Law of Not Reading Dua After Wudhu – Valid or Not?

Narrated by Umar ibn Al-Khattab (RA) that he heard the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) say: “None of you makes wudu and completes the wudu, then says: I bear witness that none has the right to be worshipped except Allah Alone, He has no partners; and I bear witness that Mohamed is His slave-servant and His Messenger, except that all eight Gates of Paradise are opened for him, so he may enter by whichever he pleases.” (Muslim, Abu Dawood, Tirmidhi, An Nasai, Ibn Majah)

Wudhu or ablution is a mandatory act to be performed before a Muslim do prayers or recite the Quran. There are more benefits of wudhu such as cleansing the body for najs, calming the anger, and reviving someone’s energy. Just like any other acts in Islam, wudhu should be started with dua. But what about the law of not reading dua after wudhu?

Many Muslims don’t know or remember the dua should be recited after wudhu. They are also confuse since there are many version of the dua. Here are the further explanation on law of not reading dua after wudhu.

1. The Dua is Not Compulsory

Making supplication before wudhu is a must, but according to Islamic scholars, a Muslim is not obligated to recite the dua after wudhu. There is no such condition inside the Quran that makes it mandatory. Also read Law of Holding Quran without Wudhu

2. Saying Bismillah is Also Sunnah

Before starting everything, it will be better to say “Bismillah” first, means we are asking for Allah’s blessing. Majority of Islamic scholars prescribed Muslim to say “Bismillah” before wudhu, but there are different opinions regarding this matter. Also read Importance of Sunnah in Muslim Life

Saying Bismillah is sunnah, so that when a Muslims forget to say it at the beginning, he may say it in the middle of wudhu or the end of it when he remembers. However, there is a hadith that strongly suggest a Muslim to say “Bismillah” before wudhu.

“There is no wudoo’ for one who does not mention the name of Allaah in it.” (Tirmidhi)

3. Dua After Wudhu is Preferable

A Muslim’s wudhu will not be invalidated because he doesn’t recite the dua after that. The law of reading the dua is mustahhab or preferable. Also read Law of Washing Neck When Wudhu in Islam

It is mustahabb to say, when one has completed wudoo’: “Ashhadu an laa ilaaha ill-Allaah wahdahu laa shareeka lah, wa ashhadu anna Muhammadan ‘abduhu wa rasooluhu (I bear witness that there is no god except Allaah alone with no partner or associate, and I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allaah),” because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “There is no one among you who does wudoo’ and does it properly and does it well, then he says, ‘Ashhadu an laa ilaaha ill-Allaah wahdahu laa shareeka lah, wa ashhadu anna Muhammadan ‘abduhu wa rasooluhu,’ but the gates of Paradise will be opened to him and he may enter through whichever of them he wishes.” (Muslim)

4. Reciting Dua After Wudhu Will be Granted Jannah

To whoever recite dua after wudhu, they will be granted jannah immediately. Also read List of Jannah in Islam

“There is no one among you who does wudoo; and does it well, then says, Ashhadu an laa ilaaha ill-Allaah wahdahu laa shareeka lah, wa ashhadu anna Muhammadan ‘abduhu was rasooluhu (I bear witness that there is no god except Allaah alone, with no partner or associate, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger) but the eight gates of Paradise will be opened for him and he will enter through whichever one he wants.” (Muslim)

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5. No Valid Proof About the Dua the Prophet Recite

There are many versions of hadith and narrations about dua the Prophet (peace be upon him) recite after performing wudhu. But the hadith by Tirmidhi are considered weak, and there is no strong proof of dua that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) used to recite when he was alive. Also read Positive Attitude in Islam

Obligatory Parts to be Washed During Wudhu

“O you who believe! When you intend to offer As-Salaah (the prayer), wash your faces and your hands (forearms) up to the elbows, rub (by passing wet hands over) your heads, and (wash) your feet up to the ankles. If you are in a state of Janaaba (i.e. after a sexual discharge), purify yourselves (bathe your whole body). But if you are ill or on a journey, or any of you comes after answering the call of nature, or you have been in contact with women (i.e. sexual intercourse), and you find no water, then perform Tayammum with clean earth and rub therewith your faces and hands. Allaah does not want to place you in difficulty, but He wants to purify you, and to complete His Favour to you that you may be thankful” (5:6)

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The Quranis verse above explains which part to be washed during wudhu. So here are the obligatory part.

• Wash the face once completely, as well as rinsing the mouth and cleansing the nose.
• Wash the arms once. From the wrist up to the elbow.
• Wipe the entire head, including the ears.
• The feet should be washed once, up to ankles only.
• Washing the body parts should be done according to the order above. So wudhu should be start by washing the face, arms, wiping the head, and washing the feet at last. The order follows sunnah the Prophet (peace be upon him) had shown in the past.
• Wudhu should be performed continuously. It means no interruption between washing different parts.

Dua After Wudhu

The Messenger of Allah (saws) supplicated Allah thus after he had completed his wudu, : Allah hummaj alnee minat-tawwabeen, waj alnee minal mutah-tahereen (O Allah, make me one of those who constantly repents to You, and of those who purify themselves.) (Tirmidhi)

After reading the explanation on law of not reading dua after wudhu above, it becomes clear that it doesn’t validate or invalidate the wudhu itself. It’s always better to read, but if we forget not to read, our wudhu is still valid.