How to Make Wudu: A Simple Step-by-Step Guide (With Common Mistakes)

Before each prayer, Muslims make wudu — a short washing of the face, arms, head and feet. It takes about two minutes, and after a few days it becomes second nature. It is also a quiet moment to set down whatever you were doing and turn your heart toward Allah.

The essential parts of wudu come straight from the Qur'an:

Al-Ma'idah 5:6

Wudu step by step

1. 1Make your intention. In your heart, intend to make wudu for prayer. Say "Bismillah" (in the name of Allah).
2. 2Wash your hands up to the wrists, three times, starting with the right.
3. 3Rinse your mouth three times.
4. 4Rinse your nose three times — draw a little water into the nostrils and blow it out.
5. 5Wash your face three times, from the hairline to the chin and from ear to ear.
6. 6Wash your arms up to and including the elbows, three times each, right first.
7. 7Wipe over your head once with wet hands, from the front to the back and back again.
8. 8Wipe your ears — the inside with your index fingers and the back with your thumbs.
9. 9Wash your feet up to and including the ankles, three times each, right first, making sure water reaches between the toes.

That's it. Washing each part three times is the Prophet's ﷺ usual practice; once is the minimum.

The four essentials

Scholars agree that the core of wudu is the four actions named in the verse above: washing the face, washing the arms to the elbows, wiping the head, and washing the feet to the ankles. The other steps are the beautiful practice (sunnah) of the Prophet ﷺ. Schools of law differ on a few details — for example, whether the order or the intention is strictly required — so it is best to learn the method your local mosque teaches.

What breaks wudu

Your wudu stays valid until something breaks it. The main things are:

• Using the toilet (urine or stool)
• Passing wind
• Deep sleep, especially lying down
• Losing consciousness

Scholars differ on some other things — such as bleeding, vomiting, or touching the opposite sex — so practice varies; ask your local mosque which view they follow.

What does NOT break wudu

• Eating or drinking
• Light dozing while sitting upright (according to many scholars)
• Cutting your hair or nails
• Looking at something, or thinking something
• Touching something impure, like a dirty floor — just wash the spot; your wudu stays

Common mistakes

• Leaving the heels dry. The back of the heel is the most commonly missed spot. The Prophet ﷺ warned people about leaving their heels dry.
• Missing the elbows. The washing of the arms should include the elbow itself.
• Not getting water between the fingers and toes. Run your fingers through them.
• Wasting water. Wudu needs only a little water. Using a gentle stream is part of the sunnah.
• Worrying too much. Some new Muslims repeat their wudu again and again in case they missed something. If you did the steps, your wudu is valid. Allah does not want hardship for you.

When you need more than wudu

Some situations require ghusl, a full ritual shower, instead of wudu — for example after sexual intercourse or at the end of a woman's period. Our guide to ghusl explains when and how.

Wudu with socks, casts or make-up

• Leather socks or regular socks: many scholars allow wiping over socks put on after a full wudu, for a set time. Practice varies; ask your local imam.
• A cast or bandage: you can wipe over it instead of washing that area.
• Waterproof make-up or nail polish: water must reach the skin and nails, so a waterproof layer needs to be removed before wudu.

How AskDeen can help

Wudu questions pop up at the most inconvenient times — in an airport, at work, right before a prayer. Does this break my wudu? Can I wipe over my socks? Is my nail polish a problem?

With AskDeen, the answer is a few seconds away. Ask in your own words and get a clear, gentle reply, with the Qur'an verse or hadith behind it linked right there so you can check it yourself. Then, when it's time to pray, AskDeen shows you the prayer time and the Qibla wherever you are.

Make wudu, open the app, and you're ready.