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Intention
Wudu is not only a wash; it is an act of worship, and it begins in the heart. Before you start, intend that you are making wudu to purify yourself for prayer, or to remove the state of minor impurity (hadath).
The intention is a decision of the heart, not words on the tongue. You do not need to say anything aloud; knowing what you are about to do, and doing it for Allah, is the intention.
Wudu is required before every prayer for anyone who has broken it. Allah commands it in Surat al-Ma'idah, and the Prophet ﷺ said that the prayer of one who has broken his wudu is not accepted until he makes wudu again.
The four schools differ on some details. Show them
Each school's ruling, with the schools that share it named together.
Is the intention required for wudu to be valid?
3 of 4 schools agree. Differing: Hanafi.
Show each school
- SunnahHanafi
- Required for validityMaliki · Shafi'i · Hanbali
- Hanafi
- Wudu done without an intention is still valid, because the verse commands washing and wiping and that has taken place; the intention is needed for the reward.
- Maliki
- The intention is one of the obligations (fara'id) of wudu, based on the hadith that deeds are only by their intentions.
- Shafi'i
- The intention is the first pillar of wudu and should be present at the moment of washing the face.
- Hanbali
- The intention is a condition (shart) of wudu; without it the wudu does not count.
- Qur'an 5:6
- Sahih al-Bukhari 1 Sahih · in the two Sahihs
- Sahih al-Bukhari 135 Sahih · in the two Sahihs
- Sahih Muslim 224Sahih · in the two Sahihs
What the hadith grades mean
- Sahih (authentic): an unbroken chain of trustworthy, precise narrators, free of hidden flaws or contradiction. It is acted upon.
- Hasan (good): like sahih, but a narrator's precision is slightly lighter. It is also accepted and acted upon. "Hasan sahih" means it reaches sahih by its routes.
- Da'if (weak): a break in the chain or a narrator who is not reliable enough. It is not used to establish beliefs or rulings.
- Very weak (munkar, matruk): a seriously flawed chain or a narrator accused of lying. It is not relied on at all.
- Mawdu' (fabricated): falsely attributed to the Prophet ﷺ. It may not be narrated as his words except to warn against it.
- The two Sahihs: every hadith with a full chain in Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim is accepted as sahih by the scholars of hadith.
- Historical report: biographies and histories (Ibn Ishaq, Ibn Sa'd, al-Tabari) record events with chains that are often incomplete. They are used for the story, not for rulings.
- Hadith scholars grade a narration; the four madhhabs do not. Where a hadith carries a ruling, the page shows which schools act on it.
The positions of the four schools are summarised from their standard references and are pending review by a qualified scholar. Follow the school you were taught, and for your own situation, ask a scholar.
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