Learn about wudu
You’ll need
- Copies of the wudu steps sheet
- Jugs, buckets or washing up bowls
- Towels
- Access to water
Before you begin
- Use the safety checklist to help you plan and risk assess your activity. There's also more guidance to help you carry out your risk assessment, including examples.
- Make sure all young people and adults involved in the activity know how to take part safely.
- Make sure you’ll have enough adult helpers. You may need some parents and carers to help.
Planning and setting up this activity
- You may wish to ask people to bring a towel.
- Print out a copy of the Wudu steps, with one per group.
Running this activity
- Gather everyone in a circle tell them that you’re going to be doing an activity for Islamophobia Awareness Month (IAM). IAM happens every year in November. It highlights the positive contributions of Muslims in the UK and raises awareness of Islamophobia. Islamophobia is the fear of, hostility towards or hatred against the religion of Islam and against Muslims. When people understand more about Islam and the Muslim community, it can help to stop discrimination, bullying and stereotyping, and create a more inclusive society.
- Ask if anyone knows anything about Islam. If anyone in the group practices Islam, if they’re happy and comfortable to, they may be able to share some facts or tell the group about Wudu. If it’s a young person, you may wish to chat to them and their parent or carer before the session.
- Explain that Muslims believe in one God, Allah, and follow the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), Allah’s messenger. After saying Prophet Muhammad’s name, Muslims say Peace Be Upon Him or PBUH. The phrase is used in Islamic practice to show respect. Muslims say or write the phrase to get Allah's blessings for the prophet/messenger, and in turn, get blessings for themselves. Muslims believe that the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) received the Qur’an, which is the most important Islamic holy book and the only one to contain the pure word of Allah.
- In Islam, water is a precious gift from Allah, as it gives life to everything. The Quran says, ‘And We made from water every living thing’ (21:30), showing how all life depends on water.
- Ask everyone what we might use water for. You could see what people have used water for today. Some activities might be brushing your teeth, showering, washing your hands, cooking or watering plants.
- The Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) taught not to waste water, even if there’s plenty, reminding us to treat it with care. So, water’s important in Islam for life, cleanliness and using Allah’s gifts wisely. See if anyone can think of ways you can save water. Some ideas may be shorter showers, turning the tap off while brushing your teeth or collecting rainwater to water plants.
- Explain that Muslims also use water to stay clean, especially before prayer, because Allah loves purity: ‘Indeed, Allah loves those who purify themselves’ (2:222). Wudu is the ritual washing performed by Muslims before prayer. Muslims must be clean and wear good clothes before they present themselves before God.
- Ask everyone to get into groups and give each group a copy of the steps of Wudu. Give each group time to put them in what they think is the right order. When everyone’s ready, reveal the answer. The steps of wudu are:
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- Wash your right hand up to the palms three times
- Wash your left hand up to the palms three times
- Rinse your mouth three times.
- Carefully sniff a few drops of water into your nostrils three times. You’ll need to gently snort the water into your nose, then blow it out into a tissue. Be careful and try not to take in too much water to stop you from hurting yourself.
- Wash your face three times.
- Wash your arms up to the elbows three times.
- Wipe your head. You do this by moving your wet hands from the top of the forehead to the back of the head, then from the back of the head to the forehead. You only do this once.
- Using your wet hands, use your index fingers to gently clean the inside of your ears and your thumb to clean the area behind your ears. You only do this once.
- Wash your right foot three times, making sure the water goes in between your toes and the back if your ankle.
- Wash your left foot three times, making sure the water goes in between your toes and the back if your ankle.
- If you wish to, you may want to do Wudu as a group or have someone demonstrate it. Use a bucket or washing up bowl of water and follow each step. You may wish to place towels down. You could see who can use the least amount of water while doing it.
- If anyone in the group is Muslim, if they’re happy and comfortable to, they could demonstrate it to the group for everyone to follow. If no-one in the group is Muslim, you could invite in someone from the Muslim Scout Fellowship, or invite in someone from a local mosque or local community to demonstrate wudu.
Reflection
This activity was all about learning about Wudu, a washing ritual that helps Muslims show respect for Allah and focus on their prayers. Why might being clean help someone focus on something important? Why do you think it might be important to wash certain parts of their body, such as their hands, mouth and feet, during wudu? How might washing up help someone feel ready to pray? Did you know anything about wudu before this session? What did you know about Islam? What did you learn? You might have known a lot, or you might not have known anything at all.
Water is very special in Islam and is seen as a gift from Allah. Water gives life to everything, and Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) teaches Muslims that it’s important to use it carefully and never waste it, even if there’s plenty. It helps to protect a resource that all people, animals, and plants rely on to survive. Why do you think it’s important to be careful with water? Can you think of ways we can save water in our own lives? Even little steps, like turning off the tap while brushing our teeth, can make a big difference!
Safety
All activities must be safely managed. You must complete a thorough risk assessment and take appropriate steps to reduce risk. Use the safety checklist to help you plan and risk assess your activity. Always get approval for the activity, and have suitable supervision and an InTouch process.
You must run your activities in line with the Safeguarding Code of Conduct for Adults (Yellow Card) and report any concerns to the UK HQ Safeguarding Team.
- Water games and activities
Be careful when doing activities with, in, or near water. Check surfaces and reduce the risk of slipping where possible. Make sure you have appropriate supervision for this activity.
Make it accessible
All Scout activities should be inclusive and accessible.
