How to Perform Wudu — The Complete Shia Method

Wudu (ablution) is the ritual washing and wiping by which a Muslim becomes ritually pure (tahir) before standing in prayer. It is a condition for the validity of every salah — the Holy Prophet (s) said: “There is no prayer without purification.” It is also obligatory for the wajib tawaf of the Ka‘bah and for touching the written text of the Holy Qur’an, and it is highly recommended before reciting the Qur’an, entering a mosque, going to sleep, and at many other times.

This page sets out the method of wudu according to Shia (Ja‘fari) fiqh, in the order it is performed: the conditions that must be met first, the recommended preliminaries, the six obligatory acts, the duas recited with each act as narrated from Amir al-Mu’minin Ali (a), and finally the duas and etiquettes that follow the wudu — with the source of every supplication.

The Command of the Qur’an

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِيْنَ آمَنُوْا إِذَا قُمْتُمْ إِلَى الصَّلَاةِ فَاغْسِلُوْا وُجُوْهَكُمْ وَأَيْدِيَكُمْ إِلَى الْمَرَافِقِ وَامْسَحُوْا بِرُؤُوْسِكُمْ وَأَرْجُلَكُمْ إِلَى الْكَعْبَيْنِ 6

Yā ayyuhal-ladhīna āmanū idhā qumtum ilaṣ-ṣalāti faghsilū wujūhakum wa aydiyakum ilal-marāfiqi wamsaḥū bi-ru’ūsikum wa arjulakum ilal-kaʿbayn.

O you who believe! When you rise for the prayer, wash your faces and your hands up to the elbows, and wipe your heads and your feet up to the ankles. (Surah al-Ma’idah 5:6, part of the verse)

This verse is the foundation of the Shia method. It names two washings — the face and the arms — and two wipings (masah) — the head and the feet. The Ahl al-Bayt (a) taught that “to the elbows” describes the limit of what is washed, not the direction, and that the arms are washed from the elbow down to the fingertips; and that the feet, like the head, are wiped with the wetness of the hands, not washed. Imam al-Baqir (a) demonstrated exactly this when asked to “describe the wudu of the Messenger of Allah (s)” (al-Kafi, vol. 3, Bab Sifat al-Wudu).

Before You Begin — Conditions of a Valid Wudu

The water must be tahir (ritually clean).
The water must be mutlaq — plain water. Wudu with mixed water (mudaf) such as rose-water, juice or heavily muddied water is invalid.
The water, its container and the place of wudu must be mubah — not usurped (ghasbi) or used without the owner’s consent; and as an obligatory precaution the container should not be of gold or silver.
The parts of the body being washed or wiped must be tahir at the moment of washing or wiping.
Using water must not be harmful. If water would harm you — illness, wounds, severe cold — wudu is replaced by tayammum (or, for a wound or bandage, by wudu al-jabirah).
There must be enough time for wudu and the prayer. If the time is so short that doing wudu would leave the prayer (or part of it) outside its time, tayammum is performed instead.
Niyyat (intention) with qurbah. Wudu must be performed for Allah alone, to draw near to Him. Wudu performed for show, or to cool oneself, is void. The intention is in the heart; it need not be spoken.
Tartib (order). First the face, then the right arm, then the left arm, then wiping the head, then the right foot, then the left foot. If the order is changed the wudu is invalid.
Muwalat (continuity). The acts follow one another without a gap. If the delay is so long that the previously washed parts have dried before the next part is begun, the wudu is void and must be repeated.
You must perform the acts yourself. Someone may bring the water or pour it into your hand, but if another person washes your face or arms or wipes for you, the wudu is void — except in genuine inability, when a helper acts on your behalf and you make the intention.
Nothing may block the water from reaching the skin. Rings, watches, bracelets, nail polish, paint, glue, dough or dirt on the skin or under the nails must be removed or moved so the water reaches every part.
The wiping must be done with the wetness of the wudu itself. The hands are not re-wetted with fresh water for the masah, and the head and feet must be dry — or at least dry enough that it is the wetness of the hand that is transferred to them, not the other way round.

