The Four main stages of Performing Wudu (1)
The manner of performing wudu as explained below is based on the Qur’an and the authentic sunnah of the holy Prophet as narrated by his Ahlu ‘l-bayt and his most reliable companions. The relevant verse of the Qur’an and the ahadith will be discussed in section J.Wudu is done in the following four stages :
1. Washing the face
After doing the niyyat [Intention], pour water over the face from the top. Then using the right hand, wipe the face from the top to bottom, in such a way that the water reaches all parts vertically from the hairline to chin, and every place horizontally within the reach of the span of the hand from the middle-finger to the thumb.
It is not obligatory to wash the parts which do not come within the middle-finger and the thumb; however, there is no harm in including those parts to ensure that all the necessary parts have been washed.
It is not obligatory to wash the inside of the eyes, the lips, the mouth, the nose, and the eyelids. If one has beard or mustache, it is enough to wash the hair which are apparent; it is not necessary to make the water reach the inside of the hair or to the skin. However, if the hair are so sparse that they do not hide the skin, then one should make the water reach the skin.
Bald person or those with receding hair-line should wash their face as if the hair were growing normally. If someone’s face is larger, or smaller, than normal, then he should wash the part which comes within his middle finger and the thumb.