The four obligatory acts (fard) of wudu

There are four parts of wudu that you MUST do. If you miss even one, your wudu does not count. Everything else is sunnah or mustahabb: good things to add, but not a must. The full order to do everything in is in How to Make Wudu; here we explain these four parts a bit more.

There are four obligatory (fard) acts in wudu. Leaving any one of them out means the wudu is not valid. Everything else in the method is sunnah or a preferred act, explained separately. For the complete step-by-step method in order, see How to Make Wudu; this page covers only the four obligations and exactly what each of them requires.

It is not obligatory to wash inside the eyes, nose or mouth, but washing the eyelids and clearing away any dirt or discharge on them is obligatory, as is the corner of the eye near the nose, since dirt collects there. Where a beard, moustache or eyebrows are thick enough to hide the skin beneath, washing the hair is obligatory in place of the skin; where the hair is thin and the skin shows through, the skin itself must be washed; the same applies to the temple, the area between the cheek and the ear. Where a nostril is open, water must reach inside it; where it is closed by a tight ring, the ring must be moved so water can pass, otherwise this is not required. The part of the lips that stays visible when the lips are closed must be washed.

If water cannot reach between the fingers because they are close together, it is obligatory to separate them so that it does. A ring or bracelet tight enough to stop water passing beneath it must be removed; one loose enough that water reaches under it when moved need only be moved.

Where there is no hair on the head, a quarter of the scalp must be wiped; where there is hair, a quarter of the hair is wiped instead. Wiping hair that hangs down below the head does not count. The hand used must be wet, either still wet from washing the earlier limbs, or freshly moistened.

If water cannot reach between the toes without separating them, separating them is obligatory. Anything worn on the toes (such as a tight band, sometimes used because of illness) that stops water reaching the skin must not be left in place; if water cannot reach underneath it, the wudu is not valid.

There are four fara'id of wudu; omitting any one of them invalidates it. The sunan and mustahabbat that complete the method are treated separately: see How to Make Wudu for the complete sequence in order. This section sets out each fard and its qualifications in full.

Washing inside the eyes, nose or mouth is not obligatory, though washing the eyelids and removing any dirt or discharge on them is, as is the corner of the eye adjoining the nose, where dirt commonly collects. Where a beard, moustache or eyebrows are thick enough to conceal the skin, washing the hair suffices in place of the skin; where the hair is thin and the skin shows through, the skin itself must be washed; the same distinction applies to the temple, the area between the cheek and the ear. An open nostril must be reached by water; one closed by a tight ring requires the ring to be worked so water passes through, and nothing further where it is not tight. The part of the lips left exposed when the lips are closed must be washed.

Separating the fingers, so water reaches between them, is obligatory wherever they are close enough to block it. A ring or bracelet tight enough to form a barrier must be removed; one loose enough to admit water when moved need only be moved.

Where the head is bare, a quarter of the scalp is wiped; where there is hair, a quarter of the hair is wiped in its place. Wiping hair that hangs down below the head does not fulfil the masah. The wetness may be that remaining on the hands from the limbs already washed, or fresh water taken for the purpose.

Separating the toes is obligatory wherever water cannot otherwise reach between them. Anything worn on the toes that forms a barrier to the water (a tight band worn for a medical reason, for instance) must not be allowed to block it; where it does, the wudu is invalid.