Number of Times to Wash

Washing Each Body-Part Once

Ibn ‘Abbaas (radhiAllaahu ‘anhu) said:

Rasoolullah (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) made wudoo (washing each part) once.

[Al-Bukhaaree (al Fath) 1/226]

Washing Each Body-Part Twice

‘Abdullaah ibn Zaid narrates that the Prophet (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) made wudoo (washing each part) twice.

[Al-Bukhaaree (al Fath) 1/226]

Washing Each Body-Part Twice

In the hadeeth of’Uthmaan (radhiAllaahu ‘anhu) recorded by al-Bukhaaree and Muslim,

he (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wasallam) washed each of the parts three times.

---

So from these ahaadeeth it becomes clear to us that, as is well-known to the large majority of scholars, washing each body-part once is obligatory – and the second and third washings are Sunnah – and it is better to do likewise following the Sunnah of the Prophet (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam)

[‘al-Majmoo’ of an-Nawawi, 1/229].