Wudu (ablution): how to perform it and what breaks it

Purification (Taharah) From the Quran · 2 From the Sunnah · 3

The ruling in short

Wudu is washing the face and the arms to the elbows, wiping the head and washing the feet to the ankles, as the Quran commands for the one who stands to pray (5:6). It is a condition for the prayer to be valid: the Prophet ﷺ said that no prayer is accepted without purification.

1

The obligatory parts

  • Washing the whole face, from the hairline to the chin and from ear to ear.
  • Washing both arms, including the elbows.
  • Wiping the head.
  • Washing both feet, including the ankles.
  • These four are named in the verse. Most scholars add the intention, doing the parts in order and without a long gap. See the differences below.

2

The sunnah acts, as in the wudu of the Prophet ﷺ

  • Saying Bismillah at the start, and using the siwak.
  • Washing the hands three times first.
  • Rinsing the mouth and nose, sniffing water in and blowing it out.
  • Washing each part three times (once is enough, twice is also reported).
  • Wiping the whole head from the front to the back and back again, and wiping the ears.
  • Starting with the right side, and saying the shahada when finished.

3

What breaks wudu (agreed)

  • Anything that comes out of the front or back passage: urine, stool, wind, madhy and wady.
  • Losing awareness: deep sleep, fainting, madness or intoxication.

Where the schools differ

The four Sunni schools agree on the main ruling above and differ in these points. No school is preferred here.

  • Touching the private part. it breaks wudu in the Shafi'i and Hanbali schools, and in the Maliki school if done with desire. In the Hanafi school it does not.
  • Eating camel meat. it breaks wudu in the Hanbali school. The other schools say it does not.
  • Flowing blood or vomiting. it breaks wudu in the Hanafi school, and in the Hanbali school if it is a lot. In the Maliki and Shafi'i schools it does not.
  • Touching a woman. it breaks wudu in the Shafi'i school, in the Maliki and Hanbali schools only if with desire, and in the Hanafi school it does not.
  • The intention (niyyah) is a condition of wudu in the Maliki, Shafi'i and Hanbali schools. The Hanafi school holds that it is recommended for wudu with water.

Note: If you were sure you had wudu and only doubt whether it was broken, you stay in wudu. Doubt does not remove certainty.

The evidence

From the Quran

يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوٓا۟ إِذَا قُمْتُمْ إِلَى ٱلصَّلَوٰةِ فَٱغْسِلُوا۟ وُجُوهَكُمْ وَأَيْدِيَكُمْ إِلَى ٱلْمَرَافِقِ وَٱمْسَحُوا۟ بِرُءُوسِكُمْ وَأَرْجُلَكُمْ إِلَى ٱلْكَعْبَيْنِ ۚ وَإِن كُنتُمْ جُنُبًۭا فَٱطَّهَّرُوا۟ ۚ وَإِن كُنتُم مَّرْضَىٰٓ أَوْ عَلَىٰ سَفَرٍ أَوْ جَآءَ أَحَدٌۭ مِّنكُم مِّنَ ٱلْغَآئِطِ أَوْ لَٰمَسْتُمُ ٱلنِّسَآءَ فَلَمْ تَجِدُوا۟ مَآءًۭ فَتَيَمَّمُوا۟ صَعِيدًۭا طَيِّبًۭا فَٱمْسَحُوا۟ بِوُجُوهِكُمْ وَأَيْدِيكُم مِّنْهُ ۚ مَا يُرِيدُ ٱللَّهُ لِيَجْعَلَ عَلَيْكُم مِّنْ حَرَجٍۢ وَلَٰكِن يُرِيدُ لِيُطَهِّرَكُمْ وَلِيُتِمَّ نِعْمَتَهُۥ عَلَيْكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَشْكُرُونَ ﴿٦﴾

O ye who believe! When ye rise up for prayer, wash you faces, and your hands up to the elbows, and lightly rub your heads and (wash) your feet up to the ankles. And if ye are unclean, purify yourselves. And if ye are sick or on a journey, or one of you cometh from the closet, or ye have had contact with women, and ye find not water, then go to clean, high ground and rub your faces and your hands with some of it. Allah would not place a burden on you, but He would purify you and would perfect His grace upon you, that ye may give thanks.

وَيَسْـَٔلُونَكَ عَنِ ٱلْمَحِيضِ ۖ قُلْ هُوَ أَذًۭى فَٱعْتَزِلُوا۟ ٱلنِّسَآءَ فِى ٱلْمَحِيضِ ۖ وَلَا تَقْرَبُوهُنَّ حَتَّىٰ يَطْهُرْنَ ۖ فَإِذَا تَطَهَّرْنَ فَأْتُوهُنَّ مِنْ حَيْثُ أَمَرَكُمُ ٱللَّهُ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ يُحِبُّ ٱلتَّوَّٰبِينَ وَيُحِبُّ ٱلْمُتَطَهِّرِينَ ﴿٢٢٢﴾

They question thee (O Muhammad) concerning menstruation. Say: It is an illness, so let women alone at such times and go not in unto them till they are cleansed. And when they have purified themselves, then go in unto them as Allah hath enjoined upon you. Truly Allah loveth those who turn unto Him, and loveth those who have a care for cleanness.

