Wudu

Wudu (Arabic: الوضوء al-wuḍū', often translated as "ablution") is the act of washing parts of the body using clean water performed by Muslims, as part of the preparation for ritual worship, salah. Wudu is often translated as "partial ablution", as opposed to ghusl, or "full ablution".

The acts of wudu

The Qur'anic mandate for wudu comes in the sixth ayat of sura 5 (Al-Ma'ida):

"O you who believe! when you rise up to prayer, wash your faces and your hands as far as the elbows, wipe your heads, and wash your feet to the ankles; and if you are under an obligation to perform a total ablution, then wash (yourselves) and if you are sick or on a journey, or one of you come from the privy, or you have touched the women, and you cannot find water, betake yourselves to pure earth and wipe your faces and your hands therewith, God does not desire to put on you any difficulty, but He wishes to purify you and that He may complete His favor on you, so that you may be grateful."

There are other acts that are performed during wudu (coming from the sunnah of the prophet Muhammad and islamic scholars) and the detailed acts of the wudu can be classed into 3 types:

Farāid al-wudu - seven fard (obligatory) acts. If one of these acts is omitted, it must be returned to and then completion of the successive acts are to be performed.
- Making the intention.
- Washing the face.
- Washing the arms.
- Wiping the head, from front to back.
- Washing the feet.
- Rubbing thoroughly when washing.
- Not interrupting wudu.

Sunan al-wudu - seven sunnah (practised by the prophet Muhammad) acts. If one of these acts is omitted, it should be completed.
- Washing the hands.
- Rinsing the mouth.
- Sniffing water and blowing it out.
- Wiping the neck, neck to hairline.
- Wetting the hands to rub the ears.
- Rubbing the ears.
- Doing the acts of ablution in order.

Mustahabbāt al-wudu - a handful of mustahab (recommended) acts that are considered to make the wudu better. If one of these acts is omitted, the wudu is still considered valid.
- Reciting the bismillah.
- Reciting the shahadah.
- Brushing the teeth before ablution.
- Repetition of each act 3 times.
- Choosing a clean place for ablution.
- Not wasting water in ablution.

Performance of wudu

Wudu is generally performed in the following manner.

Begin by saying bismillah ("In the Name of Allah (God)").
Make niya (intention) to perform wudu and cleanse himself of his impurities.
Wash the right hand up to the wrist (and between the fingers) three times, then similarly for the left hand.
Rinse the mouth and spit out the water three times.
Gently put water into the nostrils with the right hand, pinch the top of the nose with the left hand to exhale the water. This is performed three times.
Wash the face (from the hairline on the forehead to where facial hair begins and ear to ear). This is to be performed thrice.
Wash the entire right arm, including the hand, up to the elbow three times, then the left arm three times.
Wet hands and starting with your hands flat on the top of your head near the hairline, wipe them to the back of the neck and back again to the front. This is only done once. This act is called masah of the head. One may make masah over a cap or turban.
With wet fingers, place thumbs at backs of ears, use index finger on curves of ear and middle finger to wash the ears (front and back). Then the back of the neck is wiped. This is only done once. This is called making masah the ears.
Starting with the right foot, wash both feet from the toes (and between them) up to the ankles. This is performed thrice.
Recite the shahadah.

Significance of wudu

Wudu gives a sense of cleanliness both spiritually and physically. As well as that, wudu shows a sign of respect to Allah as one is clean in the presence of Him i.e. during prayer.

Invalidation of wudu

Theoretically, one can perform one wudu for fajr salaat and this wudu would be considered valid for the rest of the day. However, certain things invalidate the wudu (often referred to as "breaking wudu") and these can be stated generically thus:

Defecation, passing gas or urination.
Emission of semen.
Sleep.
Passing blood.
Vomiting.
Loss of senses.
Touching a member of the opposite sex.
Touching ones private parts.

The four schools of Islamic jurisprudence specify these conditions in more detail and include other conditions too. Abu Hanifa interpreted "touched the women" to mean sexual intercourse, whereas Shafi'i interpreted it literally, meaning one must make wudu after making physical contact with a member of the opposite sex.

Hence, most Muslims perform wudu several times a day.

Wudu according to the four Madhhab

The four schools of Islamic fiqh differ on some issues regarding the performance of wudu and it's invalidation.

Tayammum

Tayammum is a "dry ablution" using dust or sand and is to be performed when water is not readily available.

References

Lemu, B. A., Islamic Aqidah and Fiqh: A Textbook of Islamic Belief and Jurisprudence (revised and expanded edition of Tawhid and Fiqh), IQRA' International Education Foundation, Chicago, 1997.
Dr. Mamdouh N. Mohamed. Salaat: The Islamic Prayer from A to Z. 2003.

Islamic law | Salat