Steps for performing Wudu / Ablution
The following steps should be followed when performing wudu / ablution. These steps are ‘mustahab’ unless indicated as obligatory. The obligatory steps are mentioned in the following Quranic verse:
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا إِذَا قُمْتُمْ إِلَى الصَّلَاةِ فَاغْسِلُوا وُجُوهَكُمْ وَأَيْدِيَكُمْ إِلَى الْمَرَافِقِ وَامْسَحُوا بِرُءُوسِكُمْ وَأَرْجُلَكُمْ إِلَى الْكَعْبَيْنِ ۚ وَإِن كُنتُمْ جُنُبًا فَاطَّهَّرُوا ۚ وَإِن كُنتُم مَّرْضَىٰ أَوْ عَلَىٰ سَفَرٍ أَوْ جَاءَ أَحَدٌ مِّنكُم مِّنَ الْغَائِطِ أَوْ لَامَسْتُمُ النِّسَاءَ فَلَمْ تَجِدُوا مَاءً فَتَيَمَّمُوا صَعِيدًا طَيِّبًا فَامْسَحُوا بِوُجُوهِكُمْ وَأَيْدِيكُم مِّنْهُ ۚ مَا يُرِيدُ اللَّهُ لِيَجْعَلَ عَلَيْكُم مِّنْ حَرَجٍ وَلَٰكِن يُرِيدُ لِيُطَهِّرَكُمْ وَلِيُتِمَّ نِعْمَتَهُ عَلَيْكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَشْكُرُونَ
“O you who have believed, when you rise to [perform] prayer, wash your faces and your forearms to the elbows and wipe over your heads and wash your feet to the ankles. And if you are in a state of janabah, then purify yourselves. But if you are ill or on a journey or one of you comes from the place of relieving himself or you have contacted women and do not find water, then seek clean earth and wipe over your faces and hands with it. Allah does not intend to make difficulty for you, but He intends to purify you and complete His favor upon you that you may be grateful.” Surah Al-Maeda (5:6)
1. Having the Intention for Wudu
The intention has to be from the heart. Nothing needs to be verbalized.
2. Saying Bismillah Before Starting Wudu (Ablution)
Similar to starting any action, one should say bismillah-hiir- Rahman-Ar- Raheem (In the Name of Allah, the Most Benevolent, the Most Merciful)
3. Washing hands three times
This requires washing the hands until the wrist area.
4. Washing the mouth three times
This means cleaning the inside the mouth by rinsing thoroughly.
5. Cleaning the Nose
This requires putting water in the nose and blowing the water out so as to clean the inside thoroughly. This should be done three sides.
6. Washing the face
This should be done three times. The area should include from the hairline to the jawbone and chin and from ear to ear. A person who has a beard should wash the hair inside and out. For those who have a thick beard, the surface should be washed while running fingers through the hair of the beard so as to clear it of any dirt.
7. Washing the Arms
This involves washing the arms three times all the way from the finger nails to the elbows and a little past the elbows to ensure the elbows are cleaned fully.
8. Wiping the Head
This involves wetting the hands with water and the wiping the head starting from around the hairline to the back and then bringing the hands in reverse motion back to where one started. As for a woman, she should wipe her hair whether it is loose or braided from the front of her head to the roots of the hair at the nape of her neck. However, she does not have to wipe the entire length of her hair.
9. Cleaning the ears
This step involves taking the wet clean index finger and putting it into the ear and while cleaning it to use the wet clean thumb to clean the back of the ear. This should be done for both ears using the two hands simultaneously.
10. Washing the feet
The last washing step of the wudu involves washing the feet thoroughly until the ankles.
11. Ending the Wudu
At the end of the wudu, it is recommended to say,
“Ashhadu an laa ilaaha ill-Allaah wahdahu laa shareeka lah, wa ashhadu anna Muhammadan ‘abduhu wa rasooluhu (I bear witness that there is no god except Allaah alone with no partner or associate, and I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah),”