--- title: "Wudu and Ghusl — How to Perform Islamic Purification" description: "Wudu is the minor ablution before Salah; Ghusl is the full-body purification after major impurity. Fard acts, Sunnahs, socks, and when to use Tayammum instead." url: https://globalprayertimes.org/wudu-and-ghusl/ source: Global Prayer Times --- # Wudu and Ghusl — How to Perform Islamic Purification Wudu is the minor ablution before Salah; Ghusl is the full-body purification after major impurity. Fard acts, Sunnahs, socks, and when to use Tayammum instead. Purification guide Wudu and Ghusl — how to perform Islamic purification Quick Answer Wudu is the minor ablution required before Salah: Quran 5:6’s four fard acts — face, arms to the elbows, wipe the head, feet to the ankles — plus the usual sunnah rinses. Ghusl is the full-body wash after major impurity. A shower counts if the niyyah is for Ghusl and water reaches everything. Nullifiers belong on a different page; no water means Tayammum, not a skip. Who this is not for Not a fatwa on every school difference, not the full list of what breaks Wudu, and not medical advice when water would harm you. Follow the mosque you pray in for masah on cotton socks. Global Prayer Times is a Salah-times site: this page exists so the clock is usable, not so we replace your imam. Desk-reviewed 2026-08-13. We have not filmed a class; the steps compile the widely taught sequence around Quran 5:6. Should you learn purification from this page? Yes if you need the order before Fajr or Jummah and you already have clean water. No if you only wanted “did that nap break my Wudu?” — that is what breaks Wudu . No if water is missing or harmful — Tayammum is the replacement, not a shorter Wudu. What does Quran 5:6 actually require? The verse names the fard core of Wudu: wash the faces, wash the arms to the elbows, wipe the heads, and wash the feet to the ankles, when you rise to pray. It also names Ghusl for janabah and Tayammum when you cannot use water. Mouth, nose, three repetitions, and starting with the right are sunnah around that core — do them, but do not confuse them with the four fard when you are teaching a child the minimum. How do you perform Wudu, in order? Begin with Bismillah. The numbered steps mix sunnah (hands, mouth, nose) with the 5:6 fard so the wash matches what you will see at a mosque sink. After the feet, the usual closing is the shahada. 1 Intention, then Bismillah Intend Wudu in the heart. Say Bismillah. The Quranic fard that follows is independent of extra sunnah rinses — but the sunnah sequence is how most people actually wash. 2 Wash both hands to the wrists Three times, right first, including between the fingers. Sunnah, not the Quran 5:6 core. 3 Rinse the mouth and nose Madmadah then istinshaq, typically three times each. Emphasised sunnah; the four fard of 5:6 come next. 4 Wash the face — fard Hairline to chin, ear to ear, typically three times. This is the first act named in Quran 5:6. 5 Wash both arms to the elbows — fard Fingertips through the elbows, right then left, typically three times. Second act in 5:6. 6 Wipe the head — fard Masah: wet hands over the head. Ears are wiped with the remaining moisture in the usual sunnah. Third act in 5:6. 7 Wash both feet to the ankles — fard Right then left, including between the toes, typically three times. Fourth act in 5:6 — unless you are wiping khuffs (see below). After Wudu Ashhadu an la ilaha illallahu wahdahu la sharika lah, wa ashhadu anna Muhammadan ‘abduhu wa rasuluh. What breaks Wudu — and why is it not listed here? Nullifiers are a different article because the four schools split on sleep, bleeding, vomiting, and touch. Dumping a short bullet list here would either hide those splits or pretend they do not exist. Open what breaks Wudu for that map. If Wudu breaks, stop the prayer, renew Wudu, and start that Salah again. Can you wipe over khuffs instead of washing the feet? If you wore qualifying khuffs (leather socks in the classical case) while already in Wudu, later Wudus may wipe the top of the footwear instead of washing the feet: Resident: 24 hours Traveller: 72 hours Wipe the top, not the sole. Cotton “wudu socks” are accepted in some communities and rejected in others — that is a local fiqh call, not something a prayer-times site will invent. How do you perform Ghusl, and when is it fard? Ghusl lifts major impurity so Salah is valid again. Fard occasions: intercourse, ejaculation, end of menstruation, end of nifas. Sunnah occasions: Friday, Eid, ihram — recommended, not the same as janabah. The fard of Ghusl itself is that water reaches the entire body with the right intention; the steps below are the usual complete sunnah method. 1 Intention for Ghusl Intend to lift major impurity (janabah, menses, or nifas). A shower counts only if this niyyah is present and water reaches the whole body. 2 Wash away any filth, then Wudu Remove physical impurity first. Then perform Wudu as above (many delay the feet until the end of the bath). 3 Pour water over the head, then both sides Water must reach the skin and the roots of the hair. Wash the right side, then the left, including navel, behind the ears, and between the toes. Ghusl is fard After sexual intercourse After ejaculation After menstruation ends After postnatal bleeding (nifas) Ghusl is sunnah Before Jummah On Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha Before ihram A shower still needs niyyah + full coverage Does a shower count as Ghusl? Yes — when you intended Ghusl and water reached the whole body, including the roots of the hair. Standing under the spray without that intention is just a shower. Dry patches, tight braids that block water, or makeup that stops water reaching the skin are the usual reasons a shower fails as Ghusl. When do you use Tayammum instead? When clean water is genuinely unavailable, insufficient after a search, or harmful to use. Tayammum is striking clean earth and wiping face and hands — it is not dusting your sleeves because the queue for the sink is long. Full method: how to perform Tayammum . Once water is available and safe, Wudu or Ghusl returns. Wudu and Ghusl FAQ What are the fard acts of Wudu? Quran 5:6 names four: wash the face, wash the arms to the elbows, wipe the head, and wash the feet to the ankles. Mouth, nose, and repeating three times are sunnah around that core. Schools add conditions (order, continuity) — this page is not a fatwa. What breaks Wudu? The nullifier list lives on its own page. Passing wind, using the toilet, and loss of consciousness are agreed; sleep, bleeding, vomiting, and touching differ by school. Do not treat this purification walkthrough as the nullifier encyclopaedia. Can I wipe over socks (khuffs)? If you put on qualifying khuffs while already in Wudu, you may wipe the top instead of washing the feet: 24 hours for a resident, 72 hours for a traveller. Thin fashion socks are a school-specific debate — ask your imam. When is Ghusl fard, and when is it only sunnah? Fard: after intercourse, ejaculation, the end of menstruation, and the end of postnatal bleeding (and upon entering Islam in the usual teaching). Sunnah: Friday, the two Eids, and before ihram — recommended, not the same obligation as janabah. Does a shower count as Ghusl? Yes, if you made the niyyah for Ghusl and water reached every part of the body, including hair roots. A rinse without intention, or with dry patches, does not. What if I cannot use water? Use Tayammum — dry ablution with clean earth — when water is unavailable or genuinely harmful. That method is a separate page, not a footnote to skip Wudu out of haste. Related Islamic Guides 🚿 What breaks Wudu? Nullifiers across the four schools — not duplicated here. 🕌 How to pray Salah What Wudu is for: the five daily prayers, step by step. 🏜️ Tayammum Dry ablution when water is missing or harmful. 📅 How to pray Jummah Friday prayer — ghusl is sunnah around the two fard rakats. Related: How to pray Eid · How many rakats? · Editorial policy This is a free service from Elite Digital Agency . Voluntary support keeps Global Prayer Times free for everyone. Support if you can . — Global Prayer Times. Source: https://globalprayertimes.org/wudu-and-ghusl/