Is Any Supplication Established During Wudu?

A respected scholar from Pakistan sent the following passage and inquired: “Are there any established supplications (adʿiyah ma’thūrah) to be recited during wudu?”

> “Certainly, to remain entirely silent during wudu, and to refrain completely from replying to someone who speaks to you—due to fear of breaking the heart of a fellow Muslim—is blameworthy. Observing the etiquette of adʿiyah ma’thūrah (transmitted supplications) is not as important as safeguarding a Muslim’s heart. In such a situation, the person performing wudu may at the very least respond by saying, ‘I will listen to you once I finish wudu.’ This would not interrupt the adʿiyah ma’thūrah, nor would it be deemed disliked during wudu. What the jurists (fuqaha) meant when they said that speaking during wudu is makrūh (disliked) is that it is disliked without need. But in this case, when someone approaches and speaks, replying briefly to maintain their feelings is not unnecessary—in fact, it becomes to some extent necessary.”
(Imdad al-Ahkam by Mawlana Zafar Ahmad Usmani, may Allah have mercy on him)

Response:

This passage covers two points:

1. The disliking of speaking during wudu,

2. The establishment (or lack thereof) of any supplications during wudu.

Below is an examination of both issues:

Speaking During Wudu:

There is no evidence in the Qur’an or authentic Sunnah that speaking during wudu is makrūh (disliked) in and of itself. Makrūh is a legal ruling, and legal rulings in Islam require proof. However, it can be said that since wudu is a form of purification, and purification is a means of worship—and indeed, very close to worship—it should be carried out with attention and focus. Idle talk or unnecessary actions could affect this focus, so avoiding them is preferable (awlā).

Qadi ‘Iyad, in his Sharh Sahih Muslim, has mentioned that some scholars disliked talking during wudu or ghusl. But this disliking (karāhah) refers to leaving what is better, not to something explicitly prohibited. There is no prohibition transmitted, so it cannot be classified as makrūh in the technical legal sense.

In both Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim, there is a hadith of the Prophet (peace be upon him) speaking during ghusl, which holds the same legal category as wudu in terms of purification. The narration is as follows:

> “Abu al-Nadr, the freed slave of ‘Umar ibn ‘Ubaydullah, narrated that Abu Murrah, the freed slave of Umm Hani bint Abi Talib, informed him that he heard Umm Hani say: ‘I went to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) on the day of the conquest (of Makkah) and found him performing ghusl while Fatimah, his daughter, was shielding him. I greeted him with salam. He asked, ‘Who is this?’ I replied, ‘It is Umm Hani bint Abi Talib.’ He said, ‘Welcome, Umm Hani.’ Then when he finished his ghusl, he stood and prayed eight rak‘ahs wrapped in one garment…”
(Hadith excerpt ends)

Supplications During Wudu:

There are three different times in relation to supplications that need to be understood clearly:

1. Supplications after wudu

2. Saying Bismillah before wudu

3. Supplicating during wudu

1. Supplications After Wudu:

Supplicating after wudu is supported by authentic hadiths. Several supplications are transmitted in this regard. One may recite any of them, or all of them if time allows. These supplications are comprehensive in reward and blessings, and following the Prophet (peace be upon him) in this is the greatest good.

For example, in Sahih Muslim:

> “Ashhadu alla ilaha illallah, wahdahu la sharika lahu, wa ashhadu anna Muhammadan ‘abduhu wa rasuluh.”

In Sunan al-Tirmidhi, the following addition is also reported:

> “Allahumma aj‘alni min al-tawwabin, wa aj‘alni min al-mutatahhirin.”

And in Sunan al-Nasa’i:

> “Allahumma ighfir li dhanbi, wa wassi‘ li fi dari, wa barik li fi rizqi.”

Some people mistakenly recite this last du‘a during wudu, whereas there is no evidence for this. Shaykh al-Hadith Mawlana Muhammad Yunus Jaunpuri (rahimahullah) once advised me personally to recite this supplication after wudu—and I have, alhamdulillah, adhered to this since.

2. Saying Bismillah Before Wudu:

There is no sahih (authentic) hadith that proves the Prophet (peace be upon him) began his wudu with “Bismillah”. In the descriptions of the Prophet’s wudu recorded in the Sahihayn and other reliable collections, there is no mention of saying “Bismillah”. However, because there are general instructions to say “Bismillah” before any action, some scholars have considered it recommended or sunnah based on this general principle.

3. Supplications During Wudu:

There is no authentic evidence for any supplication during the process of wudu. Hafiz Ibn al-Qayyim (rahimahullah) wrote in Zad al-Ma‘ad that all the narrations about du‘as to be said during wudu are baseless and fabricated:

> “There is no authentic report that the Prophet (peace be upon him) used to say anything during his wudu except the basmalah (at the beginning). All narrations about du‘as during each step of wudu are fabricated lies. The Prophet (peace be upon him) never said them, nor did he teach them to his ummah. The only authentic phrases are the basmalah at the start and the shahadah and du‘as after wudu such as: ‘Ashhadu alla ilaha illallah… Allahumma aj‘alni min al-tawwabin…’ etc. And in another narration from Sunan al-Nasa’i: ‘Subhanak Allahumma wa bihamdik…’”

Original Article on Telegram: https://t.me/DrAkramNadwi/5958

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This article was translated by AI. Please refer to the original Arabic/Urdu article for verification and context.