Islamic Fiqh > Purification (Tahara) > Ablution (wudu): complete guide > The basmala at the beginning of wudu
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Updated on 25 September 2026 at 3:23 PM
This part belongs to the full section: All sections of this part.
Next come the sunan of wudu. First: the basmala (mentioning Allah's name) at the beginning of wudu. The fuqaha differed over its ruling: is it obligatory with presence of mind and capacity, absolutely sunna, or disliked?
The imam Ahmad, in one narration, holds the basmala to be obligatory in wudu with presence of mind, lapsing in forgetfulness; likewise for the complete washing and tayammum, according to the words of the Prophet:
No prayer for the one who has no wudu, and no wudu for the one who does not mention Allah's name upon it.Good hadith (hasan): reported by al-Tirmidhi (25) and Ibn Majah (398), from the hadith of Sa'id ibn Zayd (may Allah be pleased with him)
If he remembers it during the wudu, he says it at the point where he remembered it (al-Mughni 1/127; ar-Rawd al-Murbi' 1/43; al-Tahqiq 1/100; Manar al-Sabil 1/33).
The majority of the fuqaha, the Hanafis, the Shafi'is and the imam Ahmad in the second narration from him, hold that the basmala in wudu is a sunna, not an obligation. The proof that it is sunna: what al-Nasa'i reported, with a good chain, from Anas ibn Malik (may Allah be pleased with him): some Companions of the Prophet sought water; the Messenger of Allah said: "does any of you have water?" He dipped his hand in the water saying: "perform wudu in the name of Allah", that is, saying: in the name of Allah; and Anas saw the water pouring out from between his fingers until they all performed wudu, down to the last of them. Thabit said: I asked Anas: how many were they? He said: about 70 (sound chain: al-Nasa'i 78).
The proof that it is not obligatory: no sound, explicit proof is established for the obligation of the basmala, and the hadith reported on the subject is weak, not established from the Prophet. Ibn al-Mundhir (may Allah have mercy on him) said: there is in this chapter no established report that would invalidate the wudu of whoever did not mention Allah's name upon it; the precaution is that whoever intends wudu or the complete washing pronounce Allah's name, and nothing is held against whoever leaves it.
They also said: wudu is a purification that has no need of the basmala, like purification from impurity; what is asked of the one performing wudu is purity, and leaving the basmala does not impair it. It is an act of worship in which the basmala is not required, like the other acts of worship; and the default is the absence of obligation (al-Awsat 1/367, 368; Radd al-Muhtar 1/251; Bada'i' al-Sana'i' 1/85; adh-Dhakhira 1/284; Kifayat at-Talib 1/229; Hashiya of al-Dasuqi 1/166; al-Majmu' 1/407; Mughni al-Muhtaj 1/168; Nil al-Awtar 1/167; al-Mughni 1/127; al-Tahqiq 1/100; Manar al-Sabil 1/33; 'Awn al-Ma'bud 1/121).
As for the Malikis, the author of al-Taraz said: Malik (may Allah have mercy on him) approved of it once and disapproved of it another time, saying: is he slaughtering? I know of no one who does that. Ibn Shas transmitted from him the choice between the 2, and dislike was reported from Ibn Ziyad.
Before these acts, the encyclopedia closed the debate on washing the hands at the start of wudu: it is also reported that this is recommended, not obligatory; 'Ata', Malik, al-Awza'i, al-Shafi'i, Ishaq, the partisans of personal opinion and Ibn al-Mundhir said so, for Allah said: "when you rise for prayer, wash your faces" (Surat al-Ma'ida, 6) with the rest of the verse. Zayd ibn Aslam interpreted it: when you wake up; now rising from sleep falls under the generality of the verse, in which wudu is commanded without washing the hands at its start, and the command entails sufficiency. The one who rises from night sleep is like the one who rises from daytime sleep, and the hadith is understood as recommendation in view of its rationale: "for he does not know where his hand spent the night"; now doubt arising over certain purity has no effect upon it, as with one certain of purity and doubting impurity: this indicates that the Prophet meant recommendation (al-Mughni with the Sharh 1/122, 123; Kashshaf al-Qina' 1/106; ar-Rawd al-Murbi' 1/46; Ahkam al-Qur'an of Ibn al-'Arabi 2/58; al-Taj wa-l-Iklil 1/242; Hashiya of al-Dasuqi 1/156; al-Khulasa al-Fiqhiyya 1/10; Bada'i' al-Sana'i' 1/86; al-Majmu' 1/410; Mughni al-Muhtaj 1/169; Tafsir Ibn Kathir 2/24).
Third: rinsing the mouth (madmada); fourth: drawing water into the nose (istinshaq); fifth: expelling it (istinthar). The fuqaha differed over their ruling in 4 views.
First view: the Malikis, the Shafi'is and Ahmad in one narration hold that rinsing the mouth and the nose is a sunna in wudu and in the complete washing, according to the word of Allah: "O you who believe, when you rise for prayer, wash your faces and your hands up to the elbows" (Surat al-Ma'ida, 6). The face, among the Arabs, is that by which one faces: the inside of the mouth and nose is not part of it, and their mention among the acts of the fitra (natural disposition) indicates their difference from the rest of wudu. And according to his words to the bedouin:
Perform your wudu as Allah has commanded you.Authentic hadith: reported by Abu Dawud (861), al-Tirmidhi (303) and al-Nasa'i in al-Kubra (1631)
The imam al-Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) said: this hadith is among the best of proofs, for this bedouin prayed 3 times without performing it well; the Prophet then knew that he did not know the prayer performed before people, whose acts are witnessed; so he taught him its obligations and those of wudu, saying: "perform your wudu as Allah has commanded you", without mentioning to him the sunan of prayer and wudu, lest he overburden him so that he would not retain them. If rinsing the mouth were obligatory, he would have taught it to him: it belongs to the hidden matters, especially for this man for whom the visible prayer was still hidden; what then of wudu, more hidden still? (al-Majmu' 2/381, 386; Sharh Sahih Muslim 3/87; Hashiya of al-Dasuqi 1/97; Jawahir al-Iklil 1/23; al-Mughni 1/143; al-Insaf 1/153; Tafsir Ibn Kathir 3/36; al-Ifsah 1/64; Fath al-Bari 1/315).
Second view: the Hanafis and the imam Ahmad in one narration hold that both are obligatory in the major purification, the complete washing, and are sunna in the minor one, wudu. What is required in wudu is washing the 3 limbs and wiping the head: the inside of the nose and mouth is not part of them; what lies beyond the face is apparent, and the face likewise, for it is the name of that with which a person customarily faces, and the mouth is not used for facing in every state: its washing is therefore not required. As for the major purification, everything possible of the body is washed in it, like the inner reaches of thick hair, and no barrier is wiped over in it: they are therefore required there, unlike in the minor one. And Allah said: "if you are in a state of major impurity, purify yourselves" (Surat al-Ma'ida, 6), that is, purify your bodies: whatever can be washed without undue hardship, apparent or hidden, must therefore be washed (Ahkam al-Qur'an of al-Jassas 3/340; Bada'i' al-Sana'i' 1/89; Maraqi al-Falah 32; 'Umdat al-Qari 3/18; al-Mughni 1/143; al-Insaf 1/152; al-Ifsah 1/64; al-Bahr al-Ra'iq 1/48).
Third view: the Hanbalis in the mashhur hold that rinsing the mouth and drawing water into the nose are obligatory in both purifications, minor and major, according to what 'A'isha (may Allah be pleased with her) reported from the Messenger of Allah:
Rinsing the mouth and drawing water into the nose are of the wudu without which there is no doing.Reported by al-Daraqutni (1/84), who judged its interrupted form (mursal) to be correct; by al-Bayhaqi in al-Sunan al-Kubra (1/52); and by Ibn al-Jawzi in al-Tahqiq (1/144) and al-'Ilal al-Mutanahiya (1/337, 338). Al-Daraqutni said: 'Asim, that is Ibn Yusuf al-Mubarak, alone transmitted it and erred therein; the correct is: from Ibn Jurayj, from Sulayman ibn Musa, in interrupted form; I think 'Asim transmitted it from memory and became confused; then he transmitted it in interrupted form saying: the interrupted is sounder, and thus the 2 Sufyans and others transmitted it (Nasb ar-Raya 1/47)
And because everyone who described the Prophet's wudu in full detail mentioned that he rinsed his mouth and drew water into his nose: his constancy upon these 2 acts indicates their obligation, for his deed serves as explanation and detail of the wudu commanded in Allah's Book. And their belonging to the fitra does not negate obligation, for the fitra comprises both the obligatory and the recommended (al-Mughni 1/144; al-Insaf 1/153; al-Ifsah 1/65).
Fourth view: the imam Ahmad in one narration holds that drawing water into the nose is obligatory in wudu and complete washing, unlike rinsing the mouth, according to the words of the Prophet: "whoever performs wudu, let him sniff water into his nose" (al-Bukhari 161; Muslim 1/212, 518), and in a version: "when one of you performs wudu, let him put water in his nose and then expel it" (al-Bukhari 162; Muslim 1/212). From Abu Hurayra (may Allah be pleased with him), attributed to the Prophet: "whoever performs wudu, let him inhale water into his nose" (Muslim 1/212). From Ibn 'Abbas, attributed to the Prophet: "expel the water twice thoroughly, or 3 times" (authentic hadith: Abu Dawud 141; Ibn Majah 408; Ahmad 2011). This is a command entailing obligation; and the nose always remains open, with no covering shielding it, unlike the mouth (al-Mughni 1/143; al-Insaf 1/152; al-Majmu' 2/382).
Sixth: wiping the 2 ears. The fuqaha differed over its ruling in wudu: sunna or obligation? The Hanafis, the Malikis in the mashhur and the Shafi'is hold that wiping the ears is a sunna among the sunan of wudu: if the one performing wudu leaves it out, his wudu is valid. This is based on what is reported of the Prophet's words to the bedouin: "perform your wudu as Allah has commanded you" (reference given above): wiping the ears is not among what Allah commanded. It is recommended to wipe their outer face, turned toward the head, and their inner face, turned toward the face, according to what al-Miqdam ibn Ma'dikarib (may Allah be pleased with him) reported:
The Prophet wiped his head and his 2 ears, their outer and inner faces, and he inserted his 2 index fingers into the openings of his ears.Authentic hadith: reported by Abu Dawud (121) and Ibn al-Jarud in al-Muntaqa (74)
The Hanbalis, as well as Ibn Maslama and al-Abhari among the Malikis, hold it obligatory to wipe the 2 ears, their outer and inner faces, because they are part of the head, according to the words of the Prophet:
The 2 ears are part of the head.Authentic hadith: reported by Abu Dawud (134) and Ibn Majah (443, 444, 445)
The Malikis, the Shafi'is, the Hanbalis and Abu Hanifa in one narration from him said: it is recommended to take for the 2 ears new water, different from that with which he wiped his head, according to the hadith of 'Abd Allah ibn Zayd (may Allah be pleased with him): he saw the Prophet "performing wudu and taking for his ears water different from that which he had taken for his head" (reported by al-Hakim 1/252, 253 and al-Bayhaqi (313), who said its chain is sound, and graded it good (hasan) by al-Nawawi in al-Majmu' 1/368; but Shaykh al-Albani criticized this wording as anomalous (shadhdh), the correct version being: "and he wiped his head with water other than the remainder of his hands", as in ad-Da'ifa 2/494 and 3/45). And because the ear is a limb distinct from the head in name and form: it therefore does not follow it in purification, like the other limbs.
The Hanafis hold that the sunna, according to them, is to wipe the 2 ears with the water of the head, according to what is reported from the Prophet: "the 2 ears are part of the head". It is clear that he did not intend to describe physical creation but the legal ruling: it follows that they must be wiped together with it, with a single water, as the other parts of the head are wiped; only, wiping them does not stand in place of wiping the head, for the proof of wiping the head is established by decisive proof.
Ibn 'Abidin (may Allah have mercy on him), citing al-Khulasa, said: if he takes new water for his ears, it is good, and this was reported from Abu Hanifa. The author of al-Bahr said: we learn from this that the difference between us and al-Shafi'i is this: if he does not take new water and wipes with the remaining moisture, is he establishing the sunna? For us, yes; for him, no. As for taking new water while moisture remains, that establishes the sunna by consensus (Hashiya of Ibn 'Abidin 1/243; Ahkam al-Qur'an of al-Jassas 3/361; Bada'i' al-Sana'i' 1/97; al-Bahr al-Ra'iq 1/28; Bidayat al-Mujtahid 1/35; Hashiya of al-Dasuqi 1/159; al-Awsat 1/405; Mawahib al-Jalil 1/248; al-Majmu' 1/468, 470; Kifayat al-Akhyar p. 68; al-Mughni 1/130; Kashshaf al-Qina' 1/100; Manar al-Sabil 1/33).
Seventh: wiping the whole head. It has already been set out that wiping the entire head is a duty according to the imam Malik and Ahmad in the mashhur. The Hanafis and the Shafi'is hold that wiping the whole head is among the sunan of wudu. The Hanafis rely on what 'Abd Allah ibn Zayd (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: the Prophet "wiped his head with both his hands, moving them forward and back" (reported by Muslim (274), from the hadith of al-Mughira ibn Shu'ba), and on what is reported that the Prophet "performed wudu and wiped his entire head" (reported by Ibn Khuzayma in his Sahih (157)). They also say: "he wiped his forelock" (reported by al-Bukhari (185) and Muslim (235)): the wiping of a quarter of the head would thus be the duty, and the wiping of the whole a sunna.
They nevertheless stipulated that whoever performs wudu and persists in leaving the whole head uncovered by the wiping, without excuse, becomes blameworthy: it is as if his disdain for the sunna had become manifest. The Shafi'is say: it is recommended for the one performing wudu to wipe the entire head, in following of the practice and to exit the disagreement of those who made it obligatory. Al-Qurtubi said: the scholars agree that whoever wipes his entire head has done well and has done what was required of him (Tafsir al-Qurtubi 3/459; see al-Ikhtiyar 1/8; Bada'i' al-Sana'i' 1/95; Radd al-Muhtar 1/243; al-Fatawa al-Hindiyya 1/7; Sharh az-Zarqani 1/69; al-Taj wa-l-Iklil 1/202; Mughni al-Muhtaj 1/174; al-Majmu' 1/458; Tuhfat al-Ahwadhi 1/122).
Eighth: passing the fingers through the beard, already covered in the first part. Ninth: passing the fingers between the fingers of the hands and feet. The fuqaha hold that making the water reach between the fingers of hands and feet, by passing the fingers (khilal) or by other completions of wudu, is a duty in wudu and complete washing according to the majority of the fuqaha, according to the word of Allah: "wash your faces and your hands up to the elbows, wipe your heads, and your feet up to the ankles" (Surat al-Ma'ida, 6).
As for passing the fingers as such, once the water has entered between them: the Malikis in the mashhur hold khilal to be obligatory between the fingers of the hands, and recommended between the toes; they said: it is obligatory only for the hands because their fingers are not tightly joined, unlike the toes, whose inner faces cling closely together. In their other statement, khilal is obligatory between the fingers of the hands and the feet. They ground the obligation in what is reported of the Prophet's words to Laqit ibn Sabira (may Allah be pleased with him):
Complete the wudu, and pass between the fingers.Authentic hadith: reported by Abu Dawud (142), al-Tirmidhi (781) and Ibn Majah (448)
And in what Ibn 'Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) reported: the Prophet said:
When you perform wudu, pass between the fingers of your hands and feet.Good and authentic hadith: reported by al-Tirmidhi (39) and Ibn Majah (447)
The majority of the fuqaha, the Hanafis, the Shafi'is and the Hanbalis, hold that passing the fingers in wudu is a sunna; the Hanafis deem it a strongly emphasized sunna, and the Hanbalis consider that khilal of the toes is more strongly emphasized than that of the hands. They explain its recommendation by its greater effectiveness in removing grime between the fingers, according to what al-Mustawrid ibn Shaddad (may Allah be pleased with him) reported:
I saw the Prophet, when he performed wudu, rub his toes with his little finger.Authentic hadith: reported by Abu Dawud (148), al-Tirmidhi (40) and Ibn Majah (446)
As for its not being obligatory, this is due to the diverting factor: the teaching of the bedouin. It is not established that the Prophet taught him khilal, for he said to him: "perform your wudu as Allah has commanded you", and khilal is not in what Allah commanded, the verse having come absolute, without mention of khilal; likewise, in the reports describing the Prophet's wudu, khilal is not mentioned (Bada'i' al-Sana'i' 1/94; al-Mabsut 1/80; Tabyin al-Haqa'iq 1/4; al-Bahr al-Ra'iq 1/23; Radd al-Muhtar 1/238, 239; al-Fatawa al-Hindiyya 1/7; al-Tamhid 24/257, 259; Mawahib al-Jalil 1/195; adh-Dhakhira 1/269; Hashiya of al-Dasuqi 1/142, 145; al-Majmu' 1/487; I'anat at-Talibin 1/49; Kifayat al-Akhyar p. 69; al-Mughni 1/132; Kashshaf al-Qina' 1/102, 106; al-Insaf 1/134; Nil al-Awtar 1/191; Tuhfat al-Ahwadhi 1/123; 'Awn al-Ma'bud 1/165).
The section devoted to the sunan closes with the question of beginning with the right: when this proves impossible, as for one whose hand is amputated or a similar case, one begins with the right, and Allah knows best (Sharh Sahih Muslim 3/132; al-Majmu' 1/446). Ibn al-Humam (may Allah have mercy on him) said: beginning with the right is a sunna, due to the establishment of his constant practice: more than one of those who narrated his wudu explicitly stated that he began with the right before the left, for hands and feet alike; now this indicates constancy, for they were narrating his habitual wudu, that of his daily practice: it is therefore a sunna (Fath al-Qadir 1/23; see Radd al-Muhtar 1/247; Bada'i' al-Sana'i' 1/94; al-Bahr al-Ra'iq 1/28; Hashiya of al-Dasuqi 1/163; al-Mughni 1/133; Fath al-Bari 1/325; Nil al-Awtar 1/212).
Thirteenth: extending the ghurra (the bright mark on the forehead) and the tahjil (the white marks on hands and feet). The fuqaha differed over their ruling in wudu: recommended or disliked? The Shafi'is and the Hanbalis, according to the correct view of the school, hold that it is recommended, in wudu, to extend the ghurra and the tahjil, by going beyond the obligatory place in the washing of the face, hands and feet. The Hanafis classed the extending of the ghurra and the tahjil among the etiquettes (adab) of wudu.
The foundation for this is the words of the Prophet:
My umma will be called on the Day of Resurrection ghurran (bright on their foreheads) muhajjalin (with white marks on their limbs) from the traces of wudu; whoever among you is able to extend his ghurra, let him do so.Reported by al-Bukhari (136) and Muslim (246)
The meaning of ghurran muhajjalin: with white faces, hands and feet, like the horse with a white blaze, which has white on its face; and the muhajjal is the one whose legs are white.
The imam al-Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) said: know that these hadiths explicitly declare the recommendation of extending the ghurra and the tahjil. As for extending the ghurra, our companions say: it is washing part of the forepart of the head and what goes beyond the face, in excess of the part whose washing is required, to be certain that the whole face is covered. As for extending the tahjil: it is washing above the elbows and the ankles; this is recommended without disagreement among our companions. They differed over the extent of what is recommended, on 3 views: the first, it is recommended to go beyond the elbows and ankles without limit; the second, up to half the upper arm and the shin; the third, up to the shoulders and the knees; and the hadiths of the chapter encompass all of this (al-Majmu' 1/488, 490; Sharh Sahih Muslim 3/110; Radd al-Muhtar 1/256; Fath al-Qadir 1/36; Mughni al-Muhtaj 1/177; al-Insaf 1/168; al-Ikhtiyarat p. 22; Kashshaf al-Qina' 1/106, 109; Fath al-Bari 1/285).
The Malikis, as well as the imam Ahmad in one narration chosen by the shaykh of Islam Ibn Taymiyya and by Ibn al-Qayyim, hold that it is not recommended to extend the ghurra, that is, to go beyond, in the washing of wudu's limbs, the place of the duty. The Malikis say: it is rather disliked, for it belongs to excess (ghuluww) in religion; what is recommended is constancy in purity and its renewal.
Al-Dasuqi (may Allah have mercy on him) said: this is called extending the ghurra, as his words "whoever among you is able to extend his ghurra, let him do so" were understood: they understood the extending as constancy, and the ghurra as wudu. In sum, extending the ghurra designates both going beyond the washed area and perseverance in wudu; in the first sense it is disliked according to Malik; in the second it is sought according to him; the hadith cited therefore does not contradict the dislike he mentioned (Hashiya of al-Dasuqi 1/167; al-Taj wa-l-Iklil 1/266).
The shaykh of Islam Ibn Taymiyya (may Allah have mercy on him) reports that Abu Hurayra would wash his hands up to the upper arms in wudu, saying: "whoever among you is able to extend his ghurra, let him do so"; it is also reported from him that he would wipe his neck, saying: it is the place of the collar. A group of scholars recommended this in following of him; others contradicted them and said: the body of the Companions did not perform wudu in this way; and the wudu established from him in the 2 Sahihs and elsewhere through multiple chains contains no taking of new water for the ears, no washing beyond the elbows and ankles, and no wiping of the neck. Nor did the Prophet say: "whoever among you is able to extend his ghurra, let him do so": it is a saying of Abu Hurayra, interpolated (mudraj) into certain hadiths (Majmu' al-Fatawa 1/279, 280).
The Prophet said: "you will come on the Day of Resurrection ghurran muhajjalin from the traces of wudu"; and he himself would perform wudu until he engaged the upper arm and the shin; then Abu Hurayra said: "whoever among you is able to extend his ghurra, let him do so", and some thought that washing the upper arm belonged to the extending of the ghurra, which is meaningless: the ghurra is on the face, not on the hands and feet; on the hands and feet is the hajla (white mark). The ghurra cannot be extended, for the face is washed entirely, the head is not washed, and there is no ghurra on the head; as for the hajla, it is not recommended to extend it, and extending it is mutilation.
The imam Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) said: as for Abu Hurayra's deed (may Allah be pleased with him), it is something he interpreted, and which others contradicted, criticizing him for it. This question is nicknamed the question of extending the ghurra, though the ghurra concerns the face alone. The fuqaha differed over it, and 2 narrations are reported from Ahmad: the first, it is recommended to extend it; this is the view of Abu Hanifa and al-Shafi'i, chosen by Abu al-Barakat Ibn Taymiyya and others; the second, it is not recommended; this is the school of Malik and the choice of our shaykh Abu al-'Abbas.
The partisans of recommendation rely on the hadith of Abu Hurayra: the Messenger of Allah said: "you will be, on the Day of Resurrection, ghurran muhajjalin from the traces of wudu; whoever among you is able, let him extend his ghurra and his tahjil" (agreed upon), and on the fact that the believer's adornment reaches wherever the wudu reaches. The deniers of recommendation reply: the Messenger of Allah said: "Allah has set limits, so do not transgress them"; now Allah delimited the elbows and the ankles, so they should not be exceeded; nothing is reported by the transmitters of his wudu that he ever exceeded them; it is the root of obsessive doubt (waswas) and its substance; whoever does it does it only as devotion, and acts of worship are built upon following; and it is a path toward washing up to the thigh and up to the shoulder.
And it is something not known to have ever been done by the Prophet and his Companions [note of the encyclopedia: the correct view, and Allah knows best, is that this is not among what is known that the Prophet and his Companions did]; it is excess, and he said: "beware of excess in religion"; it is forbidden over-strictness; and it is a limb among the limbs of purification, whose transgression is disliked, like the face. As for the hadith, it is reported from Abu Hurayra by Nu'aym al-Mujammir, who said: "I do not know whether his words: whoever among you is able to extend his ghurra, let him do so, are the words of the Messenger of Allah or the words of Abu Hurayra"; the imam Ahmad transmitted it thus in his Musnad. As for the hadith of adornment, the adornment that beautifies is what is in its proper place; when it goes beyond its place, it is no longer adornment (Ighathat al-Lahfan 1/181, 182).
Fourteenth: the supplication after wudu. The fuqaha affirm its legitimacy. The Shafi'is and the Hanbalis specified that it is recommended for the one who has finished his wudu, facing the qibla, raising his hands and his gaze to heaven, to say: "I bear witness that there is no deity except Allah alone, without partner, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and His messenger; O Allah, make me among those who repent, and make me among those who purify themselves", according to his words:
There is none of you who performs wudu and excels in it (or completes it), then says: I bear witness that there is no deity except Allah and that Muhammad is the servant of Allah and His messenger, except that the 8 gates of Paradise are opened for him: he enters by whichever of them he wills.Reported by Muslim (234)
Then the one who performed wudu says: "O Allah, make me among those who repent, and make me among those who purify themselves" (authentic hadith: an addition reported by al-Tirmidhi (55)). He also says: "Glory be to You, O Allah, and praise; I bear witness that there is no deity except You; I seek Your forgiveness and turn to You", according to the words of the Prophet:
Whoever performs wudu and says: Glory be to You, O Allah, and praise; I bear witness that there is no deity except You; I seek Your forgiveness and turn to You, it is written on a parchment, then sealed with a seal, and it will not be broken until the Day of Resurrection.Reported by al-Nasa'i (9909) and al-Hakim in al-Mustadrak (1/752), who declared it sound by Muslim's criterion, with which adh-Dhahabi agreed; by at-Tabarani in al-Awsat (2/123); al-Haythami said in al-Majma' (1/239): at-Tabarani reported it in al-Awsat with men of the Sahih. Al-Nasa'i however favored stopping it at Abu Sa'id al-Khudri; al-Albani said in as-Sahiha (5/332): there is no doubt the stopped form (mawquf) is sounder in chain, but Hafiz Ibn Hajar said: such a saying is not said from mere opinion, so it has the ruling of an elevated (marfu') report. Al-Albani concludes: the hadith is sound by the sum of its elevated paths, and the stopped form does not contradict it, for it is not said by mere opinion, as preceded from the Hafiz
That is, no invalidation ever touches it, and its author is thereby preserved from committing any invalidator. The Hanafis, the Malikis and the Shafi'is say: it is recommended to say after wudu: may Allah bless and grant peace to Muhammad and the family of Muhammad.
Al-Buhuti (may Allah have mercy on him) expounds the wisdom of concluding wudu, prayer and other acts with the seeking of forgiveness: as Ibn Rajab indicated in his commentary on Surat an-Nasr, servants fall short of fulfilling Allah's rights as is due, and of performing them in a manner befitting His majesty and greatness; they perform them only to the extent of their capacity; the one who knows realizes that the due of the right is higher and greater than that: he is then shy of his deed and seeks forgiveness for his falling short, as others seek forgiveness for their sins and lapses.
The seeking of forgiveness (istighfar) comes sometimes alone, sometimes paired with repentance. When it comes alone, it includes seeking protection from the evil of the past sin, through supplication and regret over it, and from the evil of the future sin through resolve to desist from it: this istighfar prevents persistence and punishment. When it comes paired with repentance, it is specific to the first type; if regret over the past sin does not accompany it and it is a bare request, it is pure supplication; if regret accompanies it, it is repentance, of which the resolve to desist is the completion (Kashshaf al-Qina' 1/108, 109; see Tabyin al-Haqa'iq 1/7; al-Bahr al-Ra'iq 1/30; Radd al-Muhtar 1/253; Hashiya of al-Bannani on az-Zarqani 1/73; Sharh Mukhtasar Khalil 1/136; Hashiya of al-'Adawi 1/255; al-Majmu' 1/517; Sharh Sahih Muslim 3/98; Mughni al-Muhtaj 1/180; Hashiya of al-Jamal 1/441; al-Mughni 1/181; Majmu' al-Fatawa 14/419; Matalib Uli an-Nuha 1/120).
Fifteenth: praying 2 rak'as immediately after wudu. The scholars recommended that the one who has performed wudu pray 2 rak'as, according to the words of the Prophet:
There is no Muslim who performs wudu and does it well, then stands and prays 2 rak'as turning to them with heart and face, except that Paradise becomes due for him.Reported by Muslim (234)
And by the hadith of 'Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) describing his wudu: "I saw the Messenger of Allah perform wudu like this wudu of mine; then the Messenger of Allah said: whoever performs wudu like this wudu of mine, then stands and prays 2 rak'as without talking to himself in them, his past sin is forgiven him" (reported by al-Bukhari (159) and Muslim (226)).
Al-Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) said: the hadith indicates the recommendation of praying 2 rak'as or more after every wudu: it is a strongly emphasized sunna (Sharh Sahih Muslim 3/88; Hashiya of al-Tahtawi 1/261; Fath al-Qadir 1/24; Mughni al-Muhtaj 1/180; Tarh at-Tathrib 2/55; Sharh Muntaha al-Iradat 1/250, 258; Matalib Uli an-Nuha 1/579; Fath al-Bari 1/313; 'Awn al-Ma'bud 1/126).
And by the hadith of Abu Hurayra (may Allah be pleased with him): the Prophet said to Bilal at the dawn prayer:
O Bilal, tell me the most hopeful deed you have done in Islam, for I heard the patter of your sandals before me in Paradise. Bilal replied: I have done no deed more hopeful in my eyes than this: never have I purified myself, at any hour of night or day, without praying with that purity all that was written for me to pray.Reported by al-Bukhari (1098) and Muslim (2458)