Wudhu (Ablution)

242. In Wudhu, it is obligatory to wash the face and hands, and to wipe the front portion of the head and the upper part of two feet.

243. The length of the face should be washed from the upper part of the forehead, where hair grows, up to the farthest end of the chin, and its breadth should be washed to the part covered between the thumb and the middle finger. If even a small part of this area is left out, Wudhu will be void. Thus, in order to ensure that the prescribed part has been fully washed, one should also wash, a bit of the adjacent parts.

244. If the hands or the face of a person are larger or smaller than normal, he should observe how much people normally wash their faces, and follow accordingly. Also, if he has hair on part of his forehead, or the frontal part of his head is bald, he should wash his forehead as is usually washed by the people.

245. If a person suspects that there is dirt or something else in the eyebrows, and corners of his eyes, and on his lips, which does not permit water to reach them, and if that suspicion is reasonable according to the people, he should examine it before performing Wudhu and remove any such thing if it is there.

246. If the skin of the face is visible from under the hair, one should make the water reach the skin, but if it is not visible, it is sufficient to wash the hair, and it is not necessary to make the water reach beneath the hair.

247. If a person doubts whether his skin is visible from under the hair of the face or not, he should, as an obligatory precaution, wash his hair, and also make the water reach the skin.

248. While performing Wudhu, it is not obligatory that one should wash the inner parts of the nose or of the lips and eyes which cannot be seen when they close. However, in order to ensure that all parts have been washed, it is obligatory that some portion of these parts (i.e. inner parts of nose, lips and eyes) are also included.
And if a person did not know that the mentioned part of the face should be washed, if he knows that in all the previous Wudhu he has washed the parts which is obligatory to be washed in Wudhu, then all the prayers he prayed is valid.

249. The face and hands should be washed from above downwards, and if one washes the opposite way, his Wudhu will be void.

250. If a person makes his hand wet, and passes it over his face and hands, and if the moisture in the hand is enough that after wiping even if the small amount of water flows on the face or hands, it will be sufficient.

251. After washing the face, one should first wash the right hand and then the left hand, from the elbows to the tips of the fingers.

252. In order to ensure that each elbow has been washed thoroughly, one should include some portion above the elbow in washing.

253. If before washing his face, a person has washed his hands up to the wrist, he should, while performing Wudhu, wash them up to the tips of the fingers, and if he washes them only up to the wrist, his Wudhu is void.

254. While performing Wudhu, it is obligatory to wash the face and the hands once, and it is recommended to wash them twice. Washing them three or more times is Haraam. As regards to which washing should be treated as the first or second or

third, it will depend upon the intention (Niyyat) of the person who is performing Wudhu.
So, if person pours water on his face ten times with the intention of the first washing, there is no harm, it will be called the first time. And if a person pours water three times with the intention of washing his face three times, the third time will be Haraam.

255. After washing both the hands, one should wipe (Mas’h) the front part of his head with the wetness which is in his hand; the obligatory precaution is that he should wipe it with the palm of his right hand, and also as per precautionary measures, from the upper part, downwards. However, it is also permissible to wipe it from the lower part, upward.

256. The part on which wiping should be performed, is one fourth frontal part of the head. It is sufficient to wipe as much at any place in this part of the head, although the recommended precaution is that the length should be equal to one finger, and its breadth should be equal to three joined fingers.

257. It is not necessary that the wiping of the head should be performed on its skin. It is also in order if a man wipes the hair on the front of his head. However, if the hair are so long that when combed they fall on his face, or on other parts of his head, he should wipe his hand on the roots of his hair, or part the hair and wipe the skin.
If a person collects his hair which falls on his face or get to the other part of his head, on the front side of his head and wipes them, or if he wipes the hair of other places, such a wiping would be void.

258. After wiping the head, one should wipe with the moisture present in one's hands, one's feet from any toe of the foot up to gibbous part of the foot. As per obligatory precaution, the foot should be wiped till the joint of foot and leg.

259. Wiping of the feet can have any breadth, but it is better that the breadth of the wiping should be equal to three joined fingers, and it is still better that the wiping of the entire foot is done.

260. As a precaution, at the time of wiping the foot, one should place one's hand on the toes and then draw it to the joint, it is also permissible that one can simply place the whole hand on the foot, and pull it a little.

261. While wiping head and feet, it is necessary to move one's hand on them, and if the feet and head are moved leaving the hand stationary, Wudhu would be void.

However, there is no harm if the head and feet move slightly, while the hand is being moved for wiping.

262. The parts of wiping should be dry, and if they are so wet that the wetness of the palm of the hand has no effect on them, the wiping will be void. However, there is no harm if the wetness on those parts is so insignificant, that when those parts are wiped it should be said that the moisture present there is from the palm of the hand.

263. If wetness disappears in the palm, it cannot be made wet with fresh water. In that situation, the person performing Wudhu should obtain moisture from other part of Wudhu.

264. If the wetness of palm is just enough for wiping the head, then as an obligatory precaution, one should wipe the head first, and for the wiping of feet, the wetness should be obtained from other part of Wudhu.

265. Wiping performed on socks or shoes is void. But if one is unable to remove his socks or shoes because of severe cold, or fear of life, or a robber in that case there is no Ishkal and he can wipe on the socks or shoes, and if the upper part of the shoes is Najis in that case he should put a Pak thing and wipe on that, and as per obligatory precaution, he should also perform Tayammum.

266. If the upper part of his feet is Najis, and it cannot also be washed for wiping, one should perform Tayammum.