What are the obligatory (fard) acts of wudu?
The question as asked, details removedHow many fard acts are there in wudu, and what are they?More
This is a sample answer written to show how the site works. It follows the standard Hanafi books, but no mufti has reviewed or signed it yet, so it is not a fatwa. For a real answer, ask a question. Ask a mufti
بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيْمِ اَلْجَوَابُ بِعَوْنِ الْمَلِكِ الْوَهَّابِ اَللّٰهُمَّ هِدَايَةَ الْحَقِّ وَالصَّوَابِ
1Short answer
Wudu has four fard acts: washing the whole face once, washing both arms including the elbows, wiping (masah) a quarter of the head, and washing both feet including the ankles.
2Detailed answer
In the Hanafi school, wudu has four fard acts:
- Washing the whole face once: from the hairline to below the chin, and from one earlobe to the other.
- Washing both arms once, including the elbows.
- Wiping a quarter of the head with wet hands.
- Washing both feet once, including the ankles.
If even a hair's breadth of these parts stays dry, the wudu is not valid. Everything else in wudu, such as washing the hands first, rinsing the mouth and nose, and washing each part three times, is sunnah or mustahab. Leaving these out does not invalidate wudu, but it loses reward.
3Evidence and sources
- Qur'an, Al-Ma'idah 5:6
- Al-Hidayah, Book of Purification
- Bahar-e-Shariat, chapter on wudu
Arabic texts, translations and how the ruling was derived
يا أيها الذين آمنوا إذا قمتم إلى الصلاة فاغسلوا وجوهكم وأيديكم إلى المرافق وامسحوا برءوسكم وأرجلكم إلى الكعبين
Meaning: O you who believe, when you stand for prayer, wash your faces and your arms up to the elbows, wipe your heads, and wash your feet up to the ankles.
The verse names exactly four acts, which is why they are fard. The amount of a quarter of the head is taken from the narration that the Prophet ﷺ wiped over his forelock, which is about a quarter of the head.
وَاللهُ أَعْلَمُ عَزَّوَجَلَّ وَرَسُوْلُهُ أَعْلَمُ صَلَّى اللهُ تَعَالٰى عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