فِي صَلَاتِهِ فَأَتَمَّ صَلَاتَهُ خَرَجَ مِنْ صَلَاتِهِ كَمَا خَرَجَ مِنْ بَطْنِ أُمِّهِ مِنْ الذُّنُوبِ‏.
(Musnad Ahmad 430)

Obligatory Actions (Fard) in Wudu

There are four obligatory actions in wudu, which are mandatory to perform in order. If any of these following actions are not performed or order of performance is not correct, wudu will be considered invalid.

  1. Washing the entire face from chin to hairline and from ear to ear.
  2. Washing both hands from from finger tips to elbows.
  3. Doing masah of 1/4 part of your head
  4. Washing feet including ankles

Performance of Wudu

For wudu, each part must be washed three times in such a way that right part will be washed followed by the left one. Make sure all the parts are wet properly. If any of part is not wet completely, wudu will be invalid. Stepwise process to perform wudu is following in orderly manner.

Istinja

Cleaning parts of body used for urination and defection with water is called istinja. It is preferred to perform istinja before wudu by considering it as a part of wudu.

Washing Hands

Wash your both hands up to the wrist.

FIRST WASH HANDS

Rinsing the Mouth

Rinsing mouth is a sunnah practice of wudu. rinse your mouth with water three times using right hand. You can miswak your teeth and gargling during rinsing mouth. During fasting, make sure you don’t swallow any water. Spit all water used for rinsing mouth.

Rinsing the Mouth

Rinsing The Nose

Rinsing nose is also a sunnah practice. Take some water in your left cupped hand and put water in your nose three times. Use left little finger to clean your nose.

Rinsing The Nose

Washing Face

Take water in your both hands and wash your entire face three times from ear to ear and from chin to hairline. If you grow beard on your face then preferred way is khilal of beard (parting beard with fingers to make sure water reaches the skin) with fingers. But, note wudu will be valid either with or without khilal of beard.

WASHING FACE

Washing Arms

First wash your right arm from wrist to elbows three time and then wash you left hand from wrist to elbow.

WASH ARMS from wrist to elbow

Masah

Use water to wet your both hands and follow the steps.

  1. Place your both hands on your fore head in such a way that finger tips of one hand touches the other. Move these hands till the back of your neck, rubbing you head, without separating fingers.
  2. Put both of your index fingers in ears and move them in a circle to clean inner side of ear, while use both of your thumbs to clean back of your ears by moving upward.
  3. From side of both hands, rub back of your neck in such a way that index finger side touches the back of your neck.
  4. Use your left hand and interlace its finger in right hand from the back of right hand and move them till elbow. Now use right hand to interlace its finger to left hand from the back of left hand and move till the elbow.

Performing masah

Washing Feet

First wash you right including ankle and then wash your left foot including ankle.

WASH FEET

Recite Dua Wudu

Now points your index finger to sky and recite,
أَشهدُ أن لا إِلَهَ إلاَّ اللهُ وَحْدَهُ لا شَرِيكَ لَهُ وَأَشهدُ أَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا عَبْدُهُ وَرَسُولُهُ

Things to Nullify Wudu

There are things which nullify the wudu according to Islam. Some of common things are following.

  • Urination
  • Defection
  • Passing gas (with or without sound)
  • Ejaculation
  • Sexual intercourse
  • Deep sleep

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Community Questions & Answers

  1. […] performing fajr prayer, you need to perform ablution/wudu as it is mandatory to be clean according to islamic methods before any prayer. If you are not clean […]