Purification

How to Perform Wudu (Ablution) Step by Step

Wudu is the ritual washing required before prayer: “O you who believe, when you rise for prayer, wash your faces and your hands up to the elbows, wipe your heads and wash your feet up to the ankles” (Qur’an 5:6). The Prophet ﷺ said that no prayer is accepted without purification (Sahih Muslim).

The steps of wudu

Make the intention in your heart to purify yourself for prayer, and say “Bismillah”.
Wash both hands up to the wrists three times, passing water between the fingers.
Rinse the mouth three times.
Sniff water into the nose and blow it out, three times.
Wash the whole face three times, from the hairline to the chin and from ear to ear.
Wash the right arm up to and including the elbow three times, then the left.
Wipe the head once with wet hands, from the front to the back and back again.
Wipe the ears: the inside with the index fingers and the back with the thumbs.
Wash the right foot up to and including the ankle three times, then the left, passing water between the toes.

Washing each part once is valid; three times is the Sunnah. Keep the order and do not leave long gaps between the steps.

The obligatory parts

According to the Qur’anic verse, the obligations are: washing the face (including the mouth and nose according to the Hanbalis), washing the arms to the elbows, wiping (part of) the head and washing the feet to the ankles. The Shafi‘i and Hanbali schools add following the order and continuity; the intention is required by the majority of scholars.

What breaks wudu

Anything that comes out of the front or back passages: urine, stool, wind.
Deep sleep in which one loses awareness.
Losing consciousness, for example through fainting.
According to several schools, touching the private parts directly with the hand; eating camel meat according to the Hanbalis.

Bleeding, vomiting and touching the opposite sex are discussed among the schools; follow the view of your madhhab or local scholar. A ghusl is needed, not just wudu, after major impurity.

After wudu

Say: “Ashhadu an la ilaha illallahu wahdahu la sharika lah, wa ashhadu anna Muhammadan ‘abduhu wa rasuluh.” The Prophet ﷺ said that whoever says this after a complete wudu has the eight gates of Paradise opened for him (Sahih Muslim). Praying two rak‘ahs after wudu is also a recommended Sunnah.

Wiping over socks

Someone who put on leather socks (khuff) or, according to many scholars, ordinary socks after a full wudu may wipe over them instead of washing the feet: for a day and a night when resident, three days and nights when travelling (Sahih Muslim).

Common mistakes in wudu

Leaving part of the heels or ankles dry: the Prophet ﷺ warned, “Woe to the heels from the Fire” (al-Bukhari, Muslim).
Stopping short of the elbows, which must be included in the washing.
Wasting water: the Prophet ﷺ made wudu with about one mudd, roughly two handfuls (al-Bukhari, Muslim).
Washing more than three times out of doubt; following such doubts feeds waswas.
Ignoring barriers such as paint, glue or nail polish that stop water reaching the skin.

Doing wudu calmly and in the right order is itself an act of worship: the Prophet ﷺ said that sins leave the body with the last drops of water (Muslim).

In brief

Wudu is required before prayer and touching the mushaf according to the majority.
Its obligatory parts are the face, the arms to the elbows, wiping the head and the feet to the ankles.
Washing each part three times is Sunnah; once is valid.
It is broken by what leaves the private parts, deep sleep and loss of consciousness.
End it with the testimony of faith, which opens the gates of Paradise.

Questions and answers

Do I need to repeat wudu for every prayer?

No. As long as nothing has broken it, one wudu is enough for several prayers, although renewing it is a virtue.

Is wudu valid with nail polish?

No for the washing of the hands, because polish prevents water from reaching the nail. It must be removed before wudu; henna does not prevent it.

Does bleeding break wudu?

The Hanafi school says flowing blood breaks it; the Maliki and Shafi‘i schools say it does not. The Companions prayed with wounds that bled, which supports the majority view.

Useful tools

Duas and adhkar