Note: This is original study material in plain English to help you understand wudhu. For the niyyat words and any duas recited during wudhu, use the verified text in the app and follow your local hudud.
What wudhu is
Wudhu is the ritual washing that establishes taharat (ritual purity) before acts of worship. It is the gateway to namaz: a prayer offered without valid wudhu is not accepted. It is also required before tilawat (touching and reciting the Quran), Tawaf, and other acts that demand purity.
Beyond the legal requirement, wudhu has an inward meaning — washing the limbs is a way of leaving behind distraction and turning, clean and composed, toward Allah.
Before you start
- Make sure the water is clean (tahir) and freely flowing where possible.
- Sit or stand in a clean place and roll back sleeves so the forearms are exposed.
- Form the niyyat — silently intend that you are performing wudhu to attain purity for worship, for the sake of Allah.
The steps in order
Wudhu is done in a fixed sequence; the order matters, and each washed part should be wetted completely.
- Wash both hands up to the wrists, beginning with the right then the left.
- Rinse the mouth (madmaza) — take water into the mouth and swish.
- Rinse the nose (istinshaq) — draw a little water into the nostrils and clear them.
- Wash the face once thoroughly, from the hairline to the chin and from ear to ear.
- Wash the right arm from fingertips to the elbow, then the left arm the same way.
- Masah of the head (sar) — wipe a wet hand over the head.
- Masah / washing of the feet — wipe or wash the feet up to the ankles, right then left.
Throughout, work from right to left, and do not let one part dry out before the next is done.
What breaks wudhu
Once made, wudhu stays valid until something nullifies it. Common breakers include:
- Using the toilet (passing urine or stool) or passing wind.
- Deep sleep that removes awareness.
- Loss of consciousness, fainting, or intoxication.
- Anything that legally counts as najasat (impurity) leaving the body.
If wudhu breaks during an act of worship — for example mid-Tawaf — you stop, renew wudhu, and resume from where you left off.
Keeping wudhu through the day
Because Bohras gather for prayer three times daily, many keep wudhu between sittings rather than remaking it each time, renewing only when it breaks. Being in a state of wudhu through the day is itself considered praiseworthy: it keeps a person ready for prayer and dua at any moment.
A note on ghusl
Wudhu handles the everyday state of purity. A fuller washing of the whole body, ghusl, is required after certain states (such as janabat) and is recommended on occasions like the day of Eid and Friday before going to the masjid. Ghusl, where required, takes the place of wudhu for that need.
The wudhu niyyat and accompanying duas are available in the Duas section of the app.