By the end of this lesson
Recognize the areas washed and wiped, in order.
Follow the preparation sequence one area at a time. These diagrams identify the areas; they do not show every washing motion.
STEP 1 OF 7
Intention
Intend purification in your heart and begin in Allah’s name.
Read the complete sequence and school distinctions
The Qur’an identifies washing the face and arms, wiping the head, and washing the feet in preparation for prayer. Schools distinguish required acts from recommended completions differently.
- Intend purification in your heart and begin in Allah’s name.
- Wash your hands.
- Rinse your mouth and nose gently.
- Wash your entire face.
- Wash each arm, including the elbow, beginning with the right.
- Wipe the whole head and ears with wet hands.
- Wash each foot, including the ankles, beginning with the right.
Wash thoroughly without wasting water. Washing three times is a common recommended completion; wiping the head is ordinarily done once. Do the sequence in order, without a long interruption, and rub the washed areas. This practical sequence includes acts that some schools require and others recommend; it is not a claim that all acts have the same legal rank.
What changes the ruling?
Toilet use and passing wind break wudu. Sleep, bleeding, skin contact, and chronic discharge have school-specific details. Barriers that prevent water reaching the skin also matter. Consult the labeled reference for those situations.
Wash thoroughly without wasting water. The sequence includes acts whose legal rank differs between schools. Read the detailed purification guidance →
Prayer terms, in plain language
- Rak‘ah
- One unit of prayer containing standing, bowing and two prostrations.
- Qiblah
- The direction of the Ka‘bah in Makkah.
- Takbir
- Saying “Allahu akbar”: Allah is greater.
- Ruku‘
- Bowing in prayer.
- Sujud
- Prostration in prayer.
- Tashahhud
- The testimony recited while sitting in prayer.
TRY TO RECALL · OPTIONAL
Which area is wiped in this sequence?
A study check, not an assessment of your prayer.