Ritual purification, with Sunni and Ja‘fari methods identified separately.
The Qur’anic foundation
Qur’an 5:6 gives the central purification passage, mentioning the face, arms, head and feet, major purification, and tayammum when the relevant conditions apply. Its closing explanation emphasizes purification and ease rather than placing people in difficulty. The detailed legal interpretation should be read through a named school.
A Sunni teaching guide
Muslim Hands presents a sequence that includes the hands, mouth and nose, face, arms to the elbows, wiping the head and ears, and washing the feet to the ankles. Its illustrated guide also explains intention and the opening and concluding remembrance. Some actions in such a teaching sequence are recommended rather than obligatory; their legal status and the required extent of washing or wiping vary between schools.
A Ja‘fari teaching guide
Al-Sistani’s manual describes washing the face, then the right and left arms from the elbows towards the fingertips, followed by wiping the front of the head and the feet with remaining ablution moisture. It also addresses order, continuity, obstructions and assistance for someone unable to perform an action independently. This is a named Ja‘fari ruling, not a claim that all Muslims follow the same method.
When circumstances change
Bandages, inability to use water and ongoing conditions require their own rules. Consult the applicable section of a reliable manual rather than repeating an ordinary routine when it does not fit the situation.
Read the Qur’anic references
Sources and further reading
Muslim Hands — illustrated wudu guide
Office of al-Sistani — Summary of the Rules of Worship: wudu