Wudu is Arabic, meaning the specific action of washing certain body parts before offering Prayer. In these body parts, hands, mouth, face, arms, nostrils, arms, and feet are included.
Allah says in the Quran,
يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوٓا۟ إِذَا قُمْتُمْ إِلَى ٱلصَّلَوٰةِ فَٱغْسِلُوا۟ وُجُوهَكُمْ وَأَيْدِيَكُمْ إِلَى ٱلْمَرَافِقِ وَٱمْسَحُوا۟ بِرُءُوسِكُمْ وَأَرْجُلَكُمْ إِلَى ٱلْكَعْبَيْنِ ۚ وَإِن كُنتُمْ جُنُبًا فَٱطَّهَّرُوا۟ ۚ وَإِن كُنتُم مَّرْضَىٰٓ أَوْ عَلَىٰ سَفَرٍ أَوْ جَآءَ أَحَدٌ مِّنكُم مِّنَ ٱلْغَآئِطِ أَوْ لَٰمَسْتُمُ ٱلنِّسَآءَ فَلَمْ تَجِدُوا۟ مَآءً فَتَيَمَّمُوا۟ صَعِيدًا طَيِّبًا فَٱمْسَحُوا۟ بِوُجُوهِكُمْ وَأَيْدِيكُم مِّنْهُ ۚ مَا يُرِيدُ ٱللَّهُ لِيَجْعَلَ عَلَيْكُم مِّنْ حَرَجٍ وَلَٰكِن يُرِيدُ لِيُطَهِّرَكُمْ وَلِيُتِمَّ نِعْمَتَهُۥ عَلَيْكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَشْكُرُونَ
O you who believe that when you rise to [perform] Prayer, wash your faces and your forearms to the elbows, wipe over your heads and wash your feet to the ankles. And if you are in a state of janābah, then purify yourselves.
But if you are ill or on a journey, or one of you comes from the place of relieving himself, or you have contacted women and do not find water, then seek clean earth and wipe over your faces and hands with it. Allāh does not intend to make difficulty for you, but He intends to purify you and complete His favor upon you so that you may be grateful.(AlQuran 5:6)
How to make Wudu?
Here are the steps on how to perform Wudu.
Wudu Steps
-
Make your intention
The first step of wudu is to make pure intention for the Salah. There is no proper niyat for the wudu, creating it in your heart or mind.
-
Say Bismillah
Reciting Bismillah before Wudu is an excellent way to achieve the necessary centering. You can say it out loud or silently to yourself.
-
Wash Your Hands Three Times
Wash your hands three times, beginning with the right hand. Wash it from the fingertips to the wrist three times. After that, perform the same actions with your left hand.
-
Rinse Your Mouth Three Times
Rinse your mouth three times with the right hands to clean your mouth correctly.
-
Sniff Water into your nostrils Three Times
Sniff means inhaling water into your nose and then blowing it out, do it thrice with your left hand.
-
Wash your face Three Times
After that, wash your face three times. Every part should be washed, i.e., ear to ear and from the top of your forehead to the bottom of your chin.
-
Wash your Arms Three Times
Wash your right arm first from your fingerprints to the elbow three times, and the same for the left arm. Make sure every part is washed.
-
Wipe your head once
Wipe your head, not wash. Move your wet hands from the top of your forehead to the back of your head and vice versa. It is done only once.
-
Clean your ear once
Use wet hands to clean your ears. Use your index finger to clean the inside of your ears and your thumb to clean the area behind your ears.
-
Wash your feet Three Times
Wash your feet three times from the toes of your right foot to your ankles. Water should touch every area of the right between the toes and the back of the ankle. Do the same process three times with the left foot.
-
Recite the Shahada and the Dua
Prophet Muhammad (SAW) recited the shahadah when He (SAW) completed His wudu,
اشْهَدُ انْ لّآ اِلهَ اِلَّا اللّهُ وَحْدَه لَا شَرِيْكَ لَه، وَ اَشْهَدُ اَنَّ مُحَمَّدً اعَبْدُهوَرَسُولُه
“Ash-hadu an la ilaha illal lahu wa ash-hadu anna Muhammadan ‘abduhu wa rasuluh.”
“I testify that there is no god but Allah, and I also testify that Muhammad is His servant and messenger.”
After that Holy Prophet Muhammad (SAW) made the following Dua
اللَّهُمَّ اجْعَلْنِي مِنَ التَّوَّابِينَ وَاجْعَلْنِي مِنَ الْمُتَطَهِّرِينَ
“Allahuma j’alnee mina tawabeen waj-‘alnee minal mutatahireen”
“O Allah, make me among those who seek repentance and those who purify themselves.”
What Breaks Wudu?
The following things break the Waz,u
- Passage of urine or stool or any other substance from the same route.
- Passage of gas. (Farting).
- The flow of blood or pus from the body. (If it flows a little bit).
- Passing out.
- Sleeping while leaning on to something.
- Throwing up a mouth full. (Puking).
- Getting mad/ maniac. (To get entirely out of mind).
- Laughing out loud while offering Salat (in the state of Namaz).
Prophet Muhammad (SAW) said,
“The prayer of a person who does, Hadath (passes urine, stool or wind) is not accepted till he performs (repeats) the ablution.”
(Sahih Bukhari)
Benefits of Wudu
There are many benefits of performing wudu (ablution). Some of them, including scientific benefits, are mentioned below:
- It prevents us from many physical health issues.
- It gives physical purity.
- It eliminates all our evil deeds and sins.
- It is the best way of getting Allah Almighty’s blessings.
- Wudu purifies our body from head to foot.
- It strengthens us spiritually by giving us inner peace.
- It strengthens your faith.
- It will wash out all the germs from our hands, and we will remain healthy.
- Washing arms activates blood circulation at those remote areas of the body far from the center of the blood-pumping heart, making the person more active.
Importance of Wudu
In Islam, Muslims must perform the ritual of Prayers to wash away impurities through Wazu.
Abu Hurairah (RA) reported that The Messenger of Allah (SAW) said
“When a believer washes his face in ablution, every sin he committed with his eyes will be washed away with the last drop of water. When he washes his hands, every sin that he committed with his hands will be washed away with the last drop of water. When he washes his feet, every sin that he committed with his feet will be washed away with the last drop of water until he emerges purified from sin.” (Muslim)
Abdullah ibn Umar (RA) narrated that when Jibril (AS) came to the Prophet (SAW) to ask him what Islam is. It included that ‘you do ghusl (full bathing) in the state of Janabah (uncleanliness due to sexual activity), and that you perfect wudu. So doing wudu, in this hadith, is listed as one of the pillars of being a Muslim.
