Question

I have heard that listening to music might break wudu. Is this true? Does hearing music invalidate wudu, or does a person remain in a state of wudu? Also, if someone hears music during salah, does that break the prayer or require repeating wudu, such as when passing through elevators or malls where music is playing?

Bottom Line

No, listening to music does not break wudu.

Quick Answer

Wudu is only broken by conditions explicitly mentioned in the Qur’an and Sunnah, such as using the bathroom, passing wind, or deep sleep. Listening to music though it has a difference of opinion among scholars regarding its permissibility, does not invalidate wudu.

Key Takeaways

• Wudu is broken by urination, defecation, passing wind, deep sleep, or loss of consciousness.
• Listening to music is not among the things that nullify wudu.
• Music itself has differing opinions among scholars, but this does not affect wudu.

Detailed Answer

The nullifiers of wudu are well-defined in Islamic law. They include bodily discharges, states that remove awareness, and, in some schools, direct contact with private parts. These are unanimously recognized in fiqh as what breaks ablution.

Listening to music does not fall under these categories. While scholars have differed on the permissibility of music itself, some allowing certain forms, others forbidding it this discussion does not impact whether one’s wudu remains valid.

The Importance of Wudu

Wudu is more than just a ritual wash it is an act of worship that prepares the believer to stand before Allah. The Qur’an commands:

“O you who believe! When you stand for prayer, wash your faces and your hands up to the elbows, wipe your heads and wash your feet up to the ankles.” Qur’an 5:6

Wudu is required before:

• Salah (prayer)
• Touching the Qur’an (mushaf)
• Tawaf around the Ka‘bah

The Prophet ﷺ also highlighted its spiritual benefits:

“When a Muslim performs wudu and washes his face, every sin that he looked at with his eyes will come out with the water… When he washes his hands, every sin they committed will come out with the water… until he emerges purified from sin.” Sahih Muslim 244

“No one among you makes wudu and does it well, then says: ‘Ashhadu an la ilaha illallahu wahdahu la sharika lahu, wa ashhadu anna Muhammadan ‘abduhu wa rasuluhu,’ except that all eight gates of Paradise are opened for him, and he may enter from whichever of them he wishes.” Sahih Muslim 234

Thus, wudu is both a condition for prayer and a means of ongoing spiritual cleansing.

What This Means for You

Listening to music does not break wudu. If you already have wudu, you may pray without repeating it.

And Allah knows best.

References

Primary Sources

Qur’an

1. Al-Ma’idah 5:6: Command of wudu.

Hadith

2. Sahih Muslim 225: Wudu is broken by what exits from the two passages.
3. Sahih Muslim 244 : Sins washed away with wudu.
4. Sahih Muslim 234 : Eight gates of Paradise opened for one who completes wudu and supplicates.

Secondary Sources

5. Al-Nawawi, Al-Majmu‘ :“Nullifiers of wudu.
6. Ibn Qudamah, Al-Mughni : Consensus on what invalidates ablution.