Recommended Preliminaries — with their Duas

The following acts are mustahab (recommended), not obligatory; leaving them out does not invalidate the wudu, but they carry great reward and are the sunnah of the Prophet (s) and the Imams (a). The duas below are the words that Amir al-Mu’minin Ali (a) recited when he performed wudu while his son Muhammad (ibn al-Hanafiyyah) poured the water for him — a hadith recorded by Shaykh al-Kulayni and Shaykh al-Saduq and quoted in Mafatih al-Jinan.

1. Sit facing the qibla, in a clean place, and say Bismillah when you see the water

It is recommended to face the qibla, and when the eye falls on the water, before touching it, to say:

بِسْمِ اللّٰهِ وَبِاللّٰهِ، وَالْحَمْدُ لِلّٰهِ الَّذِيْ جَعَلَ الْمَاءَ طَهُوْرًا وَلَمْ يَجْعَلْهُ نَجِسًا

Bismillāhi wa billāh, wal-ḥamdu lillāhil-ladhī jaʿalal-mā’a ṭahūran wa lam yajʿalhu najisā.

In the name of Allah and by Allah. All praise is for Allah, who made water purifying and did not make it impure.

It is also narrated that saying “Bismillah” at the beginning of wudu purifies the whole body, while wudu without it purifies only the washed limbs (Man La Yahduruhu al-Faqih, vol. 1, Bab Sifat Wudu Amir al-Mu’minin; Wasa’il al-Shi‘a, vol. 1, Abwab al-Wudu, Bab 26).

2. Wash both hands up to the wrists

Before the wudu proper, wash both hands up to the wrists: once if you have woken from sleep or passed urine, twice if you have relieved yourself fully. While washing them say:

اَللّٰهُمَّ اجْعَلْنِيْ مِنَ التَّوَّابِيْنَ، وَاجْعَلْنِيْ مِنَ الْمُتَطَهِّرِيْنَ

Allāhumma-jʿalnī minat-tawwābīn, wa-jʿalnī minal-mutaṭahhirīn.

O Allah, make me one of those who repent, and make me one of those who purify themselves.

3. Madmadah — rinse the mouth three times

Take water in the right hand and rinse the mouth three times, saying:

اَللّٰهُمَّ لَقِّنِيْ حُجَّتِيْ يَوْمَ أَلْقَاكَ، وَأَطْلِقْ لِسَانِيْ بِذِكْرِكَ

Allāhumma laqqinī ḥujjatī yawma alqāk, wa aṭliq lisānī bi-dhikrik.

O Allah, grant me my proof (to plead with) on the day I meet You, and set my tongue free with Your remembrance.

4. Istinshaq — draw water into the nose three times

Draw water into the nostrils three times, saying:

اَللّٰهُمَّ لَا تُحَرِّمْ عَلَيَّ رِيْحَ الْجَنَّةِ، وَاجْعَلْنِيْ مِمَّنْ يَشَمُّ رِيْحَهَا وَرَوْحَهَا وَطِيْبَهَا

Allāhumma lā tuḥarrim ʿalayya rīḥal-jannah, wa-jʿalnī mimman yashammu rīḥahā wa rawḥahā wa ṭībahā.

O Allah, do not deprive me of the fragrance of Paradise, and make me one of those who smell its fragrance, its breeze and its perfume.

Rinsing the mouth and nose are not part of the wudu itself. Water that remains on the hand from them is not wudu water; the obligatory washing begins with the face.

The Method of Wudu — The Six Obligatory Acts

Now the wudu itself begins. Every act below is wajib, in this exact order, and with each act the narrated dua may be recited. Water is poured on each part from the top downward; the limb is not washed from below upward.

Step 1 — Niyyat (intention)

Bring to mind that you are performing wudu for the sake of Allah, seeking nearness to Him (qurbatan ilallah). You do not have to say anything; if you wish, you may say in your heart or on your tongue: “I perform wudu, to make myself pure for the prayer, qurbatan ilallah.” The intention must be present from the first drop that falls on the face until the wiping of the left foot is complete.

