In Twelver Shiʿi jurisprudence, the wuḍūʾ (ablution) of the Prophet Muḥammad ﷺ is understood on the basis of the Qur’an, the Prophetic Sunnah as transmitted through the Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them), and authentic Shiʿi narrations. Shiʿa Muslims hold that the Ahl al-Bayt preserved the exact wuḍūʾ of the Prophet ﷺ, and that later alterations cannot be attributed to him.
What follows is a systematic and documented presentation of the Prophet’s wuḍūʾ according to Shiʿi sources.
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1. The Qur’anic Basis of Wuḍūʾ in the Shiʿi View
The Verse of Wuḍūʾ
Arabic:
> ﴿يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا إِذَا قُمْتُمْ إِلَى الصَّلَاةِ فَاغْسِلُوا وُجُوهَكُمْ وَأَيْدِيَكُمْ إِلَى الْمَرَافِقِ وَامْسَحُوا بِرُءُوسِكُمْ وَأَرْجُلِكُمْ إِلَى الْكَعْبَيْنِ﴾
(Qur’an 5:6)
English Translation:
> O you who believe! When you rise for prayer, wash your faces and your hands up to the elbows, and wipe your heads and your feet up to the ankles.
Key Shiʿi Interpretive Points
The word “wa arjulikum” (your feet) is read as grammatically connected to “wipe” (wa’msaḥū).
Therefore, the ruling for the feet is wiping (masḥ), not washing.
The order of wuḍūʾ is directly derived from the verse.
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2. The Order of the Prophet’s Wuḍūʾ in the Narrations of the Ahl al-Bayt (ʿa)
1. Intention (Niyyah)
The intention is in the heart.
Seeking closeness to God (niyyat al-qurbah) is required.
Verbalizing the intention is considered an innovation (bidʿah).
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2. Washing the Face
From the hairline to the chin.
The width: from the middle of the thumb to the middle of the middle finger.
One wash is obligatory, the second is recommended, and the third is forbidden and invalidates wuḍūʾ.
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3. Washing the Arms (Right, then Left)
From the elbow down to the fingertips.
Washing must be from top to bottom.
One wash obligatory, second recommended, third forbidden.
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4. Wiping the Head (Masḥ)
Performed with the remaining moisture of the wuḍūʾ.
Wiping the front portion of the head is sufficient.
Wiping is done once.
Narration:
Arabic:
> قال الإمام الباقر (ع): «يَمْسَحُ بَعْضَ رَأْسِهِ»
English:
> Imam al-Bāqir (peace be upon him) said:
“He wipes part of his head.”
(Al-Kāfī)
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5. Wiping the Feet
Wiping the upper surface of the feet, not washing them.
From the tips of the toes to the raised area of the foot.
With the remaining moisture on the hands.
Right foot first, then left.
Narration:
Arabic:
> قال الإمام الصادق (ع): «إِنَّمَا هُوَ الْمَسْحُ عَلَى ظَاهِرِ الْقَدَمَيْنِ»
English:
> Imam al-Ṣādiq (peace be upon him) said:
“It is only wiping over the upper part of the two feet.”
(Tahdhīb al-Aḥkām)
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3. Characteristics of the Prophet’s Wuḍūʾ According to Shiʿa
? Wiping the Feet Instead of Washing
One of the most distinctive differences from Sunni practice.
Based directly on the Qur’an and the Sunnah of the Ahl al-Bayt.
? Direction of Washing the Arms
From elbow to fingertips.
Washing in the opposite direction invalidates wuḍūʾ.
? Prohibition of Excess and Repetition
Washing an organ three times is considered an innovation and invalidates wuḍūʾ.
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4. Key Narrations from the Ahl al-Bayt (ʿa)
Narration from Imam ʿAlī (ʿa)
Arabic:
> قال أمير المؤمنين (ع): «هٰذَا وُضُوءُ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ»
Then he demonstrated wuḍūʾ including wiping the feet.
English:
> Imam ʿAlī (peace be upon him) said:
“This is the wuḍūʾ of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.”
Then he performed wuḍūʾ and wiped his feet.
(Al-Kāfī, vol. 3)
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Narration from Imam al-Bāqir (ʿa)
Arabic:
> قال الإمام الباقر (ع): «لَوْ كَانَ غَسْلُ الرِّجْلَيْنِ وَاجِبًا لَذَكَرَهُ اللَّهُ فِي الْكِتَابِ»
English:
> Imam al-Bāqir (peace be upon him) said:
“If washing the feet were obligatory, Allah would have mentioned it in the Book.”
(Tafsīr al-ʿAyyāshī)
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5. The Amount of Water Used in the Prophet’s Wuḍūʾ
The Prophet ﷺ performed wuḍūʾ with one mudd of water or less.
Emphasis on simplicity and avoidance of waste.
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Conclusion (Shiʿi Perspective)
According to Twelver Shiʿi jurisprudence:
The Prophet’s wuḍūʾ ﷺ conforms precisely to the apparent meaning of the Qur’an.
Washing: face and arms
Wiping: head and feet
Order and continuity are obligatory.
The Prophet’s wuḍūʾ was simple, brief, and exact.
