What are the Reasons for staying in wudu?

What are the Reasons for staying in Wudu? Why is it so important to all Muslims? There are many reasons that we will discover shortly.

In order to pray, or read the holy Quran from the Mushaf one should perform Wudu first, it is a way of purification. But why staying in Wudu is important? What are its benefits? How to perform it? that’s what we will learn in this article and so much more, let’s get started.

Benefits of staying in Wudu.

Allah Almighty said in the holy Quran:

“O believers! When you rise up for prayer, wash your faces and your hands up to the elbows, wipe your heads, and wash your feet to the ankles. And if you are in a state of ˹full˺ impurity, then take a full bath. But if you are ill, on a journey, or have relieved yourselves, or have been intimate with your wives and cannot find water, then purify yourselves with clean earth by wiping your faces and hands.2 It is not Allah’s Will to burden you, but to purify you and complete His favor upon you, so perhaps you will be grateful.” [Al-Ma’idah, verse 6]

Allah orders us to perform Wudu in the holy Quran and shows us how to perform it.

Our beloved prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said:

Abu Huraira reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “Verily, my nation will be called on the Day of Resurrection as brightly radiant from the traces of ablution. Whoever among you is able to extend his radiance, let him do so.”

Here are some of the Benefits of staying in Wudu:

Purify the Soul.

Performing Wudu purifies our souls, and staying in Wudu is a way of preparing ourselves for prayers and Quran recitation at any time. Additionally, Wudu purifies the person from sins and it is said that angels accompany the ones who are in Wudu.

Allah forgives our sins.

Our beloved prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “When a person washes his face during wudu, every sin committed from his eyes is washed away. When a person washes his hands during wudu, every sin committed from his hands is wiped out from his hands with water, or with the last drop of water. And, when he washes his feet, every sin his feet committed will be washed away with water or the last drop of water.”

The importance of Wudu in Islam.

We now know the benefits of performing Wudu, but why is it important? It is important to stay in Wudu because Allah almighty ordered us to perform Wudu in the holy Quran:

يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوٓا۟ إِذَا قُمْتُمْ إِلَى ٱلصَّلَوٰةِ فَٱغْسِلُوا۟ وُجُوهَكُمْ وَأَيْدِيَكُمْ إِلَى ٱلْمَرَافِقِ وَٱمْسَحُوا۟ بِرُءُوسِكُمْ وَأَرْجُلَكُمْ إِلَى ٱلْكَعْبَيْنِ ۚ وَإِن كُنتُمْ جُنُبًۭا فَٱطَّهَّرُوا۟ ۚ وَإِن كُنتُم مَّرْضَىٰٓ أَوْ عَلَىٰ سَفَرٍ أَوْ جَآءَ أَحَدٌۭ مِّنكُم مِّنَ ٱلْغَآئِطِ أَوْ لَـٰمَسْتُمُ ٱلنِّسَآءَ فَلَمْ تَجِدُوا۟ مَآءًۭ فَتَيَمَّمُوا۟ صَعِيدًۭا طَيِّبًۭا فَٱمْسَحُوا۟ بِوُجُوهِكُمْ وَأَيْدِيكُم مِّنْهُ ۚ مَا يُرِيدُ ٱللَّهُ لِيَجْعَلَ عَلَيْكُم مِّنْ حَرَجٍۢ وَلَـٰكِن يُرِيدُ لِيُطَهِّرَكُمْ وَلِيُتِمَّ نِعْمَتَهُۥ عَلَيْكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَشْكُرُونَ ٦

Performing Wudu is a way to purify ourselves from any sin, plus Islam is a religion of cleanliness, we are ordered to purify ourselves. Allah said in the holy Quran:

“Surely Allah loves those who always turn to Him in repentance and those who purify themselves.” [al-Baqarah 2:222].

It was narrated that ‘Uthman ibn ‘Affan said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “Whoever does wudu’ and does wudu’ well, his sins come out of his body, even from beneath his nails.” [In Sahih Muslim]

Uqbah bin Aamir (RA) said that he heard the prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) saying: “There are two men from amongst my followers, one of them gets up during the night and forces himself into cleanliness, showing complexes of discouragement and evil counsels of Satan. He performs ablution, but he has knots tied upon him. When he washes his hands, a knot is opened up and when he washes his face, another knot is opened and when he wipes his head, another knot is opened and when he washes his feet, another knot is opened. Allah then addresses the angels behind the veil saying, “Look at this devotee of mine who is forcing himself in order to ask of My Favours. Whatever this devotee of mine desires, I will grant it to him.” (Ahmad, Ibn Hibbaan, Tabraani)

Our beloved prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said:

Abu Hurairah (RA) narrated that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “When a Mu’min or Muslim servant of Allah performs ablution and he washes his face, the sins which the eye committed by looking are washed off with the water or with the last drop of water. When he washes his hands, the sins committed because of the touch of the hands are washed away with the water or with the last drop of water. When he washes his feet, the sins which were committed by the walking of the feet are washed off with the water or with the last drop of water until he comes out from that ablution cleansed from every sin (minor).” (Muslim)

In another hadith about the Importance of performing Wudu the prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “When a servant makes Wudhu and washes his mouth, the sins committed by his mouth are washed out. When he cleans his nose, the sins are cleansed from his nose. When he washed his hands, the sins of his face were washed off, even from under the eyelids. When he washes his hands, the sins of his hands are washed off, even from beneath the nails of his hands. When he wipes his head, the sins from his head come off, even from his ears. When he washes his feet, the sins of his feet are washed off, even from under his toenails. Then his walking to the Masjid and prayers are rewarded separately.” (Nasaai, Ibn Majah, Haakim and he says that it is correct according to the conditions of Bukhari and Muslim)

Abu Hurairah (RA) says I heard the prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) saying, “The believer will wear the ornaments of Jannah on the limbs of Wudhu.” (Muslim)

In another hadith, Abu Hurairah (RA) narrates that the prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Should I not inform you of such an action which if done, Allah will wipe out the sins and will elevate the person in stages? The companions replied, Certainly O Nabi of Allah.’ the prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, performing an excellent Wudhu despite difficulties, excessive footsteps to the Masjid, and waiting for the Salaah after Salaah. That is guarding the boundaries! That is guarding the boundaries!’ (Muslim)

From the above hadith, we can see clearly that performing and staying in wudu wipes away all the sins and stops us from doing any further sins.

Ali (RA) said that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, “Whoever makes complete Wudhu in spite of it being extremely cold, he will receive two rewards.” (Tabraani)

Abdullah bin Buraidah narrates from his father (RA) who said: “One day the prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) awoke and he called Bilal (RA) and asked him, O Bilal why have you succeeded me in Jannah? Certainly, I entered Jannah last night and heard your footsteps in front of Me.’ Bilal (RA) said, O Nabi of Allah, whenever I called the Azaan, I performed two Rakats of Salaah after it (the Azaan) and whenever I broke my Wudhu, I immediately made a new Wudhu.’ Nabi (SAW) then said it is because of this.” (Ibne Khuzaimah)

Umar bin Khattab (RA) narrated that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, “There is no one of you who performs a perfect Wudhu, then he says “Ash Hadu an laa Ilaaha Illal lahu Wahdahu laa Shareeka lahu wa Ash Hadu anna Muhammadan Abduhu wa Rasooluhu” except that the eight doors of Jannah are opened up for him and he may enter through any door he desires.” (Muslim)

How to perform wudu?

We can learn how to perform Wudu from the holy Quran, Allah almighty said:

Here is how to perform ablution step by step:

First, make your intention and say ‘Bismillah’ which means ‘in the name of Allah’.

Wash your hands starting with the right hand up to the wrist three times, then wash your left hand up to the wrist three times.

Then, Wash your mouse three times. Cup some water in your right hand and wash your mouth.

Wash your nose three times: be careful at this step you don’t wash your nose, you should cup some water in your right hand and inhale it and blow it, this is done three times.

Wash your face starting from the hairline to the chin, and from ear to ear three times, and make sure that the water reaches your entire face.

Afterward, wash your right hand starting from your fingertips up to the elbows three times then repeat the process with your left hand. And of course, if you have nail polish on you should remove it before performing wudu.

Wipe your head starting from the front of your head until the nape of your neck. This step is called “Masah”, wash your hands and then shake any excess water then wipe your head just once.

Wipe your ears from the back with your thumbs and use your index finger to wash them from the inside, this step is only done once.

Wash your right foot three times starting from the toes and washing between them up to the back of your ankles three times, then repeat the process with your left foot.

After you finish the wudu recite the following dua: “Ash-hadu ’an laa ’ilaaha ’illallaahu wahdahu laa shareeka lah, wa ’ash-hadu ’anna Muhammadan ’abduhu wa Rasooluh.”

If you are wondering how to perform wudu for females, the answer is there is no difference between performing wudu for females and males. So follow the above steps and that is all.

When must you perform Wudu?

You have to perform Wudu before you recite the Quran from the Mushaf, but if you recite the Quran from your smartphone or by heart you don’t have to perform Wudu.

Also, you have to perform Wudu in order to perform prayers, but if you are already in the state of Wudu from the last prayer then you don’t have to do it over.

Performing Wudu Before sleeping is a sunnah. The Prophet (peace and blessing of Allah be upon him) said: “When you go to your bed, perform wudu as you would for prayer.”

When you are angry and can’t calm yourself perform Wudu. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “Anger is from the Devil and the Devil was created from fire. Water puts out fire, so if one of you becomes angry, then he should perform wudu.”

How to perform Wudu without water?

Allah teaches us how to perform Dry Wudu in the holy Quran:

“Believers when you are about to pray, wash your faces, and your hands and arms up to the elbows, and pass your wet hands lightly over your heads, and wash your feet up to the ankles. If you are in a state of ceremonial impurity, purify yourselves. But if you are ill, or on a journey, or if one of you has come from the toilet, or if you have been in intimate contact with women and can find no water, then have recourse to pure dust, passing therewith lightly over your faces and your hands. God does not want to impose any hardship on you, but He wants to purify you, and to bestow on you the full measure of His blessings, so that you may be grateful.”

Abu Dawud narrated about the prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) when he was performing dry ablution and said “He struck his hands on the ground and dusted them off, then he struck his right hand with his left hand, and his left hand with his right hand, then he wiped his face.”

Here is how you can perform the dry ablution or Wudu without water step by step:

Recite Bismillaah irahmaan irrahiim “In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, and the most Compassionate “.
Make the intention to perform tayammum and say “I am doing tayammum in place of wudu, for the pleasure of Allah and to seek closeness to him”. You don’t have to say it out loud, just have it in your heart.
After you make the niyyah touch the ground, clay, sand, stone, or whatever item you have. You don’t need to cover your hands with the earth or clay, touch it with your palms then dust your hands off.
Cover your hands by moving the palm of your left hand to cover the entire back of your right hand from the wrist bone to the fingertips. Then repeat this action with the right palm covering your left hand.
Now rub your face starting from the right ear to the left ear. Place your palms on your forehead at the hairline and pull your hands down until they reach the bridge of your nose.

Can you keep wudu all day?

Yes, you can keep Wudu all day if you don’t do anything that validates your wudu. Here are some of the things that break the Wudu:

What are the conditions of wudu?

Any discharge from the front or back passage (urine, wind, etc).
Blood, if you are bleeding then you have to perform wudu again when it stops according to a lot of Islamic scholars. but if the bleeding doesn’t stop and you are about to miss the prayer then put on a bandage and perform Wudu.
A mouthful of Vomiting breaks the wudu.
If you slept then you have to perform wudu again.
Touching one’s private parts.

Can you read the Quran without wudu?

You can read the Quran without Wudu if you intend to read it from your smartphone or by heart. However, if you plan on reciting the Quran from the Muhaf itself then you have to perform Wudu.

Is it okay to recite dua without wudu?

Yes, it is okay to recite Dua without Wudu, Shaykh Ibn Baaz said:

“There is no harm in offering Du’aa’ without performing Wudhoo’, even if you are in the state of Janabah (major ritual impurity related to sexual discharge). Wudhoo’ is not one of the preconditions of Du’aa’. This is a mercy from Allah (Glorified be He) because a slave is always in need of Du’aa’. However, offering Du’aa’ whilst in the state of Wudhoo’ and during the prayer increases the likelihood of your Du’aa’ being answered, especially whilst in prostration because of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) ( may Allaah exalt his mention ) saying: ‘The position during which the slave is nearest to his Lord, is when he is in prostration, so abundantly supplicate (in this position)’. [Muslim].” [End of quote]

Additionally, you can recite dua when sitting, sleeping, lying down, or in any state. Allah almighty says in the holy Quran:

وَإِذَا مَسَّ ٱلْإِنسَـٰنَ ٱلضُّرُّ دَعَانَا لِجَنۢبِهِۦٓ أَوْ قَاعِدًا أَوْ قَآئِمًۭا فَلَمَّا كَشَفْنَا عَنْهُ ضُرَّهُۥ مَرَّ كَأَن لَّمْ يَدْعُنَآ إِلَىٰ ضُرٍّۢ مَّسَّهُۥ ۚ كَذَٰلِكَ زُيِّنَ لِلْمُسْرِفِينَ مَا كَانُوا۟ يَعْمَلُونَ ١٢

“Whenever someone is touched by hardship, they cry out to Us, whether lying on their side, sitting, or standing. But when We relieve their hardship, they return to their old ways as if they had never cried to Us to remove any hardship! This is how the misdeeds of the transgressors have been made appealing to them.” [surah Yunus, verse 12]

Imaam Al-Qurtubi may Allah have mercy upon him said: “Allah mentioned the three situations of supplication because a person would only be in one of these three. Some (scholars) said: ‘Allah started mentioning a person lying on his side because his affliction is harder in general, so he supplicates more and endeavors more; then the one who is sitting down, and then the one who is standing.” [End of quote]

By now we know the reasons for staying in wudu, the benefits of ablution, and how to perform it whether with or without water. I hope you found all the answers you are looking for, and if you still need any help drop a comment below and we will be more than glad to help.

Muslim World

What are the Reasons for staying in wudu?