Dua For Wudu (Before Wudu and After Wudu)

“Allah does not intend to inconvenience you, but He intends to purify you and perfect His favor to you, so that you may give thanks”. (Quran, 5:6)

There are two types of cleanliness and purification the first is your inner purification (of mind) and the second is outer purification (your body).

In Sahih Muslim, it mentions, "cleanliness is half of faith."

So, establishing wudu (the outer purification) before prayer is mandatory. If you're looking for ways to increase the blessings in this act, you can learn certain du'as which the prophet (ﷺ) himself used to make. There are four du'as which he (ﷺ) was recorded saying and two of them you likely already know and just need to apply to the situation.

Note, this dua is not compulsory, the majority of scholars view the du'a before wudu as being a sunnah and not a fardh. So, forgetting to recite this du'a will not invalidate your prayer.

Dua Before Beginning Wudu

The Dua before beginning wudu is just reciting bismillah,

Narrated by Umar bin Al-Khattab (RA). He heard the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) say,
"None of you makes wudu and completes the wudu, then says: I bear witness that none has the right to be worshipped except Allah Alone, He has no partners; and I bear witness that Muhammad is his Messenger, except that all eight Gates of Paradise are opened for him, so he may enter by whichever he pleases."

— Sahih (Darussalam): Sunan an-Nasa'i 148

So remember, the du'a for after wudu is the Shahada, here is Arabic text, transliteration, and you can press play to listen to the sunnah of wudu.

Dua After Wudu:

The du'a after wudu is to recite the shahada.

There are 2 other du'as which Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) would occassionally recite after completing the ablution. If you'd like to learn those you can see the dedicated Hisnul Muslim page for best learning/reading experience. However, the two du'as mentioned already are the easiest to begin with since you likely already know them by heart.

1. Transliteration: Allaahummaj'alnee minat-tawwaabeena waj'alnee minal-mutatahhireen.
   Translation: O Allah, make me among those who turn to You in repentance, and make me among those who are purified. (Source)
2. Transliteration: Subhaanaka Allaahumma wa bihamdika, 'ash-hadu 'an laa 'ilaaha 'illaa 'Anta, 'astaghfiruka wa 'atoobu 'ilayk.
   Translation: Glory is to You, O Allah, and praise; I bear witness that there is none worthy of worship but You. I seek Your forgiveness and turn to You in repentance.

I hope you enjoyed this article and learned something new.

Related Post: 11 Powerful Duas To Ask Allah For Forgiveness