Wudu (ablution) is the ritual washing a Muslim performs to enter a state of purity before worship. Purity of body and place is woven through Islamic worship, and wudu is its most frequent expression.456
Ready to do it? See the step-by-step How to Perform Wudu.
Why wudu matters
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ placed purification at the very heart of faith:
"Purification is half of faith."
— Sahih Muslim 2232
And it is a condition for the prayer to be valid:
"The prayer of a person is not accepted … until he performs the ablution."
— Sahih al-Bukhari 1353
What the Quran commands
The core of wudu is set out directly in the Quran:
"O you who have believed, when you rise to [perform] prayer, wash your faces and your forearms to the elbows and wipe over your heads and wash your feet to the ankles."
— Quran 5:6 (Saheeh International)1
How long it lasts
Once performed, wudu remains valid until it is broken — for example by using the toilet, passing wind, or deep sleep. A person stays in a state of wudu across several prayers until something nullifies it, after which they simply wash again.
Wudu and ghusl
Wudu handles minor impurity. After major impurity, a full-body washing called ghusl is required before prayer. Both share the same purpose: approaching God in a state of cleanliness.
In short
Wudu is the ablution that prepares a Muslim for prayer — a short, repeated act of washing, commanded in the Quran and emphasised by the Prophet ﷺ, that keeps purity at the centre of daily worship. Learn the method in How to Perform Wudu.