Wudu (Ritual Ablution)
The ritual cleansing with water, required before prayer.
Wudu (Arabic: وضوء) is the ritual ablution with water that is obligatory before one can perform salah (prayer). Wudu is a prerequisite for the prayer's validity and symbolizes both physical and spiritual purification.
Wudu is performed in a specific order: one washes the hands three times, rinses the mouth three times, cleanses the nose three times, washes the face three times, washes the arms to the elbows three times, wipes over the head with wet hands, and washes the feet to the ankles three times.
Wudu is invalidated by certain actions, including using the toilet, sleep, unconsciousness, and bleeding (according to some schools of law). When wudu is broken, one must perform a new wudu before the next prayer.
The Quran says: "O you who believe! When you prepare for prayer, wash your faces and your hands and arms to the elbows, wipe over your heads, and wash your feet to the ankles" (Surah Al-Ma'idah 5:6).
Related terms
Imam (Prayer Leader)
The person who leads the congregational prayer at the mosque.
Du'a Abu Hamza al-Thumali (Ramadan Night Supplication)
A profound Ramadan supplication taught by Imam Sajjad, recited at sahur time.
Fiqh (Islamic Jurisprudence)
The Islamic legal science that derives practical rules from the Quran and Sunnah.
Takbir (Allahu Akbar)
The exclamation "Allahu Akbar" (Allah is the Greatest), marking transitions in the prayer.
Mustahab (Recommended)
Actions that are recommended but not obligatory, and that give extra reward.
Hajj (Pilgrimage)
The annual pilgrimage to Mecca, one of the five pillars of Islam, obligatory for every Muslim with the ability.