Answered by SunniPath Answer Service Team
Do you have to perform wudu before each prayer if you have not invalidated the previous wudu? I do it each time I pray.
Wa Alaykum Assalam wa Rahmatullah wa Barakatuhu,
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful & Compassionate
Sayyiduna Uthman (Allah be pleased with him) reports that the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace be upon him) said, “Whoever performs ablutions (wudu) and does so well, their sins will leave their body, even from under the nails.” [Muslim, and Nasa`i]
Sayyidi Abd al-Ghani al-Nabulsi (Allah have mercy on him) explained performing wudu ‘well’ as performing all the obligatory, sunna and recommended actions, while avoiding that which is blameworthy such as wasting water. [Nihayat al-Murad]
Imam Wali-Allah al-Dahlawi (Allah have mercy on him), the great Indian jurist, hadith expert, and sufi, explained this hadith in his Hujjat Allah al-Baligha, one of the very best works on the secrets of the Shariah in all its dimensions,
“Cleanliness effects the very roots of the soul, and purifies it until it becomes akin to angels. Cleanliness also makes one forget a lot of lowly states” [Dahlawi, Hujjat Allah al-Baligha, 1.397, Qadimi Kutub Khana ed.]
Therefore, although it is commendable to do a fresh wudu for every prayer because of the virtues of making wudu and its wiping away sins, it is not necessary, nor obligatory that one make a fresh wudu if nothing that invalidates wudu has occurred.
Wassalam,
Sunni Path Q/A Team
(based on past answers by Faraz Rabbani)
Approved by Faraz Rabbani.