What breaks Wudu? A simple list, and what does not break it

The things that break Wudu

When one of these happens, your Wudu has ended. Nothing is wrong; you simply make Wudu again before your next prayer.

• Anything that comes out of the front or back passage, a little or a lot: urine, stool, wind, Madhi (a thin fluid that comes with arousal), semen, or Istihadah (bleeding outside a woman's normal period).
• Deep sleep in which you lose awareness, in any position: lying down, sitting or leaning.
• Losing your reason, for example by fainting or being intoxicated.
• Touching the private parts directly, without a barrier, whether your own or someone else's.
• Eating camel meat. No other meat breaks Wudu.

Does sleeping break Wudu?

Deep sleep does: sleep in which you lose awareness of what is around you, in any position. Light dozing, in which you stay aware, does not.

So if you nod off for a moment while waiting for the prayer and can still hear what is going on, your Wudu stands. If you wake up from a real sleep, even sitting up, make Wudu again.

What does not break Wudu

• Doubt. Wondering whether something happened is not the same as it happening.
• Light dozing, as above.
• Eating meat other than camel meat.
• A small amount of blood or vomit. After a large amount, making Wudu again is the more cautious course.
• Touching the private parts through clothing or another barrier: only direct touch breaks it.

When you are not sure: the rule of certainty

Many beginners worry about this more than anything else, so it is worth knowing the rule well. If you are unsure whether you passed wind, your Wudu stands until you hear a sound or notice a smell. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said that a person should not leave the prayer until then (Bukhari 137).

The reasoning is simple. You are certain that you made Wudu, so it stays until you are certain that it broke. A passing doubt changes nothing. The course's practice task for this lesson says exactly that: if a doubt about wind comes, apply the “sound or smell” rule and carry on.

When Ghusl is needed as well

Some things break Wudu and also make the full wash, Ghusl, necessary: the release of semen with desire, and intercourse. Anything that requires Ghusl also requires Wudu, and the complete Sunnah Ghusl includes Wudu as one of its steps. The details are in How to do Ghusl step by step.

After your Wudu breaks

You need Wudu for the prayer, for Tawaf (circling the Ka'bah) and for touching the Mushaf, the Arabic Qur'an, with bare skin. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said that Allah does not accept the prayer of someone whose Wudu has broken until they make Wudu again (Muslim 223).

If your Wudu has not broken since your last prayer, you can pray with it. Renewing it for each prayer is recommended, and so is making Wudu before you sleep. If you need a reminder of the steps, they are in How to make Wudu step by step.

The course's practice task for this lesson: for one day, notice each time your Wudu breaks, and renew it before the next prayer. After a day or two it becomes a habit you hardly think about.

Questions to take to a scholar

A first course cannot settle every situation, and it is better to ask than to guess. Ask a scholar if urine or wind leaks from you constantly, if you have a stoma or any other opening through which urine or stool leaves the body, or if you are unsure about touching in a particular situation, such as while washing a young child.

In the course, “What breaks Wudu” is lesson 6 of 41, eight minutes long, straight after “How to make Wudu”. Wiping over socks, and Tayammum when water cannot be used, come in Level 2. Every lesson is listed on the course syllabus.