Does Wudu Erase Sins? Understanding the Spiritual Benefits of Wudu in Islam

Hi again! Wudu is one of the acts of worship that purifies the body from minor impurity (hadas). I have explained many aspects of it in various articles on this website. I highly recommend reading all of them to gain a comprehensive and well-argued understanding of wudu. It will be beneficial for you. Now, I will address a question that many Muslims often ask: does wudu erase sins?

Whatever brought you to this article, I am certain you are seeking clarification about one of the virtues of wudu: does wudu erase sins or not? Don't worry! I won't disappoint you today. This is exactly what I will be explaining. All you need to do is read this article to the end!

Hadith About Wudu Erasing Sins

Hi! To begin, I will explain the hadith about wudu erasing sins as it appears in Islamic literature. It is important to first understand this as the basis of our discussion. Some Muslims are not fully aware of this, but I am sure you don't want to be among them, right?

There are many hadiths regarding wudu erasing sins. Of course, I won't cover all of them today. In this article, I will only focus on two hadiths.

Read Also: What Types of Farts Break Wudu?

The two hadiths about wudu erasing sins that I am referring to are as follows:

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 (radliyallahu anhu), he said: "The Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) said, 'Whoever performs wudu perfectly, his sins will depart from his body, even from beneath his nails.'" This hadith was narrated by Muslim.

One important point I want to clarify about this hadith is that its status in hadith literature is "Sahih (صَحِيْحٌ)". In Islamic jurisprudence, a Sahih Hadith (حَدِيْثٌ صَحِيْحٌ) can be used as a legal basis.

عَنِ ابْنِ عُمَرَ رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُمَا ، قَالَ : قَالَ رَسُوْلُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ : مَنْ تَوَضَّأَ فَغَسَلَ كَفَّيْهِ ثَلَاثًا ، وَاسْتَنْثَرَ ثَلَاثًا ، وَغَسَلَ وَجْهَهُ وَيَدَيْهِ ثَلَاثًا ، وَمَسَحَ رَأْسَهُ ثَلَاثًا ، وَغَسَلَ رِجْلَيْهِ ثَلَاثًا ، ثُمَّ قَالَ : أَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَأَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا عَبْدُهُ وَرَسُولُهُ قَبْلَ أَنْ يَتَكَلَّمَ غُفِرَ لَهُ مَا بَيْنَ الْوُضُوئَيْنِ

From Ibn Umar (radliyallahu anhuma), he said: "The Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) said, 'Whoever performs wudu, washes his hands three times, breathes water into the nose (istinsar) three times, washes his face and hands three times, wipes his head three times, and washes his feet three times, then says, "I bear witness that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is His servant and messenger," before saying anything else, his sins between the two wudu will be forgiven.'"

One important point I want to clarify about this hadith is that its status in hadith literature is "Dhaif Jiddan (ضَعِيْفٌ جِدًّا)". In Islamic jurisprudence, a Dhaif Jiddan Hadith (حَدِيْثٌ ضَعِيْفٌ جِدًّا) cannot be used as a legal basis.

Does Wudu Erase Sins?

Hi! Are you still with me? Now, I will answer the main question of this discussion: does wudu erase sins? I hope you read the explanation below carefully so that you have no further doubts. Of course, if you have other questions, feel free to write them in the comments section. I would be more than happy to engage in a discussion with you.

In the previous paragraphs, I quoted two hadiths specifically related to the topic at hand, and I have also explained the status of each hadith. The first hadith is classified as "Sahih (صَحِيْحٌ)" and can be used as a legal basis, while the second hadith is classified as "Dhaif Jiddan (ضَعِيْفٌ جِدًّا)" and cannot be used as a legal basis.

Although there are two hadiths with different statuses, I will rely on the one that is "Sahih (صَحِيْحٌ)" to answer the question. So, in short, the answer to the question is, "Yes, wudu can erase sins."

But what kind of sins can wudu erase? Does wudu erase all sins, both minor and major?

Does Wudu Erase Minor Sins? Why?

One important thing to understand if you want to know whether wudu erases minor sins is that the first hadith, which has the status of "Sahih (صَحِيْحٌ)", indicates that wudu can erase sins. Although the hadith does not explicitly specify whether these are minor sins, we can conclude that it refers to minor sins. Why?

If major sins were erased by wudu, then minor sins would certainly be washed away as well. This is simple logic: if the greater sins are forgiven, the lesser ones would also be forgiven. I’m sure you can grasp that easily, right?

Does Wudu Erase Major Sins? Why?

Now, does wudu erase major sins? If you read Islamic literature on the subject, you’ll find that wudu cannot erase major sins. Let me reiterate: wudu does not erase major sins.

In Islam, major sins (those related to Allah's rights) can only be erased by refraining from committing them in the first place. You can find this explanation in the following verse of the Quran:

اِنْ تَجْتَنِبُوْا كَبَاۤىِٕرَ مَا تُنْهَوْنَ عَنْهُ نُكَفِّرْ عَنْكُمْ سَيِّاٰتِكُمْ وَنُدْخِلْكُمْ مُّدْخَلًا كَرِيْمًا

"If you avoid the major sins which you are forbidden, We will remove from you your lesser sins and admit you to a noble entrance [into Paradise]." (An-Nisa’: 31).

Furthermore, if we have committed major sins related to the rights of both Allah and other people, these sins can only be erased by two actions: sincere repentance to Allah and obtaining forgiveness from the person involved.

The Procedure of Wudu That Can Erase Sins

Now, I will explain the procedures for wudu that can erase sins. It’s essential to understand this so that you have a complete grasp of the main topics in this discussion. Your understanding would be incomplete if you know that wudu can erase minor sins but do not understand how to perform wudu properly to achieve this.

Pay attention to the phrase "مَنْ تَوَضَّأَ فَأَحْسَنَ الْوُضُوْءَ (Whoever performs wudu perfectly)" from the first hadith mentioned above! This sentence is the key to understanding the correct procedure for wudu that can erase minor sins.

By the way, do you know what it means to perform wudu perfectly? It means fulfilling all the obligatory steps of wudu: washing the face, saying the Niyyah for wudu while washing the face, washing both arms up to the elbows, wiping the head, wiping the ears, and washing both feet.

One crucial point to remember is that all the skin on the parts of the body you wash and wipe in wudu must be completely wet. If even a small patch of skin remains dry, your wudu will be invalid—you haven’t properly performed wudu.

Do you have any questions? Feel free to write them in the comment section!