WHAT IS WUDU?
Wudu is a physical and spiritual act to purify oneself before starting prayer. This purification ritual is a mandatory step that involves washing of the hands, mouth, nostrils, face, arms, head, and feet.

The steps must be completed in the given order without long pauses in between each step. In the Sahih hadith of Sunan Abu Dawud, it was reported that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said:

“The prayer of a person who does not perform ablution is not valid” thus making it a necessary act before you begin your prayer.

Wudu Step By Step

1. The process of performing wudu begins with niyyah or intention. This can be done by quieting your thoughts and becoming mindful of the act you are about to perform. You should say ‘bismillah’ which means “in the name of Allah” before starting wudu.

So, what’s the importance of niyyah? It is an Islamic concept that our actions are done with the intent of pleasing Allah. It’s important that as a Muslim, your beliefs and behaviour are aligned. Intention is a notion that comes from within the heart. If we do good for the sake of doing good, we will be rewarded. If you do good for public praise or to feed your ego, it can be said that your niyyah was not pure.

Saying bismillah before beginning Wudu either out-loud or silently in your head serves as a mental cue to prepare yourself for the purification ritual.

2.Wash both your hands. Begin with using your left hand to wash your right hand all the way up to the wrist. Do this for a total of three times. Do not forget to wash in between your fingers. Next, repeat the process and wash your left hand three times.

In hadith book of Muslim and Jami At-Tirmidhi it was said, “and when he washes his hands, every evil he did with his hands leaves with the water – or with the last drop of water – until he becomes free of sin.”

3.Use your right hand to cup some water and rinse your mouth three times with it. Swish the water thoroughly to cleanse your mouth and then spit it out.

4.Rinse your nose three times. Using your right hand, cup water, and partly inhale or sniff it into your nose without taking in too much, causing you to choke. Use your left hand to blow out the water and repeat this process three times.

It’s important to make sure the water you are using is safe while rinsing your nose for wudu. If you are from a warmer region of the world, developing or third world country the water can harbor dangerous bacteria. To take proper precautions, if there is any doubt, it is advised to boil the water and leave it to cool before rinsing to minimize risk.

5.Wash your entire face with water. Cup water in your hands and wash your face, beginning with your forehead, bringing the water down to your jawline and finishing at your chin.

It is the Sunnah of the Prophet to keep a beard. If you have one, run your fingers through the beard. If the beard is thin, it can be washed thoroughly. Otherwise, for a thick beard, run your wet fingers through the hair to clear it of any dirt.

6.Washing the arms. Begin with washing your right arm first, from the tips of your fingers to just above your elbow. The entire arm should be wet, leaving no dry parts. Repeat this three times.

It is also important to remove any impediment that would obstruct water to the skin, for example, mud, nail polish, wax, or dough.

7.Clean your head. This act is known as “Masah” for ritually cleaning your head with a small amount of water. You would want to wet your hands, shaking any excess water away. Next, wipe your hands through your hair forwards and backwards, i.e. from your forehead, to the back of your head, back to your forehead.

Clean your ears from the inside and the outside. With your index finger wiping away any dirt or wax in the groves of your ear, use your thumb to clean the back of the ear. This process of wiping the head and ear only needs to be done once.

Any Muslim head cap (kufi / taqiyah) must be removed. Wet hands must actually touch the head. If the hair is braided, it is not necessary to unbraid the hair. For men with long hair or women, it is not mandatory to wipe the entire length of the hair. Just go up to the fore-neck, but no further.

8.Washing the feet. Begin washing your right foot, covering from the tip of your toes to just above the ankle. Be sure to wash the entire foot and clean in between each toe to get rid of any dirt that may have accumulated. Repeat this three times and then do the same for your left foot.

Summary of Wudu Steps:
Here’s a summary of the steps. It’s important these steps are memorized and performed in this order without any long breaks in-between each step.

1. Start with the right niyyah (intention), say Bismillah.
2. Washing hands three times, begin with right hand.
3. Wash mouth three times.
4. Rinse nose three time.
5. Wash face three times.
6. Wash arms three times, begin with right arm from fingertips to just above elbow.
7. Wipe head once and clean ears once.
8. Wash feet three times, begin with right foot from tip of toenail to just above ankle.