Should One Say Full Bismillah or Bismillah wal-Hamdulillah at the Start of Wudu?
Source: Fatāwā Rāshidiyyah, p. 250
❖ Question:
At the beginning of wudu, should a person say the full “Bismillah” or “Bismillah wal-Hamdulillah”?
❖ Answer:
الحمد لله، والصلاة والسلام على رسول الله، أما بعد!
① Saying Bismillah wal-Hamdulillah at the Start of Wudu
Authentic narrations indicate that at the beginning of wudu one should say:
“Bismillah wal-Hamdulillah.”
Imām al-Ṭabarānī رحمه الله narrates in al-Muʿjam al-Ṣaghīr from Abū Hurayrah رضي الله عنه that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
((يا أبا هريرة إذا توضأت فقل بسم الله والحمد لله فإن حفظتك لا تبرح تكتب لك الحسنات حتى تحدث من ذلك الوضوء))
“O Abū Hurayrah, when you perform wudu, say Bismillah wal-Hamdulillah. For as long as you remain in that state of wudu, the angels appointed over you will continue to record good deeds for you until you break that wudu.”
Al-Haythamī رحمه الله said: “Its chain is ḥasan.”
(Majmaʿ al-Zawāʾid: 1/202)
② Supplication During Wudu
During wudu, one may recite the following supplication:
((اللهم اغفر لي ذنبي ووسع لي في داري وبارك لي في رزقي))
“O Allah, forgive my sins, expand for me my home, and bless me in my provision.”
This duʿā is narrated by Imām al-Nasāʾī, al-Ḥākim, and others from Abū Mūsā al-Ashʿarī رضي الله عنه.
- Imām al-Nawawī رحمه الله authenticated it in al-Adhkār.
- Ḥāfiẓ Ibn Ḥajar رحمه الله objected to this grading in al-Adhkār, but according to many later scholars, his objection is not strong, and the narration is accepted as marfūʿ (attributed to the Prophet ﷺ).
Conclusion:At the start of wudu, one should say “Bismillah wal-Hamdulillah”, and during wudu, one may recite the supplication reported from the Prophet ﷺ.
