Chapter: The Acts That Nullify Wudu

From the preceding discussion you have learned how to perform wudu with its conditions, obligatory elements, and recommended practices exactly as the Prophet ﷺ taught. You now need to know what breaks that wudu, so that you do not go on relying upon an ablution whose effect has lapsed and thereby carry out an act of worship that would not be valid.

Know, dear Muslim, that wudu has certain invalidators. When any one of them occurs the ablution is no longer effective and must be renewed before you engage in any act for which wudu is prescribed. These invalidators are called nawaqid or mubtilat—the two terms are synonymous. Each of them has been designated by the Lawgiver as a cause that removes wudu from the state required. Some are actual states of ritual impurity that in themselves break wudu, such as urine, feces, and every other discharge from the two private passages; others are causes that lead to such impurity, so that when they occur they are regarded as a likely means to