From the Sunnah

1 Sahih Muslim 224a Authentic collection

The point of the hadith: No prayer is accepted without purification.

Read the Arabic text

حَدَّثَنَا سَعِيدُ بْنُ مَنْصُورٍ، وَقُتَيْبَةُ بْنُ سَعِيدٍ، وَأَبُو كَامِلٍ الْجَحْدَرِيُّ - وَاللَّفْظُ لِسَعِيدٍ - قَالُوا حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو عَوَانَةَ، عَنْ سِمَاكِ بْنِ حَرْبٍ، عَنْ مُصْعَبِ بْنِ سَعْدٍ، قَالَ دَخَلَ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ عُمَرَ عَلَى ابْنِ عَامِرٍ يَعُودُهُ وَهُوَ مَرِيضٌ فَقَالَ أَلاَ تَدْعُو اللَّهَ لِي يَا ابْنَ عُمَرَ ‏.‏ قَالَ إِنِّي سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم يَقُولُ ‏ "‏ لاَ تُقْبَلُ صَلاَةٌ بِغَيْرِ طُهُورٍ وَلاَ صَدَقَةٌ مِنْ غُلُولٍ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ وَكُنْتَ عَلَى الْبَصْرَةِ ‏.‏

Read it in the hadith library

2 Sahih al-Bukhari 159 Authentic collection

The point of the hadith: Uthman showed how the Prophet ﷺ made wudu, and the Prophet ﷺ said that whoever makes wudu like this and prays two rak'ahs with full attention will have his past sins forgiven.

Read the Arabic text

حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الْعَزِيزِ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ الأُوَيْسِيُّ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنِي إِبْرَاهِيمُ بْنُ سَعْدٍ، عَنِ ابْنِ شِهَابٍ، أَنَّ عَطَاءَ بْنَ يَزِيدَ، أَخْبَرَهُ أَنَّ حُمْرَانَ مَوْلَى عُثْمَانَ أَخْبَرَهُ أَنَّهُ، رَأَى عُثْمَانَ بْنَ عَفَّانَ دَعَا بِإِنَاءٍ، فَأَفْرَغَ عَلَى كَفَّيْهِ ثَلاَثَ مِرَارٍ فَغَسَلَهُمَا، ثُمَّ أَدْخَلَ يَمِينَهُ فِي الإِنَاءِ فَمَضْمَضَ، وَاسْتَنْشَقَ، ثُمَّ غَسَلَ وَجْهَهُ ثَلاَثًا، وَيَدَيْهِ إِلَى الْمِرْفَقَيْنِ ثَلاَثَ مِرَارٍ، ثُمَّ مَسَحَ بِرَأْسِهِ، ثُمَّ غَسَلَ رِجْلَيْهِ ثَلاَثَ مِرَارٍ إِلَى الْكَعْبَيْنِ، ثُمَّ قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏ "‏ مَنْ تَوَضَّأَ نَحْوَ وُضُوئِي هَذَا، ثُمَّ صَلَّى رَكْعَتَيْنِ، لاَ يُحَدِّثُ فِيهِمَا نَفْسَهُ، غُفِرَ لَهُ مَا تَقَدَّمَ مِنْ ذَنْبِهِ ‏"‏‏.‏

Read it in the hadith library

3 Sahih al-Bukhari 135 Authentic collection

The point of the hadith: The prayer of a person who has passed urine, stool or wind is not accepted until he makes wudu.

Read the Arabic text

حَدَّثَنَا إِسْحَاقُ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ الْحَنْظَلِيُّ، قَالَ أَخْبَرَنَا عَبْدُ الرَّزَّاقِ، قَالَ أَخْبَرَنَا مَعْمَرٌ، عَنْ هَمَّامِ بْنِ مُنَبِّهٍ، أَنَّهُ سَمِعَ أَبَا هُرَيْرَةَ، يَقُولُ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏ "‏ لاَ تُقْبَلُ صَلاَةُ مَنْ أَحْدَثَ حَتَّى يَتَوَضَّأَ ‏"‏‏.‏ قَالَ رَجُلٌ مِنْ حَضْرَمَوْتَ مَا الْحَدَثُ يَا أَبَا هُرَيْرَةَ قَالَ فُسَاءٌ أَوْ ضُرَاطٌ‏.‏

Read it in the hadith library

This is general information, not a fatwa. For your own situation, ask a qualified scholar.

Fiqh questions

Wudu (ablution): how to perform it and what breaks it

Wudu is washing the face and the arms to the elbows, wiping the head and washing the feet to the ankles, as the Quran commands for the one who stands to pray (5:6). It is a condition for the prayer to be valid: the Prophet ﷺ said that no prayer is accepted without purification.

Is this a fatwa?

No. It is a summary of well-known rulings with their evidence. For your own case, ask a qualified scholar.

What if my school differs from this answer?

Follow the view of the school you follow and the scholar who teaches you. The page lists the differences of the four schools.