How to Perform Wudu at School? A Complete Guide for Students and Teachers

Hi again! Attending school is a part of almost everyone's daily routine. There are many teachers and students at school. In some countries, students are required to attend six days a week, while in others, five days is the norm. The same applies to Muslims. Muslim teachers teach their students knowledge, and Muslim students learn from their teachers. But the question is: can you perform wudu at school?

Whatever your reason for opening this article, I am confident you’re seeking an explanation about performing wudu at school. Don’t worry! I won’t disappoint you today. That’s exactly what I’m going to explain now, so just keep reading this article to the end!

Can You Perform Wudu at School?

Hi! First of all, I will answer an important question related to the main topic: can you perform wudu at school? I want you to understand this at the outset, so you can follow the rest of the discussion easily.

To be honest, the discussion about the permissibility of performing wudu at school is really about the places where wudu can and cannot be done. This makes the topic quite interesting to explore.

Read Also: What Types of Farts Break Wudu?

In short, there isn’t a specific explanation in Islamic legal literature that restricts where wudu can or cannot be performed. This is quite understandable, as it’s not considered a fundamental issue. Instead, discussions around wudu tend to focus on the sunnah (recommended practices) before, during, and after wudu, the obligatory acts during wudu, and what nullifies wudu, among other things.

So, where can you perform wudu?

Since there is no specific ruling on places where wudu can or cannot be done, you can perform wudu anywhere. This includes at home, in offices, schools, hotels, tourist spots, and so on.

Therefore, the answer to the question is: "Yes, you can perform wudu at school."

Benefits of Wudu at School

Hi! Are you still with me? Now I will explain the benefits of performing wudu at school. You need to understand these points well so you can explain them to Muslims who may not be familiar with them.

In general, the benefits of performing wudu at school include the following:

• Teachers and students who perform wudu at school will receive the general benefits of wudu.

By the way, do you know the most important benefit of wudu? Pay attention to the hadith below!

عَنْ عُثْمَانَ بْنِ عَفَّانَ رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُ ، قَالَ : قَالَ رَسُوْلُ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ : مَنْ تَوَضَّأَ فَأَحْسَنَ الْوُضُوْءَ خَرَجَتْ خَطَايَاهُ مِنْ جَسَدِهِ ، حَتَّى تَخْرُجَ مِنْ تَحْتِ أَظْفَارِهِ . رَوَاهُ مُسْلِمٌ

From Uthman bin Affan (رضي الله عنه), he said: "The Messenger of Allah (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said: 'Whoever performs wudu perfectly, his sins will come out from his body, even from under his nails.' This hadith was narrated by Muslim."

The hadith above explains that if someone performs wudu perfectly, all their minor sins will be erased. So, if teachers and students perform wudu at school (or anywhere else), their minor sins will be forgiven.

• Teachers and students who perform wudu at school, before they begin teaching and learning, will be mentally more prepared.

There are two main reasons why teachers and students who perform wudu at school will have better mental readiness:

1. Their minor sins are forgiven.
2. They are purified from minor hadas (ritual impurities), as the purpose of wudu is to remove them from the body of a Muslim.

• Teachers and students will receive blessed knowledge.

You might be wondering, why will teachers and students receive blessed knowledge if they perform wudu at school before studying and teaching?

Actually, this third point is a hope or prayer for the teachers and students. If they perform wudu perfectly, their minor sins will be forgiven, and they will be purified from minor hadas. As a result of these two factors, their chances of receiving blessed knowledge are greatly increased.

Best Wudu Practices at School

Now, I will explain the best practices for performing wudu at school. You need to understand this so that you have a solid grasp of the main topic of this article. So, make sure to read the explanation below carefully.

In fact, there is no difference between the best practices for wudu at school and wudu performed in other places. All the obligations of wudu must be fulfilled, and the sunnah (recommended actions) of wudu should be observed whenever possible.

In general, you can find the explanation for the best practices of wudu at school in the following hadith:

عَنْ حَمْرَانَ : أَنَّ عُثْمَانَ دَعَا بِوُضُوْءٍ فَغَسَلَ كَفَّيْهِ ثَلَاثَ مَرَّاتٍ ثُمَّ تَمَضْمَضَ وَاسْتَنْشَقَ وَاسْتَنْثَرَ ثُمَّ غَسَلَ وَجْهَهُ ثَلَاثَ مَرَّاتٍ ثُمَّ غَسَلَ يَدَهُ الْيُمْنَى إِلَى الْمِرْفَقِ ثَلَاثَ مَرَّاتٍ ثُمَّ الْيُسْرَى مِثْلَ ذَلِكَ ، ثُمَّ مَسَحَ بِرَأْسِهِ ، ثُمَّ غَسَلَ رِجْلَهُ الْيُمْنَى إِلَى الْكَعْبَيْنِ ثَلَاثَ مَرَّاتٍ ، ثُمَّ الْيُسْرَى مِثْلَ ذَلِكَ ، ثُمَّ قَالَ : رَأَيْتُ رَسُوْلَ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ تَوَضَّأَ نَحْوَ وُضُوْئِيْ هَذَا . مُتَّفَقٌ عَلَيْهِ

From Hamran: Uthman performed wudu. He washed his hands three times, then rinsed his mouth and inhaled water into his nose, followed by exhaling it. Then he washed his face three times, followed by washing his right arm up to the elbow three times, and then his left arm in the same way. He wiped his head, then washed his right foot up to the ankles three times, followed by his left foot in the same way. He then said, "I saw the Messenger of Allah (Prophet Muhammad) sallallahu alaihi wa sallam perform wudu just like this." This hadith is agreed upon by al-Bukhari and Muslim.

From this hadith, we can conclude that the obligations and sunnah acts of wudu at school are as follows:

1. Washing both hands before starting wudu (sunnah).
2. Gargling (sunnah).
3. Inhaling a small amount of water (istinsyaq) (sunnah).
4. Exhaling the water from the nose (istintsar) (sunnah).
5. Washing the face (obligatory).
6. Saying the niyyah (intention) when washing the face (obligatory).
7. Washing both arms up to the elbows (obligatory).
8. Wiping part of the head (obligatory).
9. Washing the feet up to the ankles (obligatory).

Apart from these nine points, there are additional sunnahs to follow for the best wudu practices at school:

1. Performing all the sunnah and obligatory acts (except saying the niyyah) three times.
2. Saying the dua after completing wudu.

I have already explained many of these points in previous paragraphs, so I won't repeat them here to avoid redundancy.

Do you have any questions? Feel free to ask in the comments below!