How To Perform Wudu For Females?

Initially, we would start with the definition of the word “wudu” which is an Arabic word. It is linguistically derived from “wada’ah” which means beauty, delight and cleanness. Juristically, wudu refers to an act of worship, performed with using water to wash certain organs in a certain manner. Wudu is the same for men and women, but the reason of specification in question “how to perform wudu for females?” is that women have different physical nature from men which causes different reasons from those of men, in which may affect on the validity of taharah.

Virtues and Benefits of Wudu

Wudu is the essential form of purification. It is a mean of taharah that cleans an individual out of his sins. The simple act of cleansing oneself is a cause for his radiance as narrated:

“Once I went up the roof of the mosque, along with Abu Huraira. He perform ablution and said, “I heard the Prophet (ﷺ) saying, “On the Day of Resurrection, my followers will be called “Al-Ghurr-ul- Muhajjalun” from the trace of ablution and whoever can increase the area of his radiance should do so (i.e. by performing ablution regularly). [Sahih al-Bukhari]

– Shading lights on some meanings of the hadith:

• This Hadith shows us one of the greatest benefits of taharah, especially wudu which is the key to salah. It also has some inner depth for women on the whole, as they are interested in attributes of beautification, and by knowing the meaning of “al-ghurr-al-muhajjalun” will definitely add one of the unique features to Muslim Women and evoke the question of how to perform wudu for females correctly, without any mistakes to not miss such benefits?
• Let’s go first through some meanings of the hadith to make it clear and motivate every Muslim to obtain such a reward and honor. The word “Ghurr” is the plural of “Agharr” which signifies brilliant or white that refers to a white mark on the face of an animal such as noticed in the horse. It alludes to the illumination that would emanate from the forehead of the faithful on the Day of Resurrection, distinguishing them.
• The word “Muhajjalun” is derived from the word Tahjil, which also means whiteness. It refers to the whiteness found on all four or at least three legs of a horse. It alludes to the light that will shine through the hands and feet of the believers as a result of their wudu practice.
• That means that Muslims will be distinguishable from other people by their faith on the Day of Resurrection. Radiance will emanate from their foreheads, hands, and feet in the same way that a horse with a white forehead can easily be distinguished from other animals.

Benefit and Importance of Wudu for Women

• Being a woman, no one can deny the desire to have glowing skin, so if contemplated correctly in this statement, it would readily benefit anybody to achieve the required with a few simple actions of wudu, which has several benefits. There is a great reward of performing ablutions as follows:
• The Messenger of Allah said: “When a person performs ablution and washes his hands, his sins exit through his hands. When he washes his face, his sins exit through his face. When he washes his forearms and wipes his head, his sins exit though his forearms and head. When he washes his feet, his sins exit through his feet.” [Sunan Ibn Majah]

A Learning Journey with Tahera!

Learning and practicing wudu is a simple process with only a few key points to remember, but first let us meet “Tahera”, a young woman with strong intentions to have a firm faith, to follow Islam’s teachings and to walk in the light of the Sunnah. It would be a boon to meet and know her, as she has committed herself to the acts of purification.

The only thing that has her stuck is a few questions that cause her to want to know everything before she begins. Let’s hear from Tahera on how she deals with Taharah on a daily basis and what she’ll do if she encounters some unusual events.

Hello! The First Question that pops into my mind is:

What are wudu steps in Quran?

The way of performing ablution has been mentioned in Quran without mentioning the recommended steps, stated in Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), which means if you stick to what mentioned in Quran, your wudu would be valid. And if you follow the other steps mentioned in the Sunnah, your wudu would be perfect. You can clearly find the main steps of wudu in the following Ayah:

“O believers! When you rise up for prayer, wash your faces and your hands up to the elbows, wipe your heads, and wash your feet to the ankles. And if you are in a state of ˹full˺ impurity, then take a full bath. But if you are ill, on a journey, or have relieved yourselves, or have been intimate with your wives and cannot find water, then purify yourselves with clean earth by wiping your faces and hands.” 5:6

Do you want to learn more ? You could learn from our Best Female Quran Teachers Online

When do you have to repeat wudu? Or especially, what breaks wudu for a woman?

To answer this simply – we can gather a list of some things that invalidate the wudu of women Briefly, we can say all things come out from the front and back passages, all acts lead to a state of unconsciousness, in addition to specific physical behaviors irritate one’s lust   would break wudu, including the following:

1. The first is discharge, which is any fluid secreted from the front passage, which is referred to as vaginal discharge.
2. Wudu is broken by periods. Although your wudu is broken while you’re on your period, some ladies are recognized for performing wudu, therefore it’s a nice and practical habit to preserve it through your menstruation.
3. Passing wind, discharging urine and evacuation are also considered to invalidate wudu.
4. Intoxication breaks wudu, because it causes you to lose consciousness.
5. Sleeping to the point when the mind is unaware of the body’s response and cannot tell if the wind has passed causes the wudu to be broken.
6. Touching private parts can break the wudu, whether it will cause discharge or not.
7. Physical intimacy, such as kissing and cuddling that result in discharge will undoubtedly break the wudu.
8. Touching a man who is not  Mahram of her (husband or any other relative to whom she is prohibited to marry for non-religious reasons).

Okay! These seven points are understood, but various people think looking into mirror, cutting nails or having a light sleep – breaks the wudu too, is that true?

Certainly, no!  You only need to recall these points before discussing how to perform wudu for females? Do you have any additional questions?

What should I say to someone who asks do you have to wash your private parts before Wudu?

It is not compulsory for wudu, but it is a must during ghussl. The important thing to remember is that you should wash your body if you have urine or discharge on it before conducting wudu and salah, but you do not have to wash your private parts every time you do wudu.

Even I am preparing for how to perform wudu for females, it seems necessary to inquire do you have to do wudu for every prayer?

Although it is recommended, Wudu is not required to be performed before every prayer. For most people, one wudu can last up to a day, but it must be repeated after going to the bathroom, passing wind, coming into contact with excrement, vomiting, falling asleep, consuming intoxicating substances or any other act that breaks wudu.

Perfect! The biggest issue I face as a woman is that while being home i sometimes  need to apply make up on my face, How to do wudu with makeup on?

Yes, we can definitely do wudu while wearing makeup. We can perform our salah prayer while wearing cosmetics as long as it is free of impurities.

One thing to keep in mind, when practicing wudu is to avoid wearing waterproof cosmetics, since they can form a film on top of your skin and include silicone, as well as a lot of chemical processing. There are some cosmetics on the market that allow you to perform wudu; the point is that when performing ablution, the water should reach your skin, and if the makeup enables it, it should be a valid wudu.

Henna, for example, does not form a coating that prevents water from reaching the skin and is made up of colors that dye the skin, thus it is a permissible sort of makeup. This is probably true of most types of makeup, thus neither ablution nor the ghussl are invalidated. If there is any remnant of henna, fat, or oil on the skin and water flows over it and reaches that area, the wudu is valid.

What to do if I can’t remember if i broke wudu?

The most important point to remember is that if there are any causes that invalidate wudu, it would be notable for any human being to record it, thus it is undoubtedly a notable thing and the wudu must be repeated at that time. To put it another way, you must be 100 percent certain that you broke the prior wudu in order to make wudu again.

This decision must be viewed with consideration, as Salah is based on it. On the other hand, it is allowed to renew wudu, even you did not break the previous one, despite of being recommended to do so.

Some people always have doubts about wudu validity on a continuous path, for those it should be made clear that there can be misunderstandings or obsession, guiding them to create confusions about taharah.

This case has been interpreted by the hadith when a man mistakenly believed he had broken his wudu while praying, the Prophet (Peace be upon him) advised, “Do not stop praying until you hear a sound or smell an odor.” So, if anything happens in your stomach and you’re not sure if you’ve broken your wudu or not, the original rule is that your wudu is still valid!

Do you have to do full wudu if you break wind?

Consider the following analogy of a nullified action: when opening the door, you would desire the key. The key would not fit the door lock if it was out of shape or if it was too big or too small. Similarly, if you miss any part of the wudu process or invalidate it in any manner it is considered invalid and must be redone.

Can you do istinja after wudu?

To know if you can do it after wudu or do you have to wash private parts before Wudu? You must first comprehend the concept of istinja. It is a distinct type of purification from wudu which is neither an independent act of worship nor restricted to Muslims.

Rather, it’s a human necessity to keep the private parts clean. It is supposed that it comes before wudu. If you wait you’ll have to be careful not to touch the private parts, as this will break your wudu.

One more thing, how to perform wudu for females after period?

You should ask me first how to perform ghusl after the period? As ghusl has to come first before wudu. If a woman observes the sign of achieving purity from menses following her regular monthly cycle, either by witnessing a white discharge or a cessation of bleeding, she must do ghussl (ritual bath) first, then she can perform wudu according to the steps previously mentioned and pray.

So, after reciting Allah’s name, the first main thing would be to remove the filth by washing both private parts, performing complete ablution and rinsing each part of the body by water.

Tahera, we hope you have a pure life, as we know that each Muslim woman is a “Tahera” with purified thoughts and mature behaviors.

Conclusion

Finally, we hope we covered some of the questions that pop up in your mind and we are looking forward to increasing your knowledge by taking online Fiqh of Worship course. You will know more about how to perform wudu for females? And find detailed answers for similar questions; such as how to perform wudu for beginners? Do you have to do wudu for every prayer? How to perform Salah for females? And so on…

May Allah make us from those who always turn to Him in repentance and those who purify themselves..

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