Ahkam in Brief - Wudhu

Ahkam in Brief. Wudhu.

Wudhu is an act of worship which is needed for saying the prayers, it's also needed for other rituals such as the tawaf around the Kaaba, during Hajj or Umra, touching the writing of the Holy Qur'an and a few other rituals.

Wudhu is performed with water. The water must be tahir so you can't make wudhu with najis water. The water must be odorless and not usurped. The water must be pure, like the running tap water in our homes and it shouldn't be mixed with any other liquids like lemon juice.

So now, how to perform wudhu? There are four general steps. Washing of the face, washing of the arms, wiping of the head, and wiping of the feet .And now let's get to know them in detail.

First of all, your intention should be to seek proximity to Allah and nothing else, then wash your face from the head, hairline above the forehead to the chin, vertically and horizontally, as much as the expanse of your hand between the thumb and the middle finger. Note that you should do the washing from the top to the bottom of the face without the need to soak thick beard here if you have it.

Secondly, wash your right arm from the elbow to the fingertips. Using the left hand direction of washing should be from the elbow down to the fingertips. Repeat this step for the left arm, this time using your right hand. Third, wipe with your right hand while it is still wet the front of your hair, preferably with the palm of your hand, starting from the top of the head to the hairline, excluding the forehead. Note that the wiping area should be completely dry before the step. You can wipe the hair with no need to wipe the scalp.

Fourth, while both hands are still wet from the previous steps, wipe your right foot with your right hand from the toes to the ankle. Repeat this and wipe your left foot with your left hand. Note that the wiping parts should be dry and you are not allowed to use new tap water for the steps that hit. That's it! The wudhu is done and now you are in a state of tahara.

There are general instructions which you have to observe performing your wudhu.

- All the parts of your body which are engaged in wudhu, including your face, hands, arms, top of the head and feet should be tahir before making wudhu, or at least they should become tahir while you're washing them.

- Wudhu must be sequential. That is the washing of the face should come before that of the arms, your right arm before the left one and wiping the head before wiping the feet.

- The wudhu acts should be carried out uninterrupted and without any delay. You should continue the process while the previous washed/wiped parts are still wet. Otherwise, if the delay causes the parts to become dry, the wudhu is void. This is exceptional, if they become dry as a result of strong wind or hot weather, while you're continuing in your normal pace,

- You must do the acts of wudhu by yourself as long as you are able to do so. And if you are disabled or unable to do this, someone else can help you, for example, by lifting your hand and washing your face with it.

- There must not be any barrier masking your body skin from the wudhu water such as paint, glue or nail polish.

- Using water shouldn't be detrimental to one's health. In such a case, you should perform tayammum instead of wudhu.

Finally, a question: What invalidates the wudhu?

There are seven things which invalidate it: urination, passing stool, breaking wind, sleep, anything that makes you unconscious, such as falling unconscious or drunkenness, medium and minor Istihada for ladies. And finally, janabah.

DISCLAIMER: The content of this clip is based on the fatawa of the Grand Ayatullah Al-Sistani and is presented in a simplified form. Therefore, for the exact definition and explanation, please refer to the original sources or ask someone authorised to answer.