Islamic Guide · Purification

How to performWudu

A complete 12-step guide to performing wudu (ablution) according to the Hanafi school, with the fards (obligatory acts), sunnahs and the things that nullify wudu.

Wudu is the ritual purification a Muslim performs before prayer (salah), reciting the Quran, or other acts of worship. Surah Al-Ma'idah (5:6) commands it. The 12 steps below combine the four fards (obligatory acts) and the established sunnahs in the order the Prophet (peace be upon him) is reported to have performed them.

This guide is based on the Hanafi school as taught by Türkiye's Presidency of Religious Affairs (Diyanet) and classical Sunni sources (Bukhari, Muslim, Tirmidhi, Abu Dawud).

Steps

The 12 steps of wudu

Make your intention (niyyah)
Form the intention in your heart to perform wudu for prayer. Saying it aloud is sunnah. According to the Hanafi school, niyyah is a sunnah of wudu (not a fard), and wudu performed without verbal intention is still valid — though the reward is less.
Say Bismillah
Begin by saying "Bismillāhi'r-Rahmāni'r-Rahīm" (In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful). Saying the Basmala is a sunnah that brings blessing to your wudu.
Wash both hands up to the wrists (three times)
Wash the right hand first, then the left, each up to the wrist, three times. Pay attention to the spaces between fingers; move any rings slightly so water reaches the skin underneath.
Rinse the mouth three times (mazmaza)
Take water into the mouth with the right hand, swish it around and spit it out. Repeat three times. If you are not fasting, gargling deeply (up to the throat) is recommended; if fasting, do it gently.
Sniff water into the nose three times (istinshaq)
Sniff water into the nostrils with the right hand, then blow it out using the left hand. Repeat three times. If not fasting, sniffing deeply is sunnah; if fasting, do not force water deep into the nose.
Wash the face three times
Wash the entire face — from the hairline to the underside of the chin, and from one ear to the other — three times. If you have a beard, running your fingers through it (khilāl) is sunnah. Washing the face is a fard of wudu.
Wash the right arm including the elbow (three times)
Starting from the fingertips, wash the right arm three times, ensuring the elbow is included. Skipping any part of the elbow invalidates the wudu.
Wash the left arm including the elbow (three times)
Wash the left arm in the same way — from fingertips to elbow, three times. Washing the arms including the elbows is a fard of wudu.
Wipe (masah) one quarter of the head
Wet your hands and wipe at least one quarter of the head (according to the Hanafi school). In the Shafi'i school, wiping even a few strands of hair is sufficient. Wiping the head is a fard of wudu. Wiping the entire head is sunnah.
Wipe the ears and the back of the neck
Using the same wetness, wipe the inside of the ears with the index fingers and the outside with the thumbs; then wipe the back of the neck with the back of the hand. Wiping the ears and neck is sunnah; it completes the wudu.
Wash the right foot including the ankle (three times)
Wash the right foot, starting from the toes and including the ankle, three times. Running the little finger of the left hand between the toes (khilāl) is sunnah.
Wash the left foot including the ankle (three times)
Wash the left foot in the same way — toes to ankle, three times. Washing the feet including the ankles is a fard of wudu; leaving any part of the ankle dry invalidates the wudu.

Fards

The four fards of wudu

According to the Hanafi school, wudu has exactly four obligatory acts. If any of these is missed or done incompletely, the wudu is invalid:

Washing the face — from the hairline to the chin, ear to ear.
Washing the arms, including the elbows, completely.
Wiping (masah) at least one quarter of the head.
Washing the feet, including the ankles, completely.

The Shafi'i school adds two more fards: niyyah (intention) and tartīb (keeping the order). The Maliki school adds delk (rubbing the limb while washing).

Nullifiers

What breaks wudu

Passing urine, stool, or gas
Blood, pus, or yellow fluid flowing from the body
Vomiting a mouthful
Sleeping while lying down or reclining (deep sleep)
Fainting or having a seizure
Laughing aloud during prayer (breaks both prayer and wudu)

Things that do not break wudu (Hanafi): light dozing while seated, bleeding from a wound that doesn't flow past the wound site, accidental touch of the opposite sex, brushing teeth, vomiting less than a mouthful.

Substitute

Tayammum — when water is unavailable

Tayammum is the dry alternative to wudu, performed when water is genuinely unavailable, or when using water would harm health. It involves placing the hands on clean earth or stone, wiping the face, then placing hands on earth again and wiping the arms to the elbows — all with the intention of purification. Tayammum becomes invalid as soon as water becomes available.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

What is wudu?

Wudu is the ritual purification performed before prayer (salah) and certain other acts of worship — washing specific parts of the body with water. The Arabic word "wudū'" comes from a root meaning "cleanliness, beauty." Surah Al-Ma'idah (5:6) is the primary verse commanding wudu; one must be in a state of wudu to pray or touch the Quran.

What are the obligatory acts (fards) of wudu?

In the Hanafi school there are four fards: washing the face, washing the arms including the elbows, wiping at least one quarter of the head, and washing the feet including the ankles. In the Shafi'i school, niyyah (intention) and tartīb (order) are added. Missing any fard invalidates the wudu.

What breaks wudu?

The main things that break wudu: passing urine, stool or gas; blood, pus or yellow fluid flowing from the body; vomiting a mouthful; sleeping while lying down or reclining; fainting or having a seizure; laughing aloud during prayer. After any of these, wudu must be renewed before praying again.

Is the order of washing important?

In the Hanafi school, washing in the Quranic order (face → arms → head → feet) is sunnah but not fard; breaking the order does not invalidate the wudu. In the Shafi'i school, keeping the order is fard. Either way, following the order is recommended.

What is said after wudu?

After completing wudu, face the qibla and recite the kalimah ash-shahādah: "Ashhadu an lā ilāha illā Allāh, wa ashhadu anna Muhammadan abduhu wa rasūluh." Then it is recommended to say: "Allāhumma-j'alnī mina-t-tawwābīna wa-j'alnī mina-l-mutaṭahhirīn" (O Allah, make me among those who turn to You in repentance and among those who purify themselves — Tirmidhi).

Is wiping over leather socks (khuff) permitted?

Yes. If leather socks or waterproof footwear are put on while in a state of wudu, then when wudu breaks one may wipe over them instead of washing the feet. This is valid for 24 hours for a resident and 72 hours for a traveler. Once the time expires or the socks are removed, the feet must be washed again.

What if water is not available or is harmful to use?

If water cannot be found or its use is harmful (illness etc.), tayammum is performed: with the intention, the hands are placed on clean earth or stone, the face is wiped, and then the hands again to the elbows (Al-Ma'idah 5:6). Tayammum becomes invalid once water becomes available.

Does nail polish break wudu's validity?

Nail polish forms a film on the nail surface that prevents water from reaching the skin. Wudu performed with regular nail polish is therefore not valid; the polish must be removed first. So-called "water-permeable" halal nail polishes exist but are jurisprudentially debated; the safer choice is to remove regular polish before wudu.

Do I need to make a new wudu for every prayer?

No — one wudu remains valid until something breaks it, and you may pray as many salahs as you like with it. However, performing a fresh wudu for each prayer is mustahabb (recommended) and was the practice of the Prophet (peace be upon him), who described it as "light upon light."

Does Hatırla İslam have a wudu guide?

Yes. The Hatırla İslam app includes a visual 12-step wudu guide. Each step has a short animation and explanation; the order is tracked automatically. It is ideal for beginners learning the proper sequence.