Wudu and its sunnas

Wudu (al-wuḍuu') lifts the minor ḥadath. The Prophet ﷺ said that Allah does not accept the prayer of someone who has lost their wudu until they renew it (Bukhari 135, Muslim 225).

The verse of wudu يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا إِذَا قُمْتُمْ إِلَى الصَّلَاةِ فَاغْسِلُوا وُجُوهَكُمْ وَأَيْدِيَكُمْ إِلَى الْمَرَافِقِ وَامْسَحُوا بِرُءُوسِكُمْ وَأَرْجُلَكُمْ إِلَى الْكَعْبَيْنِ yaa ayyuha lladhiina aamanuu idhaa qumtum ila ṣ-ṣalaati fa-ghsiluu wujuuhakum wa aydiyakum ila l-maraafiqi wa msaḥuu bi-ru'uusikum wa arjulakum ila l-ka'bayn "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" (meaning of part of verse 5:6). Listen to the whole verse in the recitation block.

What is obligatory for everyone (from the verse) 1. Wash the whole face: from the top of the forehead to the chin, from ear to ear. 2. Wash the hands and forearms, elbows included. 3. Wipe the head with wet hands (wipe, not wash). 4. Wash the feet, ankles included. The schools add further obligations: the intention, the order, continuity (no long pause), rubbing, how much of the head to wipe [À VÉRIFIER : les écoles diffèrent, l'imam tranche].

Complete wudu, as described by 'Uthmaan (Bukhari 159, Muslim 226) 1. The intention in the heart, then "bismillaah". 2. Wash the hands up to the wrists, three times. 3. Rinse the mouth (maḍmaḍa) and draw water into the nose and blow it out (istinshaaq), three times. 4. Wash the face three times; run wet fingers through a thick beard. 5. Wash the right arm up to and including the elbow, three times, then the left. 6. Wipe the head with wet hands, from the front to the nape and back to the front, once (Bukhari 185, Muslim 235). 7. Wipe the ears, the inside with the index finger and the back with the thumb. 8. Wash the right foot up to and including the ankle, three times, passing between the toes, then the left.

The sunnas (recommended actions) • The siwaak (tooth stick) or a toothbrush (Bukhari 887, Muslim 252). • Start with the right (Bukhari 168, Muslim 268). • Wash three times; one complete washing is enough (Bukhari 157). • Pass water between the fingers and toes, and draw water well into the nose unless fasting (Abu Dawud 142, Tirmidhi 788) [À VÉRIFIER : numéros]. • Save water: the Prophet ﷺ made wudu with about one mudd, two cupped hands full of water (Bukhari 201, Muslim 325). • Pray two rak'as after wudu (Bukhari 159, Muslim 226).

The closing supplication أَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَحْدَهُ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ، وَأَشْهَدُ أَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا عَبْدُهُ وَرَسُولُهُ ash-hadu an laa ilaaha illa llaahu waḥdahu laa shariika lah, wa ash-hadu anna muḥammadan 'abduhu wa rasuuluh "I testify that there is no god but Allah, alone, without partner, and I testify that Muhammad is His servant and His Messenger": the eight gates of Paradise open for the one who says it after making wudu well (Muslim 234).

Wiping over socks (al-masḥ 'ala l-khuffayn) If you put on leather socks (khuff) after a complete wudu, at the following wudus you may wipe the top with a wet hand instead of washing the feet (Bukhari 206, Muslim 274): one day and night for a resident, three days for a traveller (Muslim 276). For cloth socks, the conditions differ [À VÉRIFIER : les écoles diffèrent, l'imam tranche].

Exercise: make wudu slowly, stopping at each step to check that the water has reached the whole part (heels, elbows, between the fingers).

Understanding the lesson

Explanation Wudu has two levels: the minimum that makes the prayer valid (what verse 5:6 mentions, plus what each school adds to it), and the Prophet's ﷺ complete way, with its sunnas. A beginner starts by doing the minimum well, then adds the sunnas one by one. Wudu also purifies the heart: when the believer washes his face, hands and feet, the sins committed by his eyes, hands and feet leave with the water (Muslim 244). And the Prophet's ﷺ community will come on the Day of Resurrection with faces and limbs shining because of wudu (Bukhari 136, Muslim 246). Common mistakes: leaving parts dry, especially the heels; the Prophet ﷺ warned: "Woe to the [unwashed] heels, from the Fire!" (Bukhari 60, Muslim 241). Wasting water. Starting again endlessly out of doubt. Someone wearing nail varnish or a waterproof layer must remove it before wudu, because the water must reach the skin or nail. Henna, which only colours, does not block water. A dressing or a cast: wipe over it with a wet hand, with details [À VÉRIFIER : les écoles diffèrent, l'imam tranche]. Points where the schools differ: the intention (obligatory for the majority, sunna for the Hanafis); the "bismillaah" (sunna for the majority, obligatory for some Hanbalis); how much of the head (all of it for the Malikis and Hanbalis, a quarter for the Hanafis, part of it for the Shafi'is); the order (obligatory for the Shafi'is and Hanbalis); continuity (obligatory for the Malikis and Hanbalis); rubbing (obligatory for the Malikis); cloth socks [À VÉRIFIER : les écoles diffèrent, l'imam tranche].

Lessons to draw from it • Make wudu calmly, as a preparation and not as a chore. • Check the heels, elbows and the space between the fingers, without going to excess. • Save water, even at the tap: it is a sunna. • Add one sunna each week: the siwaak, the closing supplication, the two rak'as.

Key points to remember • Obligatory for all (5:6): face, hands and forearms up to the elbows, head, feet up to the ankles. • Complete model: the wudu of 'Uthmaan (Bukhari 159, Muslim 226). • Closing supplication: the shahada (Muslim 234). • Wiping over khuffs: one day and night for a resident, three days for a traveller (Muslim 276).

The main message Wudu turns an everyday act with water into worship: done well, calmly and without waste, it purifies the body, wipes away sins and prepares the heart for prayer.