Short answer
Hanafi books list six things as makruh (disliked) in wudu: wasting water, using too little, splashing water hard on the face, worldly talk, asking someone to help without need, and wiping the head three times with new water. None of these break wudu; they reduce its reward.
The makruh acts of wudu are: israf (excess water), taqtir (too little, so washing becomes mere wiping), striking the face with water, talking about worldly matters, seeking help from another without excuse, and wiping the head three times with fresh water each time. Leaving a sunnah of wudu is also disliked.
Other madhhabs
- Shafi'i
- Wiping the head three times is sunnah, not disliked.
Explanation
The Prophet ﷺ warned that some people in this ummah would go too far in purification and in dua. The Quran tells us to eat and drink without excess, and scholars apply the same principle to water. Wudu (ablution) is meant to be calm, complete and moderate.
The six disliked acts (Hanafi):
- Wasting water: leaving the tap running at full, or washing more than three times. This holds even at a river.
- Using too little: so little that water does not flow over the limb, which can make the wudu invalid.
- Splashing the face: throwing water hard at your face instead of washing it.
- Worldly talk while making wudu, without need.
- Asking someone else to pour or wash for you without an excuse.
- Wiping the head three times with new water each time. The sunnah is one wipe of the whole head.
Scholars also advise against blowing the nose with the right hand, and making wudu inside the prayer area of a masjid rather than at the wudu place. Starting with the left instead of the right goes against the sunnah too. None of these make the wudu invalid.
If doubts make you keep repeating washes, that is waswasa, not piety: see waswasa in wudu. For the full sunnah method, see the sunnahs of wudu.
The evidence
Quran, Surah Al-A'raaf 7:31
۞ يَٰبَنِىٓ ءَادَمَ خُذُوا۟ زِينَتَكُمْ عِندَ كُلِّ مَسْجِدٍۢ وَكُلُوا۟ وَٱشْرَبُوا۟ وَلَا تُسْرِفُوٓا۟ ۚ إِنَّهُۥ لَا يُحِبُّ ٱلْمُسْرِفِينَ ﴿٣١﴾
O children of Adam, take your adornment at every masjid, and eat and drink, but be not excessive. Indeed, He likes not those who commit excess.
The principle of avoiding excess, which scholars apply to water in wudu.
Sunan Abi Dawud 96
Grading to be checked... إنه سيكون في هذه الأمة قوم يعتدون في الطهور والدعاء ...
"There will be people in this ummah who go too far in purification and in dua."
Excess in wudu is blameworthy.
Sahih al-Bukhari 168
Sahih... يعجبه التيمن في تنعله وترجله وطهوره ...
"He liked to start with the right in putting on his sandals, combing his hair and purifying himself."
Starting with the right is the sunnah; going against it is disliked.
Where the ruling is recorded
- Nur al-Idah with Maraqi al-Falah, Kitab al-Taharah, section on what is disliked in wudu. Lists six disliked acts of wudu.
- al-Majmu' (Nawawi), Kitab al-Taharah, chapter on the manner of wudu. Wiping the head three times is sunnah in the Shafi'i school.
Checked by our team. For a more accurate answer to your own situation, consult a scholar. Quran translation by Sahih International. Hadith Arabic from the standard editions of the six books and the Muwatta, with gradings as recorded there; the English is our own rendering. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.