Step 2 — Washing the face

Take water in the right hand, pour it on the top of the forehead and wash the face downward from the hairline to the tip of the chin. In width, wash all that lies between the tip of the thumb and the tip of the middle finger when the hand is spread across the face. Water must reach every part of this area; where the beard is thick it is enough that the water reaches its surface, but the skin around the lips and eyes must be washed. Washing once is obligatory; a second washing is recommended; a third washing is not permitted. While washing say:

اَللّٰهُمَّ بَيِّضْ وَجْهِيْ يَوْمَ تَسْوَدُّ فِيْهِ الْوُجُوْهُ، وَلَا تُسَوِّدْ وَجْهِيْ يَوْمَ تَبْيَضُّ فِيْهِ الْوُجُوْهُ

Allāhumma bayyiḍ wajhī yawma taswaddu fīhil-wujūh, wa lā tusawwid wajhī yawma tabyaḍḍu fīhil-wujūh.

O Allah, brighten my face on the day when faces are darkened, and do not darken my face on the day when faces are brightened.

Step 3 — Washing the right arm

Take water in the left hand and pour it on the right arm a little above the elbow, so that the elbow itself is certainly included, and wash downward to the tips of the fingers. The whole arm must be washed on all sides. Washing from the fingertips up to the elbow is invalid. While washing say:

اَللّٰهُمَّ أَعْطِنِيْ كِتَابِيْ بِيَمِيْنِيْ، وَالْخُلْدَ فِي الْجِنَانِ بِيَسَارِيْ، وَحَاسِبْنِيْ حِسَابًا يَسِيْرًا

Allāhumma aʿṭinī kitābī bi-yamīnī, wal-khulda fil-jināni bi-yasārī, wa ḥāsibnī ḥisāban yasīrā.

O Allah, give me my book (of deeds) in my right hand, and everlasting life in the Gardens in my left, and take from me an easy reckoning.

Step 4 — Washing the left arm

Take water in the right hand and in the same way wash the left arm from above the elbow down to the fingertips. Be careful here not to wash a third time and not to add any fresh water to the hands after this washing — the wetness that remains on the hands after the left arm is the water with which the head and feet are wiped. While washing say:

اَللّٰهُمَّ لَا تُعْطِنِيْ كِتَابِيْ بِشِمَالِيْ، وَلَا مِنْ وَرَاءِ ظَهْرِيْ، وَلَا تَجْعَلْهَا مَغْلُوْلَةً إِلٰى عُنُقِيْ، وَأَعُوْذُ بِكَ مِنْ مُقَطَّعَاتِ النِّيْرَانِ

Allāhumma lā tuʿṭinī kitābī bi-shimālī, wa lā min warā’i ẕahrī, wa lā tajʿalhā maghlūlatan ilā ʿunuqī, wa aʿūdhu bika min muqaṭṭaʿātin-nīrān.

O Allah, do not give me my book in my left hand, nor from behind my back, and do not make it chained to my neck; and I seek refuge in You from the garments of fire.

Step 5 — Masah (wiping) of the head

With the wetness left on the right hand, wipe the front quarter of the head — the part above the forehead. Any amount of wiping is sufficient, but it is recommended to wipe a strip the length of one finger and the width of three fingers joined together. The wiping may be on the skin or on the hair of that area, provided the hair is not so long that, when combed, it would fall outside the front of the head. Draw the hand from above toward the forehead, taking care that the wet hand does not touch the (already wet) face so that the water of the face does not mix with the water on the hand. Do not use fresh water. While wiping say:

اَللّٰهُمَّ غَشِّنِيْ بِرَحْمَتِكَ وَبَرَكَاتِكَ وَعَفْوِكَ

Allāhumma ghashshinī bi-raḥmatika wa barakātika wa ʿafwik.

