How to perform wudu: the steps and what invalidates it

Allah commands: "O you who believe, when you rise to pray, wash your faces and your forearms to the elbows, and wipe over your heads, and wash your feet to the ankles." (Qur'an 5:6)

The steps of wudu

1. Intend wudu in the heart and say *Bismillah*.
2. Wash the hands to the wrists three times.
3. Rinse the mouth three times and draw water into the nose and blow it out three times.
4. Wash the face three times, from hairline to chin and ear to ear.
5. Wash the right forearm to the elbow three times, then the left.
6. Wipe the head once with wet hands, front to back and back again, and wipe the ears with the index fingers and thumbs.
7. Wash the right foot to the ankle three times, then the left.

Which parts are obligatory?

The four named in the ayah — face, forearms to the elbows, wiping the head, and the feet to the ankles — done in order and without a long break between them. The rest is recommended and multiplies the reward.

What invalidates wudu?

Anything exiting the private parts, deep sleep in which awareness is lost, loss of consciousness, and directly touching the private parts. Doubt alone does not break it: "Do not leave until you hear a sound or find a smell." (Sahih al-Bukhari 137)

What do I say after wudu?

"Whoever performs wudu well and then says: *Ash-hadu an la ilaha illa Allah wahdahu la sharika lah, wa ash-hadu anna Muhammadan 'abduhu wa rasuluh* — the eight gates of Paradise are opened for him and he may enter by whichever he wishes." (Sahih Muslim 234)

Can I pray the night prayer with the same wudu?

Yes, as long as it has not been broken. Many keep wudu when going to bed, which is itself sunnah: "When you go to your bed, perform wudu as you would for prayer." (Sahih al-Bukhari 247) It also makes rising for Tahajjud lighter.