Purity is the power with which the mysteries are revealed upon you. The purification of the body strengthens your soul which ultimately brings you close to Allah. This is the reason why Islam emphasizes purity, as it is the basic part of faith in Islam. It is a special cleaning performed by washing the face, arms, and feet, and by wiping the head. Wudu has several material and spiritual benefits. A Muslim who makes wudu at least 5 times a day forms a habit of cleaning, which protects him from causes of illnesses and purifies him of microbes. They are material benefits of wudu. Wudu has several spiritual benefits, too.

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لَا تَقْرَبُوا الصَّلَاةَ وَأَنتُمْ سُكَارَىٰ حَتَّىٰ تَعْلَمُوا مَا تَقُولُونَ وَلَا جُنُبًا إِلَّا عَابِرِي سَبِيلٍ حَتَّىٰ تَغْتَسِلُوا وَإِن كُنتُم مَّرْضَىٰ أَوْ عَلَىٰ سَفَرٍ أَوْ جَاءَ أَحَدٌ مِّنكُم مِّنَ الْغَائِطِ أَوْ لَامَسْتُمُ النِّسَاءَ فَلَمْ تَجِدُوا مَاءً فَتَيَمَّمُوا صَعِيدًا طَيِّبًا فَامْسَحُوا بِوُجُوهِكُمْ وَأَيْدِيكُمْ إِنَّ اللَّهَ كَانَ عَفُوًّا غَفُورًا

“O you who believe[d]! (Do) not go near the prayer while you (are) intoxicated until you know what you are saying and not (when you are) impure except (when) passing (through) away until you have bathed. And if you are ill or on a journey or came one of you from the toilet, or you have touched the women and not you find water, then do (with) earth clean and wipe (with it) your faces and your hands. Indeed, Allah is Oft-Pardoning, Oft-Forgiving.” (Surah An-Nisa,43)

Every Muslim performs ablution (wudhu), before offering prayers. It is a simple, certain and obligatory pattern of washing one’s body parts with which they start their prayers. As Allah said in the Holy Quran that,

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا إِذَا قُمْتُمْ إِلَى الصَّلَاةِ فَاغْسِلُوا وُجُوهَكُمْ وَأَيْدِيَكُمْ إِلَى الْمَرَافِقِ وَامْسَحُوا بِرُءُوسِكُمْ وَأَرْجُلَكُمْ إِلَى الْكَعْبَيْنِ وَإِن كُنتُمْ جُنُبًا فَاطَّهَّرُوا وَإِن كُنتُم مَّرْضَىٰ أَوْ عَلَىٰ سَفَرٍ أَوْ جَاءَ أَحَدٌ مِّنكُم مِّنَ الْغَائِطِ أَوْ لَامَسْتُمُ النِّسَاءَ فَلَمْ تَجِدُوا مَاءً فَتَيَمَّمُوا صَعِيدًا طَيِّبًا فَامْسَحُوا بِوُجُوهِكُمْ وَأَيْدِيكُم مِّنْهُ مَا يُرِيدُ اللَّهُ لِيَجْعَلَ عَلَيْكُم مِّنْ حَرَجٍ وَلَٰكِن يُرِيدُ لِيُطَهِّرَكُمْ وَلِيُتِمَّ نِعْمَتَهُ عَلَيْكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَشْكُرُونَ

“O you who believe! When you stand up for the prayer, then wash your faces and your hands till the elbows and wipe your heads and your feet till the ankles. But if you are (in) a state of ceremonial imp then purify yourselves. But if you are ill or on a journey or has come anyone of you from the toilet or has (had) contact (with) the women and not you find water, then do (with) earth clean, then wipe your faces and your hands with it. Allah (does) not intend to make for you any difficulty but He intends to purify you and to complete His Favor upon you so that you may (be) grateful.” (Al-Maidah)

Wudu is a spiritual weapon of a believer. He protects himself from bad feelings and desires. He gets rid of the effect of the delusions and negative feelings that attack his mind as long as he has wudu.

It is to be noted that Muslims wash their hands before rinsing their mouth, ensuring that they rinse their mouth with clean water. During the ablution, Muslims rinse their mouth in order to remove food particles and bacteria from the mouth. Most of them prefer miswak – a natural toothbrush made from a twig or root of the tree which has its own antiseptic properties, for cleaning the mouth before ablution.

How to Perform Wudu (Ablution)?

Step 1: Intention. Since Islam teaches us that intention forms the basis of any action, it is necessary that, before you perform Wudu, you make the niyyator intention for it. This will not be a verbal act – you only have to mentally prepare yourself for an act that will cleanse and purify you.

Step 2: Say Bismillah. Recite bismi-llāhi ar-raḥmāni ar-raḥīmi (In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful).

Step 3: Begin by washing your hands. Completely wash your right hand three times with clean water, then move on to the left and repeat. When washing, remember not to miss any part of the hands – wash between the fingers and thumb, too.

Step 4: Rinse your mouth. Take water in your right palm and rinse your mouth with it, thrice. Do not swallow the water on purpose, but spit it out every time.

Step 5: Cleaning the nose. Using your right hand, carefully and gently put water into your nostrils, before exhaling it. Perform this step three times.

Step 6: Wash your face. Thoroughly wash your face, beginning from the hairline on your forehead and from one ear to the other. This step, too, must be performed three times.

Step 7: Wash your arms. Begin with your right hand. Wet it with water, and wash from your wrist up to your elbow. Repeat thrice; then do the same to your left arm.

Step 8: Perform Masah. Usually, Masah refers to the religious act of cleaning one’s head, in a specific way, with a small amount of water. For performing Masah, wet your hands and place your palms, flat, on the top of your head (where the hairline begins). Wipe them to the back of your neck, and then back again to the front. Now wet the back of both ears by placing your thumbs behind them. Use your index and middle fingers to wash the front and back of your ears. Masah is done only once.

Step 9: Wash feet. Start with your right foot. Wash it thrice from the toes, up to the ankles. Make sure you wash between your toes, too. Do the same to your left foot.

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا إِذَا قُمْتُمْ إِلَى الصَّلَاةِ فَاغْسِلُوا وُجُوهَكُمْ وَأَيْدِيَكُمْ إِلَى الْمَرَافِقِ وَامْسَحُوا بِرُءُوسِكُمْ وَأَرْجُلَكُمْ إِلَى الْكَعْبَيْنِ وَإِن كُنتُمْ جُنُبًا فَاطَّهَّرُوا وَإِن كُنتُم مَّرْضَىٰ أَوْ عَلَىٰ سَفَرٍ أَوْ جَاءَ أَحَدٌ مِّنكُم مِّنَ الْغَائِطِ أَوْ لَامَسْتُمُ النِّسَاءَ فَلَمْ تَجِدُوا مَاءً فَتَيَمَّمُوا صَعِيدًا طَيِّبًا فَامْسَحُوا بِوُجُوهِكُمْ وَأَيْدِيكُم مِّنْهُ مَا يُرِيدُ اللَّهُ لِيَجْعَلَ عَلَيْكُم مِّنْ حَرَجٍ وَلَٰكِن يُرِيدُ لِيُطَهِّرَكُمْ وَلِيُتِمَّ نِعْمَتَهُ عَلَيْكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَشْكُرُونَ

“O you who believe! When you stand up for the prayer, then wash your faces and your hands till the elbows and wipe your heads and your feet till the ankles. But if you are (in) a state of ceremonial imp then purify yourselves. But if you are ill or on a journey or has come anyone of you from the toilet or has (had) contact (with) the women and not you find water, then do (with) earth clean, then wipe your faces and your hands with it. Allah (does) not intend to make for you any difficulty but He intends to purify you and to complete His Favor upon you so that you may (be) grateful. “ (Surah Al-Maida, 5:6)

According to a recent study published in the Clinical Microbiology Reviews Journal by the name of ‘Systemic Diseases Caused by Oral Infection’, have found a direct link between a lack of oral hygiene and systemic diseases. Systemic diseases include Cardiovascular Disease, Bacterial Pneumonia, Osteoporosis, Low Birth Weight and Diabetes-Related Complications. In every Islamic ritual, there are numerous hidden scientific benefits on which scientists are working. Muslims are, in reality, means, blessed with Allah’s undeniable wisdom.