O Allah, cover me with Your mercy, Your blessings and Your pardon.

Step 6 — Masah of the feet

With the wetness remaining on the right hand, wipe the top of the right foot from the tips of the toes up to the ka‘b — the raised joint on the top of the foot — and, as a recommended precaution, up to the ankle joint. Then with the left hand wipe the left foot in the same way. In width, wiping even one finger’s breadth is sufficient; wiping with the whole palm is better. The feet must be bare — masah over socks or shoes is not valid except in taqiyyah or real necessity — and the hand must move over the foot, not the foot under the hand. While wiping say:

اَللّٰهُمَّ ثَبِّتْنِيْ عَلَى الصِّرَاطِ يَوْمَ تَزِلُّ فِيْهِ الْأَقْدَامُ، وَاجْعَلْ سَعْيِيْ فِيْ مَا يُرْضِيْكَ عَنِّيْ، يَا ذَا الْجَلَالِ وَالْإِكْرَامِ

Allāhumma thabbitnī ʿalaṣ-ṣirāṭi yawma tazillu fīhil-aqdām, wa-jʿal saʿyī fī mā yurḍīka ʿannī, yā Dhal-Jalāli wal-Ikrām.

O Allah, keep my feet firm on the Bridge (of Sirat) on the day when feet slip, and make my effort in that which pleases You with me, O Lord of Majesty and Honour.

Reference for the duas of the acts of wudu: al-Kulayni, al-Kafi, vol. 3, Kitab al-Taharah, Bab al-Nawadir, the hadith of the wudu of Amir al-Mu’minin (a) narrated by Imam al-Sadiq (a); al-Shaykh al-Saduq, Man La Yahduruhu al-Faqih, vol. 1, Bab Sifat Wudu Amir al-Mu’minin (a); al-Hurr al-‘Amili, Wasa’il al-Shi‘a, vol. 1, Abwab al-Wudu, Bab 16 (the recommendation of the narrated duas during wudu); Shaykh Abbas al-Qummi, Mafatih al-Jinan, Adab al-Wudu.

After Wudu — Duas and Etiquettes

1. Recite Surah al-Qadr

Imam al-Sadiq (a) said: “Whoever recites Inna anzalnahu fi laylatil-qadr once after his wudu, Allah brings him out of his sins as on the day his mother bore him.”

بِسْمِ اللّٰهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيْمِ

إِنَّا أَنْزَلْنَاهُ فِيْ لَيْلَةِ الْقَدْرِ 1

وَمَا أَدْرَاكَ مَا لَيْلَةُ الْقَدْرِ 2

لَيْلَةُ الْقَدْرِ خَيْرٌ مِّنْ أَلْفِ شَهْرٍ 3

تَنَزَّلُ الْمَلَائِكَةُ وَالرُّوْحُ فِيْهَا بِإِذْنِ رَبِّهِمْ مِّنْ كُلِّ أَمْرٍ 4

سَلَامٌ هِيَ حَتّٰى مَطْلَعِ الْفَجْرِ 5

Bismillāhir-Raḥmānir-Raḥīm. Innā anzalnāhu fī laylatil-qadr. Wa mā adrāka mā laylatul-qadr. Laylatul-qadri khayrun min alfi shahr. Tanazzalul-malā’ikatu war-rūḥu fīhā bi-idhni Rabbihim min kulli amr. Salāmun hiya ḥattā maṭlaʿil-fajr.

In the name of Allah, the All-Beneficent, the All-Merciful. Indeed We sent it down on the Night of Decree. And what will show you what the Night of Decree is? The Night of Decree is better than a thousand months. In it the angels and the Spirit descend, by the leave of their Lord, with every command. It is peace until the rising of the dawn.

Reference: al-Shaykh al-Saduq, Thawab al-A‘mal, “The reward of reciting Inna anzalnahu after wudu”; Man La Yahduruhu al-Faqih, vol. 1; Wasa’il al-Shi‘a, vol. 1, Abwab al-Wudu, Bab 52; Mafatih al-Jinan, Adab al-Wudu.

2. Dua for the perfection of wudu

On completing the wudu it is recommended to say:

اَللّٰهُمَّ إِنِّيْ أَسْأَلُكَ تَمَامَ الْوُضُوْءِ، وَتَمَامَ الصَّلَاةِ، وَتَمَامَ رِضْوَانِكَ، وَالْجَنَّةَ

Allāhumma innī as’aluka tamāmal-wuḍū’, wa tamāmaṣ-ṣalāh, wa tamāma riḍwānik, wal-jannah.

O Allah, I ask You for the perfection of the wudu, the perfection of the prayer, the fullness of Your good pleasure, and Paradise.

Reference: Mafatih al-Jinan, Adab al-Wudu (the dua recited on finishing the wudu); Misbah al-Mutahajjid of Shaykh al-Tusi; Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 77 (80), Kitab al-Taharah, Bab Adab al-Wudu.

3. The reward promised by Amir al-Mu’minin (a)

At the end of the hadith of his wudu, Amir al-Mu’minin Ali (a) raised his head, looked at his son Muhammad and said: “O Muhammad, whoever performs wudu as I have performed it and says what I have said, Allah creates from every drop of water an angel who sanctifies Him, glorifies Him and magnifies Him, and Allah writes for him the reward of that until the Day of Judgement.”

Reference: al-Kafi, vol. 3, Kitab al-Taharah, Bab al-Nawadir; Man La Yahduruhu al-Faqih, vol. 1, Bab Sifat Wudu Amir al-Mu’minin (a); Wasa’il al-Shi‘a, vol. 1, Abwab al-Wudu, Bab 16, hadith 1.

4. Let the water dry by itself

Imam al-Sadiq (a) said: “Whoever performs wudu and dries himself with a towel, one good deed is recorded for him; and whoever performs wudu and does not dry himself until his wudu dries by itself, thirty good deeds are recorded for him.” Using a towel is permitted; leaving the water is the better course.

Reference: al-Kafi, vol. 3, Kitab al-Taharah, Bab al-Nawadir; Man La Yahduruhu al-Faqih, vol. 1; Wasa’il al-Shi‘a, vol. 1, Abwab al-Wudu, Bab 45.

5. Wudu upon wudu

It is recommended to be in a state of wudu at all times and to renew it before every prayer even when it has not been broken. The Holy Prophet (s) said: “Wudu upon wudu is light upon light.” Renewing wudu, however, is only recommended after the first wudu has been used for a prayer or another act of worship.

Reference: Man La Yahduruhu al-Faqih, vol. 1, Bab Thawab al-Wudu; Wasa’il al-Shi‘a, vol. 1, Abwab al-Wudu, Bab 8 (the recommendation of renewing wudu).

Important Rulings

Direction of washing. The face is washed from the hairline down to the chin and the arms from the elbow down to the fingertips. Washing from below upward — for example from the fingers up to the elbow — makes the wudu invalid, even if the whole area gets wet.
Number of washings. Washing the face and each arm once is obligatory, twice is recommended, and a third time is not permitted. If the left arm is washed a third time, the water then on the hand is no longer wudu water and the masah performed with it is invalid.
Obstacles. Before wudu make sure nothing prevents water reaching the skin — nail polish, paint, adhesive, ink, tight rings. If there is doubt whether something is a barrier, it must be removed or the water made to reach under it. Ordinary dirt under the nails that does not go beyond the usual length is not an obstacle.
Beard and hair. Where the beard is thick the water need only reach its surface; where it is thin so that the skin is visible, the skin must be washed. The hair falling over the forehead must be moved so that the face itself is washed.
Dryness for masah. If the hand dries before the wiping, take wetness from the beard, eyebrows or eyelashes — not from any other part of the body. If the head or feet are wet before the masah, they must be dried first, unless the wetness is so slight that the hand’s wetness clearly remains dominant.
Masah on hair, socks or shoes. Masah of the head may be on the hair of the front part; masah of the feet must be on the bare skin. Wiping over socks or shoes is not valid except under taqiyyah, or when severe cold or danger makes removing them impossible.
Wounds and bandages. If a part of wudu is wounded or bandaged and washing would harm it, wash around it and, if possible, wipe over the bandage with a wet hand (wudu al-jabirah). If the wound is open and water is harmful, washing around it is enough.
Wudu by immersion (irtimasi). The face and arms may be washed by dipping them into water with the intention of wudu, provided each is dipped from the top down. For the left arm the intention should be made while drawing it out of the water, so that the water on the hand counts as wudu water for the masah.
Doubt. If after finishing wudu you doubt whether one of its acts was performed or performed correctly, take no notice — the wudu is valid. If the doubt arises during the wudu, perform the doubted act and continue in order. If you are certain you performed wudu and doubt whether it has since been broken, you are still in wudu; if you are certain it was broken and doubt whether you renewed it, you must perform wudu.
Men and women perform wudu in exactly the same way. It is recommended for a man to begin washing the arm from the outer side and for a woman from the inner side.
Without wudu it is not permitted to touch the writing of the Holy Qur’an or the names of Allah with any part of the body. The daily prayers, every other salah and the wajib tawaf all require it; Salat al-Mayyit is the one prayer that does not require wudu, though it is recommended.

What Invalidates Wudu

The following seven things break the wudu (mubtilat al-wudu). After any of them, wudu must be performed again before praying:

Passing urine.
Passing stool.
Passing wind from the rear.
Sleep in which the eyes do not see and the ears do not hear. Dozing in which one can still hear does not break wudu.
Anything that removes the intellect: insanity, intoxication or unconsciousness.
Istihadah (irregular bleeding) in women, according to its rules.
Anything that makes ghusl obligatory — such as janabah, menstruation or touching a dead body.

Bleeding from a wound, vomiting, cutting the nails or hair, laughing, or touching a person of the opposite sex do not break wudu in Shia fiqh. Whatever leaves the body other than what is listed above — for example the moisture called wadi or madhi — does not require wudu.

Sources

The Holy Qur’an, Surah al-Ma’idah, verse 6.
Al-Kulayni, al-Kafi, vol. 3, Kitab al-Taharah — Bab Sifat al-Wudu, Bab al-Nawadir (the hadith of the wudu of Amir al-Mu’minin and the hadith on drying with a towel).
Al-Shaykh al-Saduq, Man La Yahduruhu al-Faqih, vol. 1 — Bab Sifat Wudu Amir al-Mu’minin (a), Bab Thawab al-Wudu; and Thawab al-A‘mal — the reward of reciting Inna anzalnahu after wudu.
Al-Shaykh al-Tusi, Tahdhib al-Ahkam, vol. 1 — Bab Sifat al-Wudu; and Misbah al-Mutahajjid — the etiquettes of wudu.
Al-Hurr al-‘Amili, Wasa’il al-Shi‘a, vol. 1 — Abwab al-Wudu (Bab 8, 15, 16, 26, 45, 52 and others).
Al-‘Allamah al-Majlisi, Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 77 (80 in the Beirut edition), Kitab al-Taharah — Abwab al-Wudu.
Shaykh Abbas al-Qummi, Mafatih al-Jinan — Adab al-Wudu (at the beginning of the book, before the ta‘qibat).
Ayatollah al-Sayyid Ali al-Sistani, Tawdih al-Masa’il — chapter on Wudu (rulings 236 onward: the acts of wudu, its conditions, the things that invalidate it, wudu al-jabirah); and Minhaj al-Salihin, vol. 1.
Imam Khomeini, Tahrir al-Wasilah, vol. 1 — Kitab al-Taharah, al-Wudu.

The obligatory acts of wudu are agreed upon by all the Shia maraji‘. The rulings above follow the well-known fatwas; where your own marja‘ differs in a detail — such as the exact limit of the masah of the feet — follow his ruling.