The fiqh of wudu
The obligatory and sunnah acts, what breaks wudu, and where the four madhabs differ.
9 minute read · SunnahPanda
Wudu (ablution) is a condition for the validity of salah. Without it, or a valid substitute such as tayammum, the prayer does not count. Its core comes directly from the Qur'an:
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.
All four schools agree on the four acts named in the verse: washing the face, washing the arms including the elbows, wiping the head, and washing the feet including the ankles. They differ on how much of the head to wipe and on which other acts are obligatory.
A complete wudu, following the sunnah
- 1
Intention and Bismillah
Intend in your heart to make wudu for prayer. Saying Bismillah is sunnah; the Hanbali school holds it obligatory when remembered.
- 2
Hands, three times
Wash both hands up to the wrists, running water between the fingers.
- 3
Mouth and nose, three times each
Rinse the mouth, then draw water into the nose and blow it out with the left hand. Many do both from one handful, as the Prophet ﷺ did.
- 4
Face, three times
From the hairline to below the chin, and from one earlobe to the other. Run wet fingers through a thick beard.
- 5
Arms, three times each
Right then left, from the fingertips up to and including the elbows. Move rings and watches so water reaches the skin.
- 6
Wipe the head
With wet hands, wipe from the front of the head to the back and return to the front. How much you must wipe depends on the school (see below).
- 7
Wipe the ears
Index fingers inside the ears, thumbs behind them, with the same water or fresh water.
- 8
Feet, three times each
Right then left, up to and including the ankles, getting between the toes.
What is obligatory, school by school
| Hanafi | Maliki | Shafi'i | Hanbali | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Intention (niyyah) | Sunnah | Obligatory | Obligatory | Obligatory |
| How much of the head | At least a quarter | The whole head | Any part, even a little | The whole head |
| Rinsing mouth and nose | Sunnah | Sunnah | Sunnah | Obligatory |
| Order (tartib) | Sunnah | Sunnah | Obligatory | Obligatory |
| Continuity (muwalat) | Sunnah | Obligatory | Sunnah | Obligatory |
| Rubbing the limbs (dalk) | Sunnah | Obligatory | Sunnah | Sunnah |
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What "continuity" means
Not leaving such a gap between washing one limb and the next that the earlier one dries in normal conditions. In the Maliki school it is obligatory when you remember and are able; forgetting it does not invalidate the wudu.
What breaks wudu
All four schools agree that wudu is broken by anything leaving the front or back passage (urine, faeces, wind and the like), by losing your mind or consciousness, and by deep sleep in which you could not tell if you passed wind. They differ on the following:
| Hanafi | Maliki | Shafi'i | Hanbali | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flowing blood or pus | Breaks it | Does not | Does not | Breaks it if a lot |
| Vomiting | Breaks it if a mouthful | Does not | Does not | Breaks it if a lot |
| Touching the opposite sex | Does not | Breaks it if with desire | Breaks it (non-mahram, skin to skin) | Breaks it if with desire |
| Touching one's private parts | Does not | Breaks it (with the hand) | Breaks it (with the palm) | Breaks it |
| Eating camel meat | Does not | Does not | Does not | Breaks it |
| Laughing aloud in salah | Breaks wudu and the prayer | Breaks the prayer only | Breaks the prayer only | Breaks the prayer only |
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If you're unsure whether you broke wudu
Certainty is not removed by doubt. If you know you made wudu and only doubt whether it broke, you still have wudu. The Prophet ﷺ said not to leave the prayer "until you hear a sound or detect a smell" (Sahih al-Bukhari 137, Sahih Muslim 361).
Wiping over socks
Instead of washing the feet, you may wipe over leather socks (khuffs) put on while in a state of wudu: for up to a day and a night when resident, and three days and nights when travelling (Sahih Muslim 276). The schools differ on ordinary cloth socks. The Hanbali school, and later Hanafi scholars, permit wiping over thick socks that meet certain conditions, while many Shafi'i and Maliki scholars do not. Ask your teacher which view to follow.
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