Answer
In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.
In this fatwa:
Muslim scholars say that though talk doesn’t nullify wudu. It is not desirable except for making dhikr or when needed such as responding to salam greetings, etc.
Sheikh `Atiyyah Saqr, the late head of Al-Azhar Fatwa Committee, states:
In principle, talking during wudu doesn’t nullify it, but it is undesirable. A Muslim should concentrate on perfecting his wudu, and not to talk except for dhikr and goodness.
The prominent Muslim scholar, Sheikh Ibrahim Gulhum, the Imam in the Egyptian Endowments Ministry, adds:
Talking during Wudu
According to the Maliki and Hanafi schools of Fiqh, a Muslim should not talk during wudu except to make dhikr or meet a need.
Wudu, in fact, is a prerequisite for the validity of some acts worship such as Prayer and circumambulation round the Kabah.
So, a Muslim should preoccupy his mind with fulfilling its requirements so as to prepare himself to stand before Allah in humbleness and consciousness.
Therefore, I advise you, dear Muslim brother/sister, not to engage your mind in idle talk during wudu. Rather, you should focus on making dhikr.
What to Say during and After Wudu?
In this context, Abu Musa Al-Ashari said: “I brought water to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) to make wudu. Then, I heard him say, ‘O Allah! Forgive my sin, may my house spacious, and bless my provision.’ I asked him, ‘O Prophet of Allah! I heard you pray Allah saying such-and-such.’ ‘Does this prayer leave anything (of good)!’ he replied.” An-Nasa’i stated this Hadith under the heading “What a Worshipper Says after Wudu”, while Ibn As-Sunni stated it under the heading “What a Worshiper Says During Wudu”. Imam An-Nawawi said: The two views are passable.
However, in his well-known book, Fiqh As-Sunnah, Sheikh Sayyed Sabiq holds a contrary view:
It is permissible to speak while performing wudu. There is nothing reported from the Sunnah that prohibits it.
Almighty Allah knows best.
Editor’s note: This fatwa is from Ask the Scholar’s archive and was originally published at an earlier date.