by Amreen Bi

Created on: July 29, 2009   Last Updated: July 30, 2009

The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) told Muslims, Cleanliness is half of faith. Using water Muslims wash parts of the body before praying to purify themselves. Ablution or wudu is the name given to the act of Islamically washing your body and keeping your clothing clean.

It is vital for every practicing Muslim to know how to perform wudu in the correct manner. The first thing you need to do is make sure the water you are using is permissible. Wudu using the following water is allowed:

Rain water

Spring water

Sea/river water

Water from melted snow

You cannot do wudu using the water from the following sources:

Water that is unclean

Any water obtained from fruit or trees

Water in which something has been soaked in and which has changed in colour, smell and has become thick.

Water in which something unclean has fallen into. (Things such as blood or alcohol for example)

Water in which an animal has died in

Any water which haraam animals have drank from and left

Once you have found clean, pure water it is now time for you to start performing wudu. To do this follow these steps:

You need to start by making your intention. Muslims call the intention your Niyyah/Niyat. Your intention is to perform wudu to cleanse yourself from impurities.

Recite 'Bismillah' (This means In the name of Allah and Muslims often say this before performing any task.

Start with your right hand and wash it between the fingers and right up to the wrist. You need to repeat this three times.

Now repeat the same thing but for the left hand.

Rinse your mouth and spit out the water. Repeat three times. You can use Miswak or use your fingers to rub the teeth.

Using your right hand put water into your nostrils. Make sure you touch the top of your nose. You can use the left hand to eject the water. Repeat this three times.

You will now wash your face. Wash from the hairline on your forehead to where your facial hair begins. Repeat three times.

Start with the right arm. Wash it all including the hand and right up to the elbow. Repeat three times.

Do the same step as above on the left arm.

Pass the fingers of the opposite hand through the fingers. Do the same with the other hand. Make sure you remove any rings you are wearing or nail varnish when performing wudu.

The next step is called Masah. Wet your hands and pass all over your head. Bring your hands closer to your ears. (So right hand near right ear and left hand near left ear). Pass the thumbs around the ears. Now bring the hands towards the back of your neck and rub it. Do not rub the front part of you neck though. You only need to do this once.

Take your right foot and start to wash it. Wash in between the toes and the ankle. Repeat this three times and then do the same thing with the left foot.

Last but not least, recite the Shahada. The Shahada is the declaration of faith.

There, congratulations, you have now completed your wudu. Your wudu can stay valid for most of the day. There are some things that may require you to do your wudu all over again.

Some of the things which make your wudu invalid are:

Passing gas

Urinating or going to the toilet

Sleeping

Vomiting

Fainting

Having any sexual contact with someone.

Wudu is done before reading the Qur'an or praying the five daily prayers. Some people like to do wudu just to stay pure all day.

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