What is wudu?

Wudu is the minor purification with water required before prayer, which the Qur'an made obligatory: washing the face and the hands up to the elbows, wiping the head and washing the feet.

Ablution is one of the conditions for valid prayer according to the jurists, and its text is in Surat al-Ma'ida ¹. The entry on wudu sets out its manner and acts, and it is linked to the entry on prayer that requires it.