Quran 5:6, the ayah of wudu.

Surah Al-Maidah, ayah 6: "O you who have believed, when you rise to [perform] prayer, wash your faces and your forearms to the elbows and wipe over your heads and wash your feet to the..." Read it in Arabic with transliteration and the Sahih International translation, with the ayah before and after it, and listen to it recited.

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5:5Before

ٱلْيَوْمَ أُحِلَّ لَكُمُ ٱلطَّيِّبَٰتُ ۖ وَطَعَامُ ٱلَّذِينَ أُوتُوا۟ ٱلْكِتَٰبَ حِلٌّۭ لَّكُمْ وَطَعَامُكُمْ حِلٌّۭ لَّهُمْ ۖ وَٱلْمُحْصَنَٰتُ مِنَ ٱلْمُؤْمِنَٰتِ وَٱلْمُحْصَنَٰتُ مِنَ ٱلَّذِينَ أُوتُوا۟ ٱلْكِتَٰبَ مِن قَبْلِكُمْ إِذَآ ءَاتَيْتُمُوهُنَّ أُجُورَهُنَّ مُحْصِنِينَ غَيْرَ مُسَٰفِحِينَ وَلَا مُتَّخِذِىٓ أَخْدَانٍۢ ۗ وَمَن يَكْفُرْ بِٱلْإِيمَٰنِ فَقَدْ حَبِطَ عَمَلُهُۥ وَهُوَ فِى ٱلْءَاخِرَةِ مِنَ ٱلْخَٰسِرِينَ ﴿٥﴾

Alyawma uhilla lakumut taiyibaatu wa ta'aamul lazeena ootul Kitaaba hillul lakum wa ta'aamukum hillul lahum wal muhsanaatu minal mu'minaati walmuhsanaatu minal lazeena ootul Kitaaba min qablikum izaaa aataitumoohunna ujoorahunna muhsineena ghaira musaafiheena wa laa muttakhizeee akhdaan; wa mai yakfur bil eemaani faqad habita 'amaluhoo wa huwa fil Aaakhirati minal khaasireen

This day [all] good foods have been made lawful, and the food of those who were given the Scripture is lawful for you and your food is lawful for them. And [lawful in marriage are] chaste women from among the believers and chaste women from among those who were given the Scripture before you, when you have given them their due compensation, desiring chastity, not unlawful sexual intercourse or taking [secret] lovers. And whoever denies the faith - his work has become worthless, and he, in the Hereafter, will be among the losers.

5:6This ayah

يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوٓا۟ إِذَا قُمْتُمْ إِلَى ٱلصَّلَوٰةِ فَٱغْسِلُوا۟ وُجُوهَكُمْ وَأَيْدِيَكُمْ إِلَى ٱلْمَرَافِقِ وَٱمْسَحُوا۟ بِرُءُوسِكُمْ وَأَرْجُلَكُمْ إِلَى ٱلْكَعْبَيْنِ ۚ وَإِن كُنتُمْ جُنُبًۭا فَٱطَّهَّرُوا۟ ۚ وَإِن كُنتُم مَّرْضَىٰٓ أَوْ عَلَىٰ سَفَرٍ أَوْ جَآءَ أَحَدٌۭ مِّنكُم مِّنَ ٱلْغَآئِطِ أَوْ لَٰمَسْتُمُ ٱلنِّسَآءَ فَلَمْ تَجِدُوا۟ مَآءًۭ فَتَيَمَّمُوا۟ صَعِيدًۭا طَيِّبًۭا فَٱمْسَحُوا۟ بِوُجُوهِكُمْ وَأَيْدِيكُم مِّنْهُ ۚ مَا يُرِيدُ ٱللَّهُ لِيَجْعَلَ عَلَيْكُم مِّنْ حَرَجٍۢ وَلَٰكِن يُرِيدُ لِيُطَهِّرَكُمْ وَلِيُتِمَّ نِعْمَتَهُۥ عَلَيْكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَشْكُرُونَ ﴿٦﴾

Yaaa aiyuhal lazeena aamanoo izaa qumtum ilas Salaati faghsiloo wujoohakum wa Aidiyakum ilal maraafiqi wamsahoo biru'oosikum wa arjulakum ilal ka'bayn; wa in kuntum junuban fattahharoo; wain kuntum mardaaa aw'alaa safarin aw jaaa'a ahadum minkum minal ghaaa'iti aw laamastumunnisaaa'a falam tajidoo maaa'an fatayammamoo sa'eedan taiyiban famsahoo biwujoohikum wa aideekum minh; ma yureedul laahu liyaj'ala 'alaikum min harajinw wa laakidy yureedu liyutahhirakum wa liyutimma m'matahoo 'alaikum la'allakum tashkuroon

O you who have believed, when you rise to [perform] prayer, wash your faces and your forearms to the elbows and wipe over your heads and wash your feet to the ankles. And if you are in a state of janabah, then purify yourselves. But if you are ill or on a journey or one of you comes from the place of relieving himself or you have contacted women and do not find water, then seek clean earth and wipe over your faces and hands with it. Allah does not intend to make difficulty for you, but He intends to purify you and complete His favor upon you that you may be grateful.

5:7After

وَٱذْكُرُوا۟ نِعْمَةَ ٱللَّهِ عَلَيْكُمْ وَمِيثَٰقَهُ ٱلَّذِى وَاثَقَكُم بِهِۦٓ إِذْ قُلْتُمْ سَمِعْنَا وَأَطَعْنَا ۖ وَٱتَّقُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ عَلِيمٌۢ بِذَاتِ ٱلصُّدُورِ ﴿٧﴾

Wazkuroo ni'matal laahi 'alaikum wa meesaaqahul lazee waasaqakum biheee iz qultum sami'naa wa ata'naa wattaqul laah; innal laaha 'aleemum bizaatis sudoor

And remember the favor of Allah upon you and His covenant with which He bound you when you said, "We hear and we obey"; and fear Allah. Indeed, Allah is Knowing of that within the breasts.

Arabic: Tanzil, Uthmani script. English: Sahih International. Audio: EveryAyah. Transliteration is a learning aid; read from the Arabic when you can.

Read it in Surah Al-Maidah Listen on repeat

Meaning and lessons

What Quran 5:6 means, in brief.

This is the ayah that sets out wudu. When you stand for prayer, wash your face and your arms to the elbows, wipe your heads, and wash your feet to the ankles. If you are in janabah, purify yourselves with a full bath. If you are ill, travelling, have relieved yourself or have touched women and cannot find water, use clean earth (tayammum) on your face and hands.

Ibn Kathir explains that wudu is required for every prayer for someone who is not already in a state of wudu, and that the Prophet ﷺ sometimes renewed it for each prayer. The ayah closes with the reason: Allah does not want to make things hard for you, but to purify you and complete His favour on you, so that you may be grateful.

Summarised in our own words from Tafsir Ibn Kathir, on Quran 5:6. Translation of the ayah: Sahih International.

Lessons from this ayah

The parts of wudu come straight from the Quran.
Tayammum shows that the religion is easy: there is always a way to pray.
Purification is a favour from Allah, and gratitude is its aim.

The ruling, Hanafi first

Hanafi position

The fard acts of wudu are the four in this ayah: washing the face, washing the arms with the elbows, wiping a quarter of the head, and washing the feet with the ankles. Intention, order and continuity are sunnah. "Touched women" means intercourse, so touching the skin of the opposite sex does not break wudu.

Other madhhabs

Shafi'i: Intention and the order of the parts are also fard. Touching the skin of a non-mahram of the opposite sex breaks wudu.
Maliki: Intention, continuity and rubbing (dalk) are also fard, and the whole head is wiped. Touching with desire breaks wudu.
Hanbali: Rinsing the mouth and nose, order and continuity are also fard, and the whole head is wiped. Touching with desire breaks wudu.

Where Quran 5:6 is in the mushaf

Ayah 6 of Surah Al-Maidah (المَائـِدَةِ), "The Table", surah 5 of the Quran, a Medinan surah of 120 ayat revealed in Madinah. It is in juz 6 (para 6), hizb 11, on page 108 of the standard Madinah mushaf. People search for it as 5/6, 5 6 or Quran 5 6.

The rulings on this page are pending review by the scholars on our team.

Questions

Good to know.

What does Quran 5:6 say?

What is Quran 5:6 about?

Which surah and juz is 5:6 in?

It is in Surah Al-Maidah, surah 5 of the Quran, in juz 6 (para 6), on page 108 of the Madinah mushaf.

What comes before and after 5:6?

The ayah before, 5:5, says: "This day [all] good foods have been made lawful, and the food of those who were given the Scripture is lawful for you and your food is lawful for them. And [lawful in marriage are] chaste women from among the believers and chaste women from among those who were given the Scripture before you, when you have given them their due compensation, desiring chastity, not unlawful sexual intercourse or taking [secret] lovers. And whoever denies the faith - his work has become worthless, and he, in the Hereafter, will be among the losers." The ayah after, 5:7, says: "And remember the favor of Allah upon you and His covenant with which He bound you when you said, "We hear and we obey"; and fear Allah. Indeed, Allah is Knowing of that within the breasts."