Ilmwell

Islam, clearly explained.

Start with the first step and the rest follows. Every claim sourced, the four schools side by side.

Step 1: Make wudu Browse the volumes

ilm: knowledge. The word inside Ilmwell.

  1. 1Make wuduThe washing for prayer, step by step, with what each school says.
  2. 2Pray your first salahThe prayer: every position and what you say in it.
  3. 3Learn the words you sayThe everyday duas, in Arabic and plain English.In Volume IV

New Muslim? Start here Not Muslim, just curious? What is Islam?

  • Every claim sourced
  • Every hadith graded
  • All four Sunni schools, side by side
  • We explain, we never issue fatwas

Start here: wudu, salah and the basics

Guides to start with.

The first things every Muslim learns, each one sourced and checked.

Free Islamic tools

Free, with nothing to sign up for.

Each tool shows how it works out its answer, and where the schools differ it says so.

See all the tools

What people read most.

In Arabic, transliteration and plain English, with which virtues are sound and which are not.

See all the surahs See all the duas

24 Jumada al-Ula 1448 AHUmm al-Qura calendar; local moon sighting may differ by a day.

The Islamic date today

Today.

Something to read, something to say and something to think about, with a full guide behind each one.

The twelve Islamic months, and what each one holds.
  1. A verse for todayفَإِنَّ مَعَ ٱلْعُسْرِ يُسْرًا"But indeed, with hardship goes ease."Ash-Sharh 94:5. Arabic: Tanzil Project.
  2. Words for todayٱلْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِAlhamdulillahPraise be to AllahWhat it means and when to say it
  3. A question for todayWhich prophet called out to Allah from the darkness, inside the great fish?

How we source every claim

Every claim shows its working.

How we sourceWho writes IlmwellContact us

The Prophet, peace be upon him, taught that when you sneeze you say "Alhamdulillah", praise be to Allah. The one who hears you replies "Yarhamuk Allah", may Allah have mercy on you, and you answer "Yahdikumullahu wa yuslihu balakum", may Allah guide you and improve your state.

Our summary of the narration. One of the everyday moments for saying Alhamdulillah.
  1. NarrationSahih al-Bukhari 6224Book 78, Hadith 248
  2. Narrated byAbu HurairaMay Allah be pleased with him.
  3. GradingAuthenticIn Sahih al-Bukhari
  4. Not sayingA penalty for forgettingIt sets none. The reply when the sneezer stays silent comes from other narrations, not this one.
  5. Full guideAlhamdulillahIts meaning and when to say it.
  6. Checked29 October 2026Every reference opened.

The four Sunni schools side by side

Four schools on one dial.

The Hanafi, Maliki, Shafi'i and Hanbali schools often answer the same question differently. The dial shows one real example: is the intention part of wudu? It turns through all four on its own; tap a school to stop on it and read its answer and the book it comes from. None is shown as wrong.

What the four schools are See the four schools on wudu

HanafiShafi'iMalikiHanbali

Is the intention part of wudu?

HanafiSunnahSunnah: recommendedal-Marghinani, al-Hidaya, Book of Purity

Browse the eight volumes

Eight volumes, in order.

Start at the top and follow the line, one guide at a time.

  1. Volume IStart at AlifFor your first steps, or a fresh start: wudu, salah and the words you say, in order.
  2. Volume IIPrayer and PurificationWudu, ghusl and every prayer, step by step, with all four schools side by side.
  3. Volume IIIQuran and SurahsWhat each surah says, what it is about, and which virtues are sound.
  4. Volume IVDuas, Remembrance and PhrasesThe everyday duas and dhikr, in Arabic, transliteration and plain English.
  5. Volume VProphets and Islamic HistoryFrom Adam to Muhammad, peace be upon them, told from the Quran and sound hadith.
  6. Volume VIHadith and StoriesShort stories told by the Prophet, peace be upon him, each with its collection, number and grading.
  7. Volume VIIThe Unseen and the HereafterAngels, the grave, the Day, Jannah and Jahannam, kept to what the sources say.
  8. Volume VIIIRamadan and the Islamic YearFasting, suhoor and iftar, Taraweeh, the last ten nights, zakat and the Islamic calendar, one lesson at a time.

Stories the Prophet told

Point at the hand to spread it. Each story carries its collection and number; no prophet or companion is ever shown.

  1. The man who gave water to a dogSahih al-Bukhari 2363Authentic
  2. The thousand dinars and the piece of woodSahih al-Bukhari 2291In Sahih al-Bukhari
  3. The leper, the bald man and the blind manSahih al-Bukhari 3464Authentic
  4. The man who moved a thorny branch off the roadSahih al-Bukhari 2472Authentic

And 7 more in Volume VI

All the stories, with their sources

Free to read, kept going by readers

Keep the well flowing.

Every guide is free, with every source shown. If Ilmwell has helped you, you can help pay for the hosting, the source-checking tools and the time each guide takes.

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وَقُل رَّبِّ زِدْنِى عِلْمًا

"And say: My Lord! Increase me in knowledge."

Ta Ha 20:114, closing words. Arabic: Tanzil Project. English: adapted from Marmaduke Pickthall's translation (1930), modernised and checked against modern translations.

Start at Alif.

Begin at Alif

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