Guide for new Muslims · 02 · 4 min
Purification
Before we stand before God in prayer, we make ourselves clean. Purification in Islam concerns both the body and the heart, and it is simpler than it sounds.
The minor wash (wudu)
Wudu is a short wash you do before prayer. It takes a minute or two once you have learned it.
- Wash the hands
- Rinse the mouth and nose
- Wash the face
- Wash the arms up to the elbows
- Wipe wet hands over the head
- Wash the feet up to the ankles
The major wash (ghusl)
Ghusl is a full-body wash done on certain occasions, for example after intimacy. It is simply a thorough shower with the intention of becoming clean for prayer.
Purity of the heart
Outer cleanliness mirrors an inner one. Islam encourages us to cleanse the heart of things like envy, arrogance and resentment — and to fill it with gratitude and kindness instead.
No one is free of faults. The point is not to be spotless, but to return to what is good again and again.