1
Make niyyah (intention) to perform wudu. Niyyah is the Islamic concept of performing an act for the sake of Allah. To truly perform wudu, you should center yourself and quiet your thoughts, focusing seriously on what you are doing.
- Niyyah is not said out loud and should be made in the heart; focusing on the phrase "Bismillah" (in the name of Allah) is a good way to accomplish the centering necessary. Say it out loud or silently to yourself, whichever makes you comfortable.
2
Wash your hands. Use your left hand to wash your right hand. Do this three times. After that, use your right hand to wash your left hand three times. Make sure to wash in between your fingers and all the way up to your wrists.[1].
3
Take water into your mouth. Use your right hand to cup water into your mouth three times. Swish it around in your cheeks and the back of your throat. Do this thoroughly to get all the remaining food in your mouth out.
4
Inhale water into your nose. Use your right hand to cup water and inhale it into your nose three times. You can use your left hand to close one nostril and blow out if you need to. Snort sharply and abruptly without taking too much water into your nose and choking yourself. If you cannot inhale water into your nose, you can wet your fingers and put water on the lower part of your nostrils.
- Make sure to use safe water to perform this ritual; in some warmer areas of the world, water may contain naegleria fowleri, an amoeba that, if inhaled into the nostrils, can cause a rare but usually fatal type of brain infection. Even tap water (usually in third world and developing countries) may be contaminated; to avoid this illness, boil water for one minute (three minutes at higher elevations) and leave it to cool before rinsing your nose with the water. [2]
5
Wash your face. Wash your face three times by spreading your hands from your right ear to the left, and from the hairline to the chin.
6
Wash your lower arms from wrists to elbows, leaving no part dry. From your wrist to your elbow, wash your right arm with your left hand three times and then wash your left arm with your right hand three times.
- If you have a cast, you are allowed to simply wipe over it instead.[3]
7
Clean your head. This is known as "masah". Using your wet hands, gently wipe the entire head once, from the forehead to the back of the head.
8
Wipe your ears inside and out. With the same water, use your finger to clean all the crevices of your ear. Use your thumb to clean behind your ears from the bottom upward. This is also done one time.
9
Wash both of your feet. Clean up to the the ankles and be sure water goes between the toes. Use your pinky finger and go through each toe to eliminate anything between. Start with your right foot and scrub each foot three times.
10
Once you are done, recite the du'as after wudu. They are: Ashhadu an laa ilaaha ill-Allah wahdahu laa shareeka lah wa ashhadu anna Muhammadan ‘abduhu wa rasooluhu. Allaahumma aj’alni min al-tawwaabeen waj’alni min al-mutatahhireen.
- In English, this is translated as "I bear witness that there is no god except Allah alone with no partner or associate, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger. O Allaah, make me one of those who repent and make me one of those who purify themselves".[4]