يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوٓا۟ إِذَا قُمْتُمْ إِلَى ٱلصَّلَوٰةِ فَٱغْسِلُوا۟ وُجُوهَكُمْ وَأَيْدِيَكُمْ إِلَى ٱلْمَرَافِقِ وَٱمْسَحُوا۟ بِرُءُوسِكُمْ وَأَرْجُلَكُمْ إِلَى ٱلْكَعْبَيْنِ ۚ وَإِن كُنتُمْ جُنُبًا فَٱطَّهَّرُوا۟ ۚ وَإِن كُنتُم مَّرْضَىٰٓ أَوْ عَلَىٰ سَفَرٍ أَوْ جَآءَ أَحَدٌ مِّنكُم مِّنَ ٱلْغَآئِطِ أَوْ لَـٰمَسْتُمُ ٱلنِّسَآءَ فَلَمْ تَجِدُوا۟ مَآءً فَتَيَمَّمُوا۟ صَعِيدًا طَيِّبًا فَٱمْسَحُوا۟ بِوُجُوهِكُمْ وَأَيْدِيكُم مِّنْهُ ۚ مَا يُرِيدُ ٱللَّهُ لِيَجْعَلَ عَلَيْكُم مِّنْ حَرَجٍ وَلَـٰكِن يُرِيدُ لِيُطَهِّرَكُمْ وَلِيُتِمَّ نِعْمَتَهُۥ عَلَيْكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَشْكُرُونَ 6
Translations
O you who have believed, when you rise to [perform] prayer, wash your faces and your forearms to the elbows and wipe over your heads and wash your feet to the ankles. And if you are in a state of janābah, then purify yourselves. But if you are ill or on a journey or one of you comes from the place of relieving himself or you have contacted women and do not find water, then seek clean earth and wipe over your faces and hands with it. Allāh does not intend to make difficulty for you, but He intends to purify you and complete His favor upon you that you may be grateful.
Transliteration
Ya ayyuha alladhina amanu idha qumtum ila al-salati faghs-ilu wujuhakum wa-aydeekum ila al-marafiq wa-imsa-hu biruuusikum wa-arjulakum ila al-kaabain. Wa-in kuntum junuban fa-atahha-ru. Wa-in kuntum marda aw ala safarin aw jaa ahad minkum min al-gha'it aw lamastum al-nisa fa-lam tajidu ma'an fa-tayammamu sa'idan tayyiban fa-imsa-hu biwujuhikum wa-aydeekum minhu. Ma yurid allahu liyaj'ala alaykum min haraj wa-lakin yurid liyutatah-hirakum wa-liyutimma ni'matahu alaykum la'allakum tashkurun.
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah establishes the fundamental rules of wudu (ritual ablution) and tayammum (dry ablution using clean earth), which are prerequisites for valid prayer in Islam. The passage prescribes washing the face and hands up to the elbows, wiping the head, and washing the feet up to the ankles, while also addressing practical circumstances where water is unavailable due to illness, travel, or ritual impurity. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir emphasize that this legislation reflects divine mercy, removing hardship while maintaining spiritual purification as the core objective.
Revelation Context
This ayah was revealed in Medina during the development of Islamic jurisprudence and the crystallization of ritual practices for the Muslim community. It appears in Surah Al-Ma'idah, which addresses practical matters of halal and haram, and this particular verse establishes clear procedural guidelines for wudu that had been practiced but now received explicit Quranic codification, providing clarity for the growing Muslim ummah.
Related Hadiths
Sahih Bukhari (Book on Wudu): The Prophet ﷺ demonstrated wudu by washing his face and hands to the elbows, wiping his head, and washing his feet. Sahih Muslim (Book on Purification): Abdullah ibn Abbas reported that the Prophet ﷺ taught that tayammum is permitted when water cannot be found, striking the earth once and wiping the face and hands.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches that Islamic practice is designed to remove hardship while maintaining spiritual integrity—the explicit statement 'Allah does not wish to make things difficult for you' reflects divine compassion, reminding believers that religious obligations are meant to purify the soul and strengthen gratitude to God, not to burden the faithful.