Wudu quiz
How well do you know wudu and purification?
Review every question and answer
Question 1: What is the Arabic word for the ritual washing Muslims perform before prayer?
Wudu
Wudu is the ritual purification Muslims perform before salah. It involves washing specific parts of the body in a set order.
Question 2: Which chapter of the Qur'an describes the steps of wudu?
Surah Al-Ma'idah
Surah Al-Ma'idah, verse 6, describes washing the face, hands to the elbows, wiping the head, and washing the feet to the ankles.
Qur'an 5:6Question 3: Wudu is required before which act of worship?
Salah (prayer)
Wudu is a condition for salah. Muslims purify themselves before standing in prayer as a sign of readiness and respect.
Question 4: According to the Qur'an, up to where should the hands be washed during wudu?
The elbows
The Qur'an instructs washing the hands up to and including the elbows as part of wudu.
Qur'an 5:6Question 5: What is the full ritual bath called, required after major ritual impurity?
Ghusl
Ghusl is the full-body ritual wash required after major impurity, such as after intimacy or the end of a menstrual cycle.
Question 6: Which of these breaks wudu, agreed upon by all major schools of thought?
Relieving oneself
Using the bathroom is universally agreed to invalidate wudu, since it is one of the causes named directly in the Qur'an alongside natural sleep.
Question 7: What can be used instead of water for purification when water is unavailable?
Sand or clean earth (tayammum)
Tayammum, dry ablution with clean earth or sand, is permitted when water is not available or would cause harm.
Question 8: During wudu, which part of the head is wiped rather than fully washed?
The head is wiped with wet hands
The Qur'an describes wiping the head with wet hands as one of the four steps of wudu, rather than a full wash.
Question 9: What is the general purpose of wudu, beyond physical cleanliness?
Spiritual purification before standing before Allah
Wudu is understood as spiritual as well as physical purification, preparing the heart and body to stand in prayer.
Question 10: Natural sleep is commonly understood to affect wudu in what way?
It can break wudu
Sleep is widely recognized among scholars as something that can break wudu, since a person's awareness of their state is not certain while asleep.
About the Wudu & Purification Quiz
Wudu is the ablution Muslims perform before prayer, and it is one of the first practical steps every new Muslim learns. This wudu quiz covers the basics that all schools of Islamic thought agree on: why we purify ourselves, the steps described in the Qur'an, and what wudu means for a Muslim's daily worship.
Each question sticks to the fundamentals, no fine details that differ between schools of thought. It is a good refresher whether you learned wudu as a child or are exploring the practice for the first time.