Dear Hadi,
Dear Reader,
Thank you very much for your question. It is a very significant one, because not only does it concern the specific issue which you raised, but really our entire approach to the faith and its rules.
We feel that there are two sides to the answer. The first side, we will deal with only briefly. There are some rules in our faith that we are not able to fully understand, and part of that faith is the belief that Allah SWT and His Prophet (pbuh) have greater understanding than ourselves, and so we can consider those rules as a test of submission. For example, we could ask why do we not eat pork (especially if we are now able to take care of the issue of cysticercosis infection). Alternatively, we could ask why the waiting period of the widow before remarriage is four months and 10 days (Quran 2:234) while the waiting period of the divorced woman is three months. We could wonder why isn’t it just four months, or three months and 18 days, etc. We could ask similar questions about the amount prescribed for zakat: why is it 2.5%, not 2% or 3% or any other number.
We do not mean in any way to sound like we are disapproving of your question. On the contrary, we think that it is very important to ask these questions to keep fully engaged and fully committed to our faith.
We will site only one example, from the Quran. It is where Prophet Ibrahim (pbuh) asks God how He raises the dead (Quran 2:260): “my Lord, show me how you give life to the dead. Allah responded, “do you not believe? Abraham replied, “yes I do, but just so that my heart can be reassured.”
There are Muslims who believe that we should not ask questions such as the one you asked, and leave their response only with what we have said above. However, we believe that it is part of a Muslim’s commitment to probe further so that our hearts can be reassured, and just like no one would dare to question the faith of prophet Ibraham, no one should question the faith or commitment of those who ask questions such as yourself.
With that, we move to the other side of the answer, because we believe that God, in His mercy, often does provide many of these answers, precisely so that our hearts are reassured.
In Islam, salah (prayer) is the central act of worship and the most emphasized ritual obligation after belief itself. In order for the prayer to be valid, the body must be in a state of ritual purity, and this purity is attained through wudu, as required by the Quran, the sunnah, and the consensus of the scholars. The importance of wudu is deeply rooted not only in the legal requirements of worship but also in its spiritual meaning, transforming the believer’s inner and outer state before standing before Allah.
The primary textual evidence for the obligation of wudu comes from the Qur’an:
“O you who believe! When you stand for prayer, wash your faces and your hands up to the elbows, and wipe your heads, and wash your feet up to the ankles…” (Surat al-Mā’idah 5:6)
This verse establishes wudu as a requirement before performing the prayer. The wording “when you stand for prayer” makes ablution a necessary precondition for entering the state of salah. The verse also outlines the specific parts of the body that must be purified, highlighting that wudu is a divinely prescribed ritual rather than a purely hygienic act.
The same verse concludes by reminding believers of the wisdom behind purification:
“Allah does not wish to place upon you any hardship, but He wishes to purify you and complete His favor upon you, that you may be grateful.” (Surat al-Mā’idah 5:6)
Thus, wudu is not merely a physical cleansing but a divine tool for spiritual refinement and gratitude.
The Prophet (pbuh) emphasized wudu repeatedly, describing both its necessity and its spiritual rewards. Among the most famous hadith is the following:
“Allah does not accept the prayer of one who is in a state of ritual impurity until he performs wudu.” (Sahih Muslim)
This establishes that wudu is a condition for the validity of prayer. It is not optional, and prayer without it is invalid.
The Prophet (pbuh) also described the spiritual cleansing that occurs during wudu. He said, “When a Muslim performs wudu and washes his face, every sin committed with his eyes is washed away with the water… When he washes his hands, every sin committed with his hands is washed away… until he emerges purified from sins.” (Sahih Muslim)
Another hadith illustrates the honor given to the ummah through wudu: “My ummah will come on the Day of Resurrection with bright faces, hands, and feet due to the traces of wudu. So, whoever can increase the brightness, let him do so.” (Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim)
These narrations show that wudu carries both legal and spiritual significance. It prepares the believer physically and spiritually to stand before the Creator.
Islamic jurists across the four Sunni schools of thought unanimously agree that wudu is a prerequisite for the validity of prayer. This consensus (ijmā‘) is well documented.
Imam al-Nawawi states in his commentary on Sahih Muslim: “The scholars have unanimously agreed that prayer is not valid without purity (taharah).”
Imam Ibn Qudamah al-Maqdisi writes in al-Mughni: “There is no disagreement among the Muslims that purity is required for the prayer and that it is a condition for its validity.”
Imam al-Shafi' explains in his al-Umm that wudu is obligatory because both the Qur’an and Sunnah explicitly make it a condition for prayer.
Imam Malik held that wudu is not just a technical ritual but an act of worship in itself, saying that its meaning is to prepare oneself with humility and presence before Allah.
Imam Abu Hanifah and his school similarly noted that wudu moves a person from an ordinary state to a sacred state, enabling the performance of acts requiring purity, such as touching the Quran and performing tawaf.
Thus, the scholarly tradition confirms the binding nature of wudu and reflects on its role as an act of devotion.
Beyond legality, wudu cultivates mindfulness, purity, and readiness to meet Allah. The Prophet (pbuh) described wudu as a means of forgiveness, spiritual illumination, and distinction for believers. It symbolizes washing away the dust and impurities of worldly concerns before speaking to the Lord of the worlds.
The scholars often highlight that the preparation involved in wudu conditions the heart for khushu' (humble focus in prayer). By washing the limbs that commonly engage in sins, the worshipper symbolically renews their moral and spiritual state.
Thus, wudu is essential for prayer because the Quran explicitly commands it, the Prophet (pbuh) declared prayer invalid without it, and the scholars unanimously maintained its obligatory nature. More than a ritual of cleanliness, wudu is a sacred act of purification that washes away sins, illuminates the believer on the Day of Judgment, and spiritually prepares the heart to stand before Allah. It is through such acts of ritual devotion that Muslims cultivate inner purity, gratitude, and reverence in their worship.
We hope this answers your question.
In peace.