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How Do You Make Wudu Step by Step?

To make wudu, intend, say Bismillah, then wash hands, mouth, nose, face and arms, wipe your head and wash your feet. Step by step, plus what breaks wudu.

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Short answer

To make wudu, make the intention, say "Bismillah," then wash your hands 3 times, rinse your mouth 3 times, rinse your nose 3 times, wash your face 3 times, wash each arm up to the elbow 3 times (right first), wipe over your head once, and wash each foot up to the ankle 3 times (right first). The Quran (5:6) names the face, arms, head, and feet as the required parts; the rest is the Prophet's ﷺ sunnah.

Wudu is the short wash that prepares you for prayer. Whether you are new to Islam, returning after a long break, or just want to be sure you are doing it right, the steps are simple and take about two minutes.

This guide walks through each step, explains which parts are required, and covers the questions people most often ask.

What is wudu and why is it required?

Wudu (ablution) is the ritual washing a Muslim performs before prayer, and prayer is not valid without it. The Prophet ﷺ said, "The prayer of a person who does Hadath (passes urine, stool or wind) is not accepted till he performs the ablution" (Sahih al-Bukhari 135).

The command is in the Quran: "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" (Quran 5:6).

How do you make wudu step by step?

Follow these ten steps in order. This is the method the companion 'Uthman ibn 'Affan demonstrated and said he saw the Prophet ﷺ perform (Sahih al-Bukhari 159; Sahih Muslim 226).

  1. Intention (niyyah). Intend in your heart that you are making wudu for prayer. You do not need to say it out loud.
  2. Say "Bismillah" (in the name of Allah).
  3. Wash your hands up to the wrists, 3 times, between the fingers too.
  4. Rinse your mouth 3 times, swirling the water and spitting it out.
  5. Rinse your nose 3 times: draw water into the nose with your right hand and blow it out with your left.
  6. Wash your face 3 times, from the hairline to the chin and from ear to ear.
  7. Wash your arms from the fingertips up to and including the elbows, 3 times each, right arm first.
  8. Wipe your head once with wet hands, front to back and back to front.
  9. Wipe your ears with wet fingers, inside with the index fingers and behind with the thumbs.
  10. Wash your feet up to and including the ankles, 3 times each, right foot first, getting between the toes.

Washing each part once is enough to make wudu valid; three times is the sunnah.

Which parts of wudu are obligatory?

All schools agree on four parts from Quran 5:6: washing the face, washing the arms to the elbows, wiping the head, and washing the feet to the ankles. Each school then adds a few conditions.

School Obligatory (fard) parts of wudu
Hanafi 4: face, arms, wiping a quarter of the head, feet
Shafi'i 6: intention, face, arms, wiping part of the head, feet, correct order
Maliki 7: intention, face, arms, wiping the whole head, feet, rubbing the limbs, continuity
Hanbali 6: face (including mouth and nose), arms, head (including ears), feet, order, continuity

IslamQA's summary of the Hanbali view lists the six pillars as the face, arms, head, and feet, done in order and without a long gap. If you follow the full ten-step method above, you satisfy every school.

What do you say after wudu?

After wudu, say: "Ashhadu an la ilaha illa Allah, wa anna Muhammadan 'abdullahi wa rasuluh." It means "I testify that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is the servant of Allah and His Messenger." The Prophet ﷺ said that whoever makes wudu well and then says this, "the eight gates of Paradise would be opened for him and he may enter by whichever of them he wishes" (Sahih Muslim 234).

What breaks wudu?

Wudu is broken by anything that exits from the private parts, by deep sleep, and by losing consciousness. Scholars agree on these:

  • Urine, stool, or passing wind
  • Deep sleep in which you lose awareness
  • Fainting or losing consciousness

Some things are debated between the schools, such as bleeding (which breaks wudu for Hanafis), and touching the opposite sex (which breaks it for Shafi'is). Follow the school you have learned or ask your local imam.

If you are unsure whether you broke your wudu, assume you did not. The Prophet ﷺ said a person who thinks he passed wind during prayer "should not leave his prayers unless he hears sound or smells something" (Sahih al-Bukhari 137).

What are the most common wudu mistakes?

The most common mistake is leaving part of a required area dry. Watch for:

  • Heels and the backs of the ankles, which are easy to miss.
  • Elbows, which must be included, not stopped short of.
  • Nail polish or waterproof coatings, which stop water reaching the nail and should be removed first.
  • Rushing the face, missing the area near the ears or under the chin.
  • Wasting water. Even the full sunnah method needs only a small amount.

What is the reward for making wudu?

Wudu washes away minor sins along with the water. The Prophet ﷺ said that when a believer washes his face, "every sin he contemplated with his eyes, will be washed away from his face along with water," and the same for his hands and feet, until "he comes out pure from all sins" (Sahih Muslim 244). He also said that whoever makes wudu like his and prays two rak'ahs with full focus will have his past sins forgiven (Sahih Muslim 226).

What if you cannot use water?

If you are ill or cannot find water, you can do tayammum (dry ablution) with clean earth. The same verse says, "if you are ill or on a journey... 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" (Quran 5:6).

How do you fit wudu into a busy day?

Keep your wudu whenever you can, and plan ahead for places with awkward sinks. Making wudu before you leave home often lasts through Dhuhr or Asr. For tips on praying at your desk or between classes, see our guide to praying at work or school, and if you are learning everything for the first time, start with how to learn to pray as a new Muslim and the five daily prayers explained.

Once wudu is done, the prayer is the easy part. Salah Home is a prayer tracker app, free to download on iPhone, where you log each of the five prayers with a tap, build your streak, and earn Dates to decorate a peaceful virtual home.

Frequently asked questions

How many times do you wash each part in wudu?

Washing each part once makes wudu valid, and washing it three times is the sunnah. The head is wiped once, not washed.

Do you have to say the intention for wudu out loud?

No. The intention is in the heart. Simply knowing that you are making wudu for prayer is enough.

Does wudu break if you see your own private parts?

No, seeing does not break wudu. What breaks it is anything exiting the private parts, deep sleep, or losing consciousness; schools differ on some other cases, such as touching.

Can I pray multiple prayers with one wudu?

Yes. As long as nothing has broken your wudu, you can pray as many prayers as you like with it.

Does nail polish affect wudu?

Yes. Regular nail polish forms a barrier that stops water reaching the nail, so most scholars say it must be removed for wudu to be valid.

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