We must intellectually, physically, and spiritually prepare ourselves before performing salah. A significant amount of this preparation is referred to as wudu. Every Muslim must go through this purifying procedure before they can offer prayers. It is so crucial to the salah that Allah will not accept a prayer if someone chooses to skip it out of carelessness, ignorance, or forgetfulness.
Describe Wudu.
Before beginning prayer, wudu is a spiritual and physical act of self-purification. Washing the hands, mouth, nose, face, arms, head, and feet is a necessary part of this purifying procedure.
Without taking lengthy breaks in between, the tasks must be finished in the prescribed order. According to Sunan Abu Dawud’s Sahih hadith, the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said:
It is vital to do ablution before starting to pray because “the prayer of a person who does not perform ablution is not valid.”
Step-by-step process on how to perform wudu
Here is steps how to perform wudu:
Decide that you will perform wudu.
Recognizing that you are going to start the wudu procedure in order to perform salah is the first step. It is not necessary to use any specific words or phrases here. It takes both the heart and the head to create the intention.
Say “Bismillah.”
This is an essential step in creating wudu. We must recite Bismillah (In the Name of Allah) before we start washing ourselves. You can speak to yourself in silence.
Do Three Hand Washings
According to the teachings of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), we should start with our right side. This implies that you will have to wash your right hand three times, from the fingertips to the wrist. Ensure that the entire hand is submerged in water. Then do the same thing three times with your left hand.
Three Rinses for Your Mouth
Rinse your mouth three times while holding some water in your right hand. To properly clean your mouth, do this completely.
Three times, sniff water into your nostrils.
Smell some water into your nose with your right hand.
To help you understand what this means, we used the word “sniff” here. Three times, you must snort, or inhale the water into your nose, and then exhale it. Avoid drinking too much water as this could cause injury.
Do Three Face Washings
It is necessary to wash the entire face. That is, from the top of your forehead to the bottom of your chin, and from ear to ear. Repeat this procedure three times.
For males with beards, wash your face with damp hands and run them through your beard.
Do Three Arm Washes
Wash your right arm three times from the fingertips to the elbow. Ensure that no area remains dry. After that, repeat the procedure three times for your left arm.
Once, wipe your head.
Have you noticed that, rather than saying “wash,” step 8 instructs you to “wipe” your head? Here, the word choice was deliberate. Apply your moist hands to the forehead, then to the back of the head, and finally back to the forehead. This is done just once. It makes no difference what kind of hair you have. The procedure is the same whether you have long hair, short hair, or are bald.
Once, wash your ears.
The water used in step 8 should be used for this step. Cleanse the inside of your ears with your index fingers and the back of your ears with your thumb while holding your hands wet. This is done just once.
Three times, wash your feet.
We’ll wash our feet three times, just like we did with our hands. Start with your right foot’s toes and work your way up to your ankle. Verify that water gets to all parts of the right foot, particularly the space between the toes and the rear of the ankle. Repeat this three times with your right foot, then three times using your left.
Recite the Shahada and the Dua
When the Prophet (peace be upon him) would complete his wudu he would say the shahada:
“Ash-hadu an la ilaha illal lahu wa ash-hadu anna Muhammadan ‘abduhu wa rasuluh.”
This means “I testify that there is no god but Allah, and I also testify that Muhammad is His servant and messenger.”
After this statement he would make the following dua: “Allahuma j‘alnee mina tawabeen waj-‘alnee minal mutatahireen”
Which means “O Allah, make me among those who seek repentance and make me among those who purify themselves.”
At this point your wudu is complete and you can begin to pray.
Performing Wudu While Donning Shoes or Socks
If you choose to wear your socks while performing wudu, you will not have to remove them when it’s time to perform your wudu again.
This time, you will follow a somewhat different procedure when it comes to renewing your wudu and getting to step #10, which requires you to wash your feet three times:
Don’t take off your socks. This procedure does not need you to remove them.
You will lightly clean the top of your right foot with your right hand. This is done just once.
Wipe the top of your left foot softly with your right hand once again.
Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) used to perform wudu while wearing his socks in this manner.
The same guidelines apply to shoes and sandals as long as they cover the ankles, even if we were talking about socks in this part.
