The first complete washing of each obligatory washing area fulfills the fard. The second and third washings complete the sunnah manner, provided each is an actual washing.
Washing once properly fulfills the core obligation; repeating the washing to three is a distinct sunnah. The Arabic phrase refers to washing, not to repeating the head-wipe three times.
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Sunnahs of Wudu and Their Juristic Rulings
The first complete washing of each obligatory washing area fulfills the fard. The second and third washings complete the sunnah manner, provided each is an actual washing.
Washing once properly fulfills the core obligation; repeating the washing to three is a distinct sunnah. The Arabic phrase refers to washing, not to repeating the head-wipe three times.