Wuḍūʾ — Obligations and Method

The Mālikī school lists seven obligations (*farāʾiḍ*) of wuḍūʾ:

1. Niyya (intention) — intending wuḍūʾ for worship, at the start. 2. Washing the face — from the hairline to the bottom of the chin, ear to ear. 3. Washing both arms up to and including the elbows. 4. Wiping the entire head with wet hands. (Mālikī distinctive: the *whole* head, not just a portion.) 5. Washing both feet up to and including the ankles. 6. Dalk (rubbing) — actively rubbing the limb while water flows. Letting water just run over you doesn't count. (Mālikī distinctive.) 7. Fawr (continuity) — performing the wuḍūʾ in a continuous sequence, without long gaps that let earlier limbs dry.

Step-by-step (including sunna acts):

1. Form the intention in your heart. Say بِسْمِ اللهِ (*Bismillāh*). 2. Wash the hands up to the wrists — 3 times (sunna). 3. Rinse the mouth with water — 3 times (sunna). 4. Sniff water into the nose and blow it out — 3 times (sunna). 5. Wash the face (hairline to chin, ear to ear) — obligatory once, sunna 3 times. Rub. 6. Wash the right arm to and including the elbow — once or 3 times. Rub. 7. Wash the left arm the same way. 8. Wipe the entire head with both wet hands — front to back, then back to front, once. 9. Wipe the ears — inside and outside, with wet fingers, once. 10. Wash the right foot up to and including the ankle — once or 3 times. Rub. Run a finger between the toes. 11. Wash the left foot the same way.

The duʿāʾ after wuḍūʾ:

> أَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللهُ وَحْدَهُ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ، وَأَشْهَدُ أَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا عَبْدُهُ وَرَسُولُهُ > > *Ashhadu an lā ilāha illā-llāh waḥdahu lā sharīka lah, wa-ashhadu anna Muḥammadan ʿabduhu wa-rasūluh.* > > "I bear witness that there is no god but Allah alone with no partner, and I bear witness that Muḥammad is His slave and messenger."

The Prophet ﷺ said: *"Whoever performs wuḍūʾ properly and then says this, the eight gates of Paradise are opened for him — he may enter from whichever he wishes"* (Muslim 234).

Common mistakes to avoid: - Rushing without rubbing. *Dalk* is obligatory in the Mālikī school — water flowing without your hand actively rubbing is not enough. - Wiping only part of the head. The Mālikī position requires the entire head; some other schools allow a portion. - Long gaps that let limbs dry. *Fawr* — keep moving. Don't take a phone call mid-wuḍūʾ. - Missing the elbow or ankle. Both must be included, not just the arm/foot up to but excluding them. - Nail polish or thick makeup blocking water. Water must reach the nail and skin. Remove anything that blocks it.