Islamic Fiqh > Prayer > How to perform wudu (ablution) step by step
Definition, status, complete evidence, obligations according to the 4 schools, the prophetic manner step by step, sunnahs, virtues and differences: everything about ritual ablution.
Contents
Updated on 06 October 2026 at 10:50 PM
Ablution is the key to the prayer. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) showed its value when he said:
Purification is half of faith.
Muslim 223
And to the man performing ablution exactly as he did, he announced: whoever performs ablution like this, his past sins are forgiven (Muslim 234).
Surah al-Ma'ida (5:6) fixes the 4 members: washing the face, washing the hands up to the elbows, wiping the head, and washing the feet up to the ankles. The jurists of the 4 schools agree that these 4 acts are the pillars of ablution: the prayer is not valid if one is missing. One washing is the minimum.
Woe to the heels before the Fire: perform ablution generously.
al-Bukhari 60, Muslim 240
The Prophet said this upon seeing the dry heels of a group of believers: water must reach the whole area to be washed.
The Malikis, Shafi'is and Hanbalis require washing in the order of the verse: face, hands, then wiping the head, then the feet. The Hanafis consider this a strong sunna, not a validity condition.
The mas'h of the head is a pillar for all. The Malikis, Shafi'is and Hanbalis apply it to the whole head; the well-known Hanafi view asks for a quarter of the head. A woman may limit herself to the front of the head according to the Hanbali school.
'Uthman ibn 'Affan publicly demonstrated his ablution, member by member, 3 times each, then said: whoever performs ablution this way, his faults fall away (Muslim 234). The reported practice was therefore: intention, washing the hands, rinsing the mouth and nose, the face, the hands up to the elbows, the head and ears, then the feet.
Start with the intention in your heart, say the basmala, then follow the order of the verse while making sure the water reaches the skin, especially the heels and elbows. Three passes per member is the reported practice of the Prophet; a single pass is enough for validity.
Bada'i al-Sana'i by al-Kasani · Hanafi school
According to us (Hanafis), purity is valid without the intention and without regard to order, whereas according to al-Shafi'i both of these are conditions without which ablution is not permitted. Likewise, the faith of the one performing ablution is not, in our view, a condition of its validity: the ablution of a disbeliever is therefore valid according to us, whereas it is not valid according to him, since it is a condition there. Likewise, continuity (muwala) is not a condition according to most of our shaykhs, but it is a condition according to Malik. We shall discuss these questions under the sunnahs of ablution, for in our view they belong to the sunnahs, not to the obligations; hence it is more appropriate to attach them to the chapter on the sunnahs.
Chapter: the sunnahs of ablution.
Al-Hawi al-Kabir by al-Mawardi · Shafi'i school
Question. Al-Shafi'i, may Allah be pleased with him, said: "Sufyan informed us, from al-Zuhri, from Abu Salama, from Abu Hurayra, that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “When one of you wakes from his sleep, let him not dip his hand into the vessel until he has washed it three times, for he does not know where his hand spent the night.”"
Al-Shafi'i said: when a man rises to pray from sleep, or is not in a state of purity, I like him to mention Allah, the Most High.
The Prophet's reported order (hands, mouth, nose, face, arms, head, ears, feet) is a firm sunna. The pillars are: washing the face and arms to the elbows, wiping the head and washing the feet: forgetting a pillar invalidates the ablution.
Yes, any impermeable layer (polish, occlusive foundation) blocks water from reaching the skin: remove it before ablution. Porous products (henna, non-film-forming cream) do not interfere.
Yes, any pure (fresh) water works, cold or hot; if cold seriously harms health, tayammum replaces it.
No fixed duration: ablution holds until an event breaks it (see the nullifications page). It can cover several prayers.