How Many Rakat in Wudu? The Two Rakats After Wudu Explained

Wudu has no rakat. A rakat is a unit of prayer, and wudu is washing, so the two are separate acts. If you are looking for the number linked to wudu, it is two: the voluntary two rakats you can pray straight after finishing wudu, often called tahiyyatul wudu.

These two rakats are optional. Your wudu is complete without them, and you can go straight to your obligatory prayer.

Quick answer

If you meant the steps of wudu, see how to perform wudu. The washing is counted in repetitions, not rakat: Uthman ibn Affan's demonstration washed the face and arms three times each (Sahih al-Bukhari 164).

The evidence for two rakats after wudu

The reports below, from three Companions, cover this prayer:

• Uthman ibn Affan showed how the Prophet ﷺ made wudu, then reported that whoever makes wudu like this and prays two rak'ahs without being distracted by other thoughts will have their past sins forgiven (Sahih al-Bukhari 164; Sahih Muslim 226a).
• Uqbah ibn Amir heard the Prophet ﷺ say that any Muslim who makes wudu well, then prays two rak'ahs with their heart and face set on them, will be guaranteed Paradise (Sahih Muslim 234a). Sunan Abi Dawud has the same meaning, graded sahih by al-Albani (Sunan Abi Dawud 906).
• Bilal told the Prophet ﷺ that his most hopeful deed was praying after every purification, by day or night, as much as was written for him (Sahih al-Bukhari 1149).

Bilal's report does not give a number. Egypt's Dar al-Ifta explains that his practice was two rak'ahs, which came to be known as the two rak'as of wudu, and describes it as a voluntary prayer (Dar al-Ifta, Voluntary prayers).

How to pray the two rakats

1. Finish your wudu carefully. The hadith tie the reward to wudu done well.
2. Stand facing the qibla, intending two voluntary rakats.
3. Pray them in the normal way. For the movements, see how to pray sunnah prayers.
4. Keep your attention on the prayer. Both hadith above mention this directly.

The narrations checked here do not assign particular surahs, so recite what you know.

When you should not pray them

Prayer is restricted at certain times. Uqbah ibn Amir reported three: as the sun rises, when it is at its height at midday, and as it sets (Sahih Muslim 831). Abu Sa'id al-Khudri reported that there is no prayer after Fajr until the sun rises, or after Asr until it sets (Sahih al-Bukhari 586).

Scholars differ on whether the two rakats after wudu are allowed in these times:

• Hanafi position. Darul Ifta Birmingham says it is makruh to pray any nafl after the Fajr or Asr prayer (Which salahs can't be performed at makrooh times?). It applies this even to the sunnah of greeting the mosque, which it says should not be prayed in those times (Tahiyatul Masjid at the time of Zawaal). These answers do not name the prayer after wudu, but it falls within "any nafl".
• Prayers with a prior reason. Egypt's Dar al-Ifta explains that prayers whose reason comes before them are excepted, and it names the two rak'as after ablution and the greeting of the mosque. It says these may be offered at disliked times, unlike a prayer whose reason comes after it, such as istikhara (Dar al-Ifta, Disliked prayer times).

If you follow the Hanafi school, skip the two rakats in these windows. Otherwise, follow your own school. To see when Fajr, sunrise, Dhuhr, Asr and Maghrib fall where you are, check Islamful's prayer times.

Worked examples

You make wudu mid-morning, well after sunrise. Pray two rakats if you have time. No restricted time applies.

You make wudu just before Dhuhr's iqamah. Prioritise joining the congregation. You can still have your wudu without the extra prayer.

You make wudu after praying Asr. This is where the views differ, as above. A Hanafi would leave the two rakats. Someone following the Dar al-Ifta explanation could pray them, unless the sun is setting and their school says otherwise.

Related guides

• How to perform wudu: the full steps
• Dua during wudu: what to say around it
• What breaks wudu?: when you need to renew it

Sources checked on 31 October 2026. This article explains documented positions and evidence; it is not a personal fatwa. For your own situation, follow your madhab or ask a qualified scholar.