Do I need wudu after ghusl?

What the Prophet ﷺ did

Aisha described his ghusl after janabah: he began by washing his hands, then made wudu like the wudu for prayer, then ran his wet fingers through the roots of his hair, poured three handfuls of water over his head and finally poured water over his whole body (Sahih al-Bukhari 248). So wudu is part of the sunnah way of ghusl, done at the start.

Aisha also said: "The Prophet would not perform wudu after the ghusl" (Jami at-Tirmidhi 107). The two reports fit together: the wudu comes inside the ghusl, so there is nothing more to add at the end. The full steps are covered separately. See How do I do ghusl?

What if I skipped the wudu part?

If you did a simple ghusl, such as a shower in which water reached your whole body, with the right intention, but you did not make the wudu steps first, the majority of scholars say it is still enough. A full-body washing removes the minor impurity as well as the major one, so you can pray without extra wudu. A casual shower without intention is different. See Does a shower count as wudu?

If you want to follow the sunnah fully, add the wudu steps at the start, and leave your feet for the end if you are standing in water.

What can still break your wudu after ghusl

Ghusl does not make you immune for the rest of the day. After you finish, the usual things that break wudu can still happen:

• Using the toilet or passing wind.
• Deep sleep.
• Anything else listed as breaking wudu in your school.

Most scholars (the Shafi'i and Hanbali schools, and the Maliki school with conditions) also say that touching the private parts directly with the inside of your hand breaks wudu. This is why some people from those schools make wudu again after ghusl if they touched themselves while washing. The Hanafis say touching does not break wudu. See What breaks wudu?

When ghusl is required

Ghusl itself is required after intercourse or at the end of a period, among other things. See When is ghusl required?