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Wuduʾ ( ) is the procedure for cleansing parts of the body, a type of ritual purification by ablution, in Islam. The steps of wudu are: washing the hands, rinsing the mouth and nose, washing the face, then the forearms, then wiping the head and ears, then washing or wiping the feet, done in order without any long breaks between them.

Wudu is an important part of ritual purity in Islam and is governed by fiqh, which specifies hygienical jurisprudence and defines the rituals that constitute it. Ritual purity is called tahara.

Wudu is typically performed before Salah or reading the Quran. Activities that invalidate wudu include urination, defecation, flatulence, deep sleep, light bleeding (depending on madhhab), menstruation, postpartum status, and sexual intercourse.

Wudu is often translated as 'partial ablution', as opposed to ghusl, which refers to 'full ablution', where the whole body is washed. An alternative to wudu is tayammum 'dry ablution', which uses clean sand or dust in place of water due to complete water scarcity or when one is suffering from moisture-induced skin inflammation, illness, or other harmful effects.

Description of Wudu

Quran

Qur'an 2:222 says:

Qur'an 5:6 says:

Fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence)

Wudu by itself is mustahabb, a recommended act (), but it becomes obligatory in special conditions such as prayer, reading the Quran, tawaf, etc.

Description in Hadith

Abu Hurairah narrated in a Hadith, discussing the Day of Resurrection, that Muhammad, when asked if he would be able to recognize Muslims, said: "Yes, you would have a mark which other people will not have. You would come to me with a white blaze on your foreheads and white marks on your feet because of the traces of ablution."

Muhammad said that "Cleanliness is a part of faith."

Abu Hurairah said: "I have heard the prophet (may peace be upon him) say, 'In a believer, adornment would reach the places where ablution reaches.'"

Uthman stated that Muhammad said: "He who performed ablution well, his sins would come out from his body, even coming out from under his nails."

Umar reported that Muhammad said: "No one among you does wuḍūʾ and does wuḍūʾ thoroughly – or adequately – and then testifies, 'There is no god but Allah Alone with no partner and I testify that Muhammad is Allah's Messenger', without the eight doors of the Garden being opened to him so that he can enter by whichever of them he wishes."

Wudu requirements

Types of water

;Permitted

thumb|Male Ablution Facility at University of Toronto's Multifaith Centre.

thumb|The al-Kas ablution fountain in the [[Al-Aqsa Mosque]]

The water of Wudu must be muṭlaq, meaning pure or unmixed (not necessarily chemically pure). The name of a liquid that is normally regarded by individuals as water.

Other acts performed during wuḍūʾ and the detailed acts of the wuḍūʾ can be classed into three types:

Farā'id according to Sunni Muslims

The obligation of the following actions is debated among the schools of fiqh, though if not deemed obligatory they are considered recommended:

Intention, i.e. resolving in the heart that one is performing wudu as an act of worship rather than an ordinary cleaning activity. This is obligatory in the Maliki, Shafi'i and Hanbali schools.
Performing wudu in consecutive actions, i.e. there should not be prolonged pauses during the ritual. This is considered obligatory in the Maliki and Hanbali schools.
Performing the actions of wudu in order, i.e. washing the face then arms then wiping the head and finally washing the feet. This is obligatory in the Shafi'i and Hanbali schools.
Wiping the ears. This is mandatory in the Hanbali school.
Rubbing the washed organs while washing. This is obligatory in the Maliki school.
Rinsing the mouth and nose during wudu. This is obligatory in the Hanbali school.
Saying the basmala at the beginning of wudu. This is obligatory in the Hanbali school.

It is not sufficient for one to pass wet hand over the feet. Under certain conditions, it can be done over slippers or traditional leather footwear called khuffayn.

Farā'id according to Shia Muslims

thumb|People washing before prayer at the [[Badshahi Mosque in Lahore, Pakistan]]

thumb|Muslims performing ablution prior to [[Salat|Salah or other prayers in Alexandria, Egypt]]

Shi'a Muslims also believe the Qur'anic mandate for wuḍūʾ comes in the sixth ayat of al-Ma'idah. The āyah has been translated by Muhammad Habib Shakir.

Washing the face once or twice with your right hand
Washing both arms, including the elbows, once or twice (the left hand washes the right arm and then right-hand washes the left arm)
Wiping a fourth of the head with the water left on your right hand
Wiping both feet once with the water remaining on both hands (right hand, right foot; left hand, left foot)

Make intention to perform wudu
Recite the basmala
Wash both hands up to the wrist (and between the fingers) up to three times, starting with the right hand first.
Gargle water in their mouth and spit out the water (three times)
Some water should be taken in the right hand and sniffed into the nostrils thrice and then blown out.
Wash the entirety of the face (from the hairline to the chin and be sure to run your fingers through your beard, if the person has one). If any strands of hair fall over the face, they are not moved aside as it is sunnah to dap the wet hands over the strands.
Wash the entire right forearm, including the hand, up to and including the elbow (up to three times); then the left arm (up to three times). Pass fingers of one hand between the fingers of the other hand to ensure no part is left dry. Rings and bracelets should be removed to ensure no part of the hands are dry and this applies to certain kinds of earrings as well.
Perform masah of head. Wet hands should be passed all over and through the hair to the ends of the hair. One may not make masah over a Muslim head cap.
Then (without washing the hands) the index fingers of the right and left hands should be used to clean the bends of the right and left ears (simultaneously) and in the same operation, the thumbs should be used to clean the back of the ears
Both feet starting from the right are washed from the toes up to and including the ankles three times.

After wudu, it is recommended to recite the Shahadah:

Then one may recite this Dua:

Any part of the body that has not been washed, cleaned or dried improperly can be redone.

Invalidation

thumb|Wudu tap at [[Macau Mosque, Macau, China]]Theoretically, one can perform one wudu for Salah and this wudu would be considered valid for the rest of the day, unless you nullify it by certain means. Muslims believe that certain acts invalidate the wudu (often referred to as 'breaking wudu' and 'losing wudu'), although the Qur'an does not explain most of these, and rules differ among schools.

According to Sunni Muslims

According to Sunni Islam, the following invalidate wudu:

Anything that causes loss of one's consciousness such as craze, drunkenness, or anesthesia
anything that needs Ghusl such as being Junub or touching a corpse under special circumstances

Belching and vomiting do not invalidate wudu; however, it is strongly recommended that the individual rinses their mouth following the latter. Bleeding is not considered to invalidate wudhu either, as Ja'far al-Sadiq made it clear in Hadith that a bad wound is not caused to repeat wudhu. This concept further extends to parasites that may exit the body through the two extremities. Such ritual purity may also be accepted in cases in weather where it would be dangerous.

Tayammum is also to be performed when one is defiled and could not perform ghusl.

Notes

References

External links

Ablutions (wuḍūʾ) translation of Sahih al-Bukhari
The Book of Purification (Kitab Al-Taharah) translation of Sahih Muslim
wuḍūʾ details from Teachings of Islam (Talim-ul-Haq)
Ablution in Quraan n Sunnah
How to perform wuḍūʾ according to Sunni