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Worship learning tool

Wudu and ghusl guide

A simple guide to washing before prayer, made to be printed. Learn the essentials first, and take anything that depends on your own situation to a qualified teacher.

Purification topic

What matters most

The water reaches everywhere it needs to.

You are washing for Allah, not out of panic.

You ask someone when a medical, work, or family situation makes this complicated.

Wudu, step by step

Wudu is the partial washing you normally do before prayer. Quran 5:6 sets out which parts are washed and which are wiped, and beginner guides fill in the practical order.

Step 1

Set your intention

In your heart, intend that this wudu is so you can pray. There is no formula to say out loud.

Step 2

Begin with Allah's name

Say Bismillah if you remember. If you forget, carry on. There is no need to start again.

Step 3

Wash hands

Wash both hands up to the wrists, making sure water reaches between the fingers.

Step 4

Rinse mouth and nose

Rinse your mouth, then gently clean your nose. Use as much water as is comfortable and safe.

Step 5

Wash face

Wash the face from the hairline to the chin and from ear to ear.

Step 6

Wash arms

Wash the right arm through the elbow, then the left arm through the elbow.

Step 7

Wipe head and ears

With wet hands, wipe over your head. Most beginner guides also have you wipe your ears once.

Step 8

Wash feet

Wash the right foot through the ankle, then the left foot through the ankle.

Ghusl, step by step

Ghusl is the full-body wash. Keep it modest and keep it simple: intend it, clean what needs cleaning, and make sure water reaches your whole body.

Step 1

Set your intention

In your heart, intend a full washing for the sake of Allah. An ordinary shower works, as long as the intention is there and the water reaches everywhere.

Step 2

Wash private areas if needed

Clean whatever needs cleaning first, privately, before you go on.

Step 3

Make wudu

Make wudu as part of the ghusl. If your wudu breaks afterwards, do it again before you pray.

Step 4

Wash head and hair roots

Get the water down to your scalp and hair roots as best you can. If you have braids, a medical dressing, or hair that makes this hard, ask someone qualified.

Step 5

Wash the whole body

Wash your whole body so water reaches the skin everywhere, usually the right side first and then the left.

When wudu breaks

  • Using the restroom or passing wind.
  • Deep sleep or loss of consciousness.
  • Some details, like bleeding or touching private areas, differ between schools of law. If it comes up for you often, ask a qualified local teacher.

When ghusl is needed

  • After marital intimacy or sexual discharge.
  • After menstruation or postpartum bleeding ends.
  • On entering Islam. Scholars differ on whether it is required or recommended. If you have already said the Shahada and not done it yet, do it when you get the chance.

Common worries, and what to do about them

I keep restarting because I feel unsure.

Do the steps once, with attention, then stop. Repeating out of anxiety turns purification into something that wears you down.

I forgot one recommended detail.

Nothing has gone wrong. Learn the essentials first, then ask a teacher which parts are required in your school of law.

Water is hard to use because of illness or injury.

Ask a qualified person about the concessions, such as wiping over a bandage, or tayammum. Islam does not ask you to make your health worse.

I am confused by different videos.

Pick one reliable beginner method and learn it properly. Small differences between teachers do not mean your worship is broken.

Ask a qualified person if

  • A medical condition, a wound, a disability, or severe dryness makes using water difficult.
  • You are unsure about menstruation, postpartum bleeding, discharge, or rulings around intimacy.
  • Your job, school, travel, or family situation makes purification hard to manage.
  • You feel stuck repeating wudu or ghusl because of anxiety.

Sources used

This is a beginner tool. Some purification details differ between schools of law, and your own situation is worth going over with a qualified local imam or scholar.

  • Quran.comকুরআনের উৎস

    Quran Foundation - কুরআন পাঠ এবং অনুবাদ প্ল্যাটফর্ম

    অ্যাক্সেসযোগ্য কুরআন রেফারেন্স, অর্থের অনুবাদ, অডিও এবং পাঠক-বান্ধব লিঙ্কিংয়ের জন্য ব্যবহৃত হয়।

  • New Muslim Guide - Manner of Performing Wudooশিক্ষানবিস গাইড

    New Muslim Guide - পরিশোধন গাইড

    ওযু, গোসল ওভারভিউ এবং যোগ্য শিক্ষকদের বিশদ সম্পর্কে জিজ্ঞাসা করার জন্য অনুস্মারকগুলির প্রাথমিক ক্রমগুলির জন্য ব্যবহৃত হয়।

  • New Muslim Guide - Ritual Impurityশিক্ষানবিস গাইড

    New Muslim Guide - পরিশোধন গাইড

    গাইডটিকে একটি বিস্তারিত ফিকহ ম্যানুয়ালে পরিণত না করে ছোট এবং বড় আচারের অশুদ্ধতার মধ্যে উচ্চ-স্তরের পার্থক্যের জন্য ব্যবহৃত হয়।

  • SeekersGuidanceপণ্ডিত শিক্ষা

    SeekersGuidance - যোগ্য ইসলামী শিক্ষা

    সতর্ক শিক্ষামূলক কাঠামো এবং অনুস্মারকগুলির জন্য যোগ্য পণ্ডিতদের ব্যক্তিগত রায়ের জন্য জিজ্ঞাসা করার জন্য ব্যবহৃত হয়।