How to perform wudu, step by step
Before prayer and before touching the Quran you need the minor ritual washing, wudu. It takes a few minutes, and according to the hadith it also washes away minor sins.
يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوٓاْ إِذَا قُمۡتُمۡ إِلَى ٱلصَّلَوٰةِ فَٱغۡسِلُواْ وُجُوهَكُمۡ وَأَيۡدِيَكُمۡ إِلَى ٱلۡمَرَافِقِ وَٱمۡسَحُواْ بِرُءُوسِكُمۡ وَأَرۡجُلَكُمۡ إِلَى ٱلۡكَعۡبَيۡنِۚ وَإِن كُنتُمۡ جُنُبٗا فَٱطَّهَّرُواْۚ وَإِن كُنتُم مَّرۡضَىٰٓ أَوۡ عَلَىٰ سَفَرٍ أَوۡ جَآءَ أَحَدٞ مِّنكُم مِّنَ ٱلۡغَآئِطِ أَوۡ لَٰمَسۡتُمُ ٱلنِّسَآءَ فَلَمۡ تَجِدُواْ مَآءٗ فَتَيَمَّمُواْ صَعِيدٗا طَيِّبٗا فَٱمۡسَحُواْ بِوُجُوهِكُمۡ وَأَيۡدِيكُم مِّنۡهُۚ مَا يُرِيدُ ٱللَّهُ لِيَجۡعَلَ عَلَيۡكُم مِّنۡ حَرَجٖ وَلَٰكِن يُرِيدُ لِيُطَهِّرَكُمۡ وَلِيُتِمَّ نِعۡمَتَهُۥ عَلَيۡكُمۡ لَعَلَّكُمۡ تَشۡكُرُونَ ﴿٦﴾
Ya ayyuha allatheena amanoo itha qumtum ila alssalati faighsiloo wujoohakum waaydiyakum ila almarafiqi waimsahoo biruoosikum waarjulakum ila alkaʿbayni wain kuntum junuban faittahharoo wain kuntum marda aw ʿala safarin aw jaa ahadun minkum mina alghaiti aw lamastumu alnnisaa falam tajidoo maan fatayammamoo saʿeedan tayyiban faimsahoo biwujoohikum waaydeekum minhu ma yureedu Allahu liyajʿala ʿalaykum min harajin walakin yureedu liyutahhirakum waliyutimma niʿmatahu ʿalaykum laʿallakum tashkuroona
O you who have believed, when you rise to [perform] prayer, wash your faces and your forearms to the elbows and wipe over your heads and wash your feet to the ankles. And if you are in a state of janabah, 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. Allah does not intend to make difficulty for you, but He intends to purify you and complete His favor upon you that you may be grateful
Quran 5:6 · Surah Al-Maida · Translation: Saheeh International · Transliteration: Tanzil.net
The obligatory parts
According to the verse, four things belong to wudu: washing the face, washing the arms up to and including the elbows, wiping the head and washing the feet up to the ankles. Most scholars also count keeping this order.
The full method according to the Sunnah
- Make the intention in your heart and say Bismillah.
- Wash your hands three times up to the wrists.
- Rinse your mouth three times.
- Draw water into your nose 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 three times up to and including the elbows, the right first.
- Wipe your head once with wet hands, from the front to the back and back again.
- Wipe your ears, inside with the index fingers and outside with the thumbs.
- Wash your feet three times up to and including the ankles, the right first, also between the toes.
This is how the Prophet ﷺ showed wudu (al-Bukhari, Muslim). Washing once is enough; three times is the Sunnah.
The dua after wudu
أَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَحْدَهُ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ وَأَشْهَدُ أَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا عَبْدُهُ وَرَسُولُهُ
Ashhadu an la ilaha illallahu wahdahu la sharika lah, wa ashhadu anna Muhammadan 'abduhu wa rasuluh
I bear witness that there is no god but Allah alone, without partner, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and messenger.
Whoever performs wudu well and then says this, the eight gates of Paradise are opened for him (Muslim). More supplications for wudu: wudu dua.
What breaks wudu
- Anything that leaves the two private parts: urine, stool, wind
- Deep sleep, fainting or losing consciousness
- Whatever requires a ghusl
The schools differ on whether touching the other sex, bleeding or vomiting break wudu. In the Hanafi school flowing blood and a mouthful of vomit break it; in the Shafi'i school touching the skin of an unrelated person of the other sex does. When in doubt, follow the school you pray by.
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Frequently asked questions
Can I make wudu with nail polish?
Not if the polish keeps water from reaching the nail, because then the washing of the hands or feet is incomplete. Water-permeable products are judged differently by scholars.
Do I need a new wudu for every prayer?
No. As long as nothing has broken your wudu, you can pray several prayers with it. Renewing it is still recommended.
Can I wipe over socks?
Over leather socks (khuffayn) yes, according to the hadith, if you put them on after a complete wudu: for a day and a night, or three days when travelling. Many but not all scholars allow it over cloth socks too.
This article was written with the help of AI. Quran verses are inserted directly from the Quran text (translation: Saheeh International); it is general information, not a religious ruling (fatwa). For your own situation, ask a qualified scholar. Found a mistake? Write to support@hadaff.de.