Ghusl

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Ghusl (‫ )غسل‬is an Arabic term referring to the full ablution (ritual washing) required in Islam for
various rituals and prayers. The ablution becomes mandatory for any adult Muslim after having
sexual intercourse, any sexual discharge (e.g. of semen), [1][2] completion of the menstrual cycle,[3]
[4]
giving birth, and death by natural causes.[5]

Islam also recommends (i.e. it is mustahab) the performance of the full ablution before the
Friday[6] [7] and Eid[8] prayers, before entering the ehram, in preparation for hajj,[9] after having
lost consciousness,[9] and before formally converting to Islam. Shia Muslims also perform the
ablution before Namaz-e-tawbah.

Ghusl should not be confused with wudu, a partial ablution, that Muslims perform before salat.
Contents
[hide]

 1 Water requirements
o 1.1 Ghusl is allowed with the following water
o 1.2 Ghusl is not allowed with the following types of water
 2 The acts of Ghusl
o 2.1 Farā'id of Ghusl
o 2.2 Sunan of Ghusl
 3 Method of performance
o 3.1 Sunni school of thought [11]
o 3.2 Shia school of thought
 4 See also
 5 References
 6 External links

[edit] Water requirements

[edit] Ghusl is allowed with the following water

 Rain water
 Well water
 Spring, sea or river water
 Water of melting snow or hail
 Water of a big tank or pond

[edit] Ghusl is not allowed with the following types of water

 Unclean or impure water

 Water extracted from fruit and trees
 Water that has changed its color, taste and smell and becomes thick because something
was soaked in it
 Small quantity of water in which something unclean has fallen, eg. urine, blood, stool or
wine or some animal had died after falling into it
 Used water of Wudu or Ghusl
 Water left over after drinking by haraam animals, eg. dogs, pigs or animals of prey
 Water left by a person who has just drunk wine - this water is unclean

[edit] The acts of Ghusl

The Qur'anic mandate for Ghusl comes in the forty-third ayat of sura 4 (An-Nisa (Women)):
O ye who believe! Approach not prayers with a mind befogged, until ye can understand all that
ye say,- nor in a state of ceremonial impurity (Except when travelling on the road), until after
washing your whole body. If ye are ill, or on a journey, or one of you cometh from offices of
nature, or ye have been in contact with women, and ye find no water, then take for yourselves
clean sand or earth, and rub therewith your faces and hