After finishing wudu, say the shahadah: Ashhadu an la ilaha illallahu wahdahu la sharika lah, wa ashhadu anna Muhammadan abduhu wa rasuluh. The Prophet ﷺ said that whoever makes wudu well and then says it, the eight gates of Paradise are opened for him, to enter by whichever he wishes.1
أَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَحْدَهُ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ، وَأَشْهَدُ أَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا عَبْدُهُ وَرَسُولُهُ
Ashhadu an lā ilāha illallāhu waḥdahū lā sharīka lah, wa ashhadu anna Muḥammadan ʿabduhū wa rasūluh
I bear witness that there is no god but Allah alone, without partner, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger.
Sahih Muslim 234
اللَّهُمَّ اجْعَلْنِي مِنَ التَّوَّابِينَ، وَاجْعَلْنِي مِنَ الْمُتَطَهِّرِينَ
Allāhummajʿalnī minat-tawwābīna wajʿalnī minal-mutaṭahhirīn
O Allah, make me among those who repent often, and make me among those who purify themselves.
Jami at-Tirmidhi 55, graded sahih by al-Albani; al-Tirmidhi noted a weakness in its chain
سُبْحَانَكَ اللَّهُمَّ وَبِحَمْدِكَ، أَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا أَنْتَ، أَسْتَغْفِرُكَ وَأَتُوبُ إِلَيْكَ
Subḥānaka Allāhumma wa biḥamdik, ashhadu an lā ilāha illā ant, astaghfiruka wa atūbu ilayk
Glory be to You, O Allah, and praise. I bear witness that there is no god but You. I seek Your forgiveness and turn to You in repentance.
Al-Nasa'i, Amal al-Yawm wal-Laylah, from Abu Said al-Khudri; its chain is sahih, though al-Nasa'i held it to be Abu Said's own words
Our teachers will check the Arabic and transliteration on this page before launch.
Guide
After finishing wudu, say the shahadah: Ashhadu an la ilaha illallahu wahdahu la sharika lah, wa ashhadu anna Muhammadan abduhu wa rasuluh. The Prophet ﷺ said that whoever makes wudu well and then says it, the eight gates of Paradise are opened for him, to enter by whichever he wishes.1
Say it as soon as you finish washing your feet, before you move on. Begin wudu with Bismillah and end it with Dua 1, then add Dua 2 and Dua 3 if you know them. A narration in Abu Dawud mentions looking up at the sky while saying it, but that part has a weak chain, so it is not needed. Step by step instructions are in how to make wudu.
The same hadith in Muslim says that whoever makes wudu well and prays two rakahs with full attention is promised Paradise. Bilal told the Prophet ﷺ that he prayed after every wudu, and the Prophet ﷺ had heard his footsteps in Paradise.2 Pray them when it is not a disliked time.
Some Hanafi manuals list a short dua for each part you wash. Hadith scholars, including al-Nawawi, said these have no authentic basis from the Prophet ﷺ.3 The Sunnah is Bismillah at the start and the shahadah at the end.
Bismillah at the start of wudu and the shahadah at the end are sunnah. Wudu is valid without them.
The rulings on this page are pending review by the scholars on our team.
Questions
Ashhadu an la ilaha illallahu wahdahu la sharika lah, wa ashhadu anna Muhammadan abduhu wa rasuluh (Muslim 234), and Allahummaj'alni minat-tawwabina waj'alni minal-mutatahhirin (Tirmidhi 55).
Say Bismillah. It is sunnah in the Hanafi school and wajib, when remembered, in the Hanbali school.
No authentic one. The duas for each limb in some books have no sound basis in the hadith, according to scholars such as al-Nawawi.
It is better to say it after you step out, since dhikr is disliked inside a toilet. If you make wudu at a separate sink or wudu area, say it there.