What it means
وضو (vozu) is the prescribed ritual purification (tahârat) required before performing the five daily prayers. It involves washing specific parts of the body in a set order: the face, the forearms up to the elbows, wiping the head, and wiping or washing the feet. The word is borrowed from Arabic, from the root wada’a or related forms connected to cleanliness and brightness. In Persian daily speech وضو گرفتن (vozu gereftan), literally “to take wudu”, is the standard verb phrase. A related but more thorough ritual is غسل (ghosl), full-body washing required after certain states of ritual impurity.
How to use it
- قبل از نماز باید وضو بگیری. (qabl az namâz bâyad vozu begiri.) “Before prayer you have to perform ritual washing.”
- وضویم باطل شد، باید دوباره بگیرم. (vozu-yam bâtel shod, bâyad dobâre begiram.) “My wudu was invalidated, I need to do it again.”
- سرویس بهداشتی نزدیکه تا وضو بگیرم. (servis-e behdâshti nazdike tâ vozu begiram.) “The bathroom is nearby so I can do my ritual washing.”
- برای قرآن خواندن هم وضو لازم است. (barâye qor’ân khândan ham vozu lâzem ast.) “Ritual washing is also required for reciting the Quran.”
Cultural note
وضو is not merely a hygienic act but a spiritual transition that marks the boundary between ordinary daily life and the sacred space of prayer. In Shia jurisprudence as codified in Iran, the exact method of وضو differs slightly from Sunni schools, particularly in the manner of wiping the head and feet. Mosques, shrines, and religious schools (howzeh) in Iran all have dedicated وضوخانه (vozu-khâne), wudu facilities, often tiled and designed as architectural features in their own right.