KA Key to Salat: WuduJ

﴾Part I – Intro: Bismillah ir-Rahman ir-Raheem﴿

"The key to paradise is prayer and the key to prayer is purification." (Tirmidhi)

Wudu is a means through which a Muslim’s sins drop and he purifies himself for other acts of
worship. Wudu in itself is an excellent form of worship and deserves a sincere effort from us to
perfect it, just as we would exert effort in our prayer, fasting, or recitation of the Qur’an.

﴾Part II – Integrals of Wudu (Sunnah and Fard) ﴿

The Wudu should be done with the Sunnah integrals, unless one has a valid excuse (travel, lack of
water, etc.), please check a scholar or authentic source for more information. The following is
according to Hanafi fiqh. The Shafi’i school’s major difference is that they wipe the full head <F>,
thrice <S>, and also wash inside the ear, thrice <S>, but please consult a scholar or authentic source.

i) Recommended Sunnah of Wudu

(1) Maintain the mentioned order

(2) Wash limbs successively without pause

(3) Rub the limbs when washing

ii) The Process of Wudu

(1) Start with “a`oodhu billahi min-ash-shaytan-ir-rajeem (I seek refuge in Allah from the
accursed Satan); bismillah-ir-rahman-ir-raheem (In the Name of Allah, Most Beneficent,
Most Merciful)”. Straighten your intention for Tahara (Purification). <Sunnah> (=S)

(2) Thoroughly wash the hands up to the wrists, three times each, from right to left. <S>

(3) Rinse the mouth until the back of the throat thrice, using the right hand. <S>, brush <S>.

(4) Rinse the nose until the soft tissue thrice <S>.

(5) Wash the entire face, from the hairline, to the bottom of the chin (beard), from earlobe to
earlobe <Fard/Obligatory> (=F), thrice <S>.

(6) Wash the arms up to and including the elbows <F>, right to left, thrice <S>.

(7) Wipe at least a quarter of the head <F>, or better, the whole head <S>, ears <S>, back of neck
<S> once, with only one use of water.

(8) Wash the feet up to and including the ankles <F>, from right to left, thrice <S>, running
fingers through toes <S>.

(9) See Part IV for ending Wudu <S>.

 KA Key to Salat: WuduJ
iii) A Note on Ghusl (Shower)

(1) Make the intention <S/F>, wash every hair on the body <F>, rinse the mouth, and the nose
<F>. Don’t forget the naval (bellybutton) <F>.

﴾Part III – Caution Points﴿

iv) During Wudu

(1) Useless worldly speech is somewhat disliked

(2) Wasting water is disliked, and sinful…

(3) …but not using enough water renders the Wudu incomplete (the water must drip from the
limbs, with the exception of when wiping the head). The water must reach under rings too.

v) Outside of Wudu

(1) If one was in a state of Wudu before wearing footgear, wiping over certain footgear is
certainly permitted, but wiping over cotton socks is most certainly not, nor is wiping over
shoes that don’t reach the ankles, or shoes that reach the ankles but have holes. Please
consult a scholar regarding this issue, and the process of wiping footgear.

(2) Make sure the clothes are pure.

﴾Part IV – Open the Doors of Jannah﴿

"The Prophet of Allah (Allah bless him and grant him peace) said: Whoever performed a perfect
ablution and recited the Shahada, then all the eight doors of the heaven are thrust open for him — he
may enter from whichever door he likes." (Sahih Muslim)

After performing Wudu, recite:

‘Ash-hadu alla ilaha ill-allah wahdahu la shareeka lahu wa ash-hadu anna muhammadan `abduhu wa rasooluh’
“I bear witness that there is no deity except Allah, alone, without partner and I bear witness that Muhammad is
His slave and messenger.”

‘Allahumma-j`alnee min-at-tawwabeena wa-j`alnee min-al-mutatahhireen’

“Oh Allah, make me among the oft-repenting and among the purified.”

(Information taken from Sunnipath.com, Sacredlearning.org, and Shaykh Kamani)

For more information on the topic, please listen to the “Pearls of Purity” lectures at
http://sacredlearning.org/classrooms/pearls/index.htm. For a more detailed explanation of Wudu, search for
"The Complete Abulution” at qa.sunnipath.com, or consult an authentic source.