Can I make wudu with a cast or bandage?
Yes. Wash every part of your wudu as normal, and when you reach the cast or bandage, simply wipe over it once with a wet hand. You don't need to remove it or get the injury wet. This is called wiping over a splint (jabira), and the same works for ghusl.
Islam makes this easy
Wudu isn't meant to hurt you or slow your healing. Right after describing wudu, ghusl and tayammum, the Quran says:
The Prophet ﷺ also said, "If I order you to do something, then do of it as much as you can" (Sahih al-Bukhari 7288). You do what you're able to, and Allah accepts it.
How to do it
- Make wudu in the usual order.
- Wash every uncovered part fully, including the skin around the cast.
- When you reach the covered part, wet your hand and wipe over the cast or bandage once.
- Carry on with the rest of wudu.
The Shafi'i and Hanbali schools say to wipe over the whole cast; the Hanafi school says most of it is enough. Keep the wipe light: a damp hand, not a soaking. The wiping lasts as long as the cast or dressing stays on, with no time limit, unlike wiping over socks. See Do I have to take off my socks every time I make wudu?
When wiping isn't possible
- Open wound with no dressing: if water would harm it, wipe over it lightly if you can. If even that would harm it, the schools say to do tayammum for that part instead.
- Shafi'i addition: the Shafi'i school also asks you to do tayammum alongside the wiping in many cases, for example if the cast covers more healthy skin than needed. The other schools say wiping alone is enough.
- Ghusl: wash your whole body and wipe over the cast. Waterproof cast covers from a pharmacy help a lot in the shower.
Once the cast comes off, you go back to washing that part normally. If it comes off while you still have wudu, scholars differ on whether you just wash that part or redo wudu; redoing it is the simple, safe choice. Other things that break wudu are the usual ones. See What breaks wudu?
Follow your doctor's advice
Medical instructions come first. If your doctor or nurse says to keep a dressing completely dry, follow that, and use tayammum for that part if even a damp wipe isn't allowed. Don't take a cast off, loosen a dressing, or soak a wound just for wudu. Protecting your health is part of your religion, and a short dua can bring comfort while you heal. See What dua can I say when I'm sick?
- Wash the uncovered parts and wipe once over the cast.
- No need to remove a cast or bandage.
- If wiping would harm you, do tayammum for that part.
- Follow your doctor's instructions about keeping it dry.
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