How to make wudu, step by step.
Follow wudu one step at a time, with what is fard and what is sunnah marked on each, then the dua to say after it.
The four fard of wudu
- Wash the face
- Wash both arms, including the elbows
- Wipe a quarter of the head
- Wash both feet, including the ankles
This is the Hanafi school. Everything else in the steps is sunnah, and leaving it does not stop the wudu from counting.
Guide
Wudu, what is fard, what breaks it.
Wudu is the washing that makes you ready to pray, touch the Quran and do tawaf. Allah says: "O you who have believed, when you rise to pray, wash your faces and your forearms to the elbows, wipe over your heads, and wash your feet to the ankles."1
The four fard of wudu
Only four things are fard: washing the face, washing the arms including the elbows, wiping a quarter of the head, and washing the feet including the ankles. The intention, the order of the steps and doing them without long gaps are all sunnah, so a wudu without them still counts.2
Other madhhabs
- Shafi'i
- Six fard: the intention, the face, the arms, wiping part of the head, the feet, and keeping the order.
- Maliki
- Seven fard: the intention, the face, the arms, wiping the whole head, the feet, rubbing (dalk) and continuity without long gaps.
- Hanbali
- Six fard: the face (including rinsing the mouth and nose), the arms, wiping the whole head with the ears, the feet, the order and continuity. Saying Bismillah is also wajib if you remember.
What breaks wudu
| Cause | Hanafi | Shafi'i | Maliki | Hanbali |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Urine, stool or wind | Breaks | Breaks | Breaks | Breaks |
| Blood or pus that flows from a wound | Breaks | Does not break | Does not break | Breaks if a lot |
| Vomiting a mouthful | Breaks | Does not break | Does not break | Breaks if a lot |
| Sleeping lying down or leaning | Breaks | Breaks, unless seated firmly | Breaks if deep | Breaks, unless light |
| Fainting or losing your mind | Breaks | Breaks | Breaks | Breaks |
| Laughing aloud in prayer | Breaks wudu and prayer | Breaks prayer only | Breaks prayer only | Breaks prayer only |
| Touching the opposite sex | Does not break | Breaks (non-mahram) | Breaks if with desire | Breaks if with desire |
| Touching your private parts | Does not break | Breaks (with the palm) | Breaks | Breaks |
| Eating camel meat | Does not break | Does not break | Does not break | Breaks |
Wiping over socks
You may wipe over leather socks (khuffs), or thick socks that stay up on their own and let no water through, if you put them on after a full wudu. A resident may wipe for 24 hours and a traveller for 72 hours. Ordinary thin cotton or nylon socks cannot be wiped over.3
Other madhhabs
- Hanbali
- Wiping over cloth socks (jawrab) is allowed if they are thick enough not to show the skin, following narrations from the Companions.
- Shafi'i, Maliki
- Similar to the Hanafi school for leather khuffs. The Maliki school does not set a time limit in its well-known view.
Wudu at work, school or in a public restroom
- Wash your feet in the sink one at a time, or wipe over khuffs if you wear them.
- Carry a small bottle of water for the private parts in toilets without water.
- Keep a small towel in your bag, and wipe the floor and counter after you finish.
Nail polish, casts and plasters
Nail polish stops water reaching the nail, so wudu is not valid over it. Remove it first. Henna does not block water. If you have a cast or a plaster that cannot be removed, wipe over it with a wet hand instead of washing that part.
When there is no water: tayammum
If there is no water, or using it would harm you, strike clean earth or a natural stone surface lightly with both palms, wipe the face, strike again, and wipe the arms up to the elbows.4
- Quran 5:6, translation by Sahih International.
- Al-Marghinani, al-Hidayah, Kitab al-Taharah.
- Al-Marghinani, al-Hidayah, Bab al-Mash ala al-Khuffayn.
- Quran 4:43. The other madhhabs' positions are summarised from their standard manuals.
The rulings on this page are pending review by the scholars on our team.
Questions
Good to know.
What are the four rules of wudu?
In the Hanafi school, the four fard acts are washing the face, washing the arms including the elbows, wiping a quarter of the head, and washing the feet including the ankles.
Does touching a woman break wudu?
Not in the Hanafi school. In the Shafi'i school, touching the skin of a non-mahram of the opposite sex breaks it, and in the Maliki and Hanbali schools it breaks it if done with desire.
Does bleeding break wudu?
In the Hanafi school, blood that flows beyond the wound breaks wudu. In the Shafi'i and Maliki schools it does not.
Can I make wudu with nail polish on?
No. Nail polish stops water reaching the nails, so remove it first. Henna is fine.
Do I need to make wudu again after ghusl?
No. A ghusl includes wudu, so you can pray with it unless something breaks your wudu afterwards.
What is the dua after wudu?
Ashhadu al la ilaha illallahu wahdahu la sharika lah, wa ashhadu anna Muhammadan abduhu wa rasuluh (Sahih Muslim 234), and Allahummaj-alni minat-tawwabina waj-alni minal-mutatahhirin (Tirmidhi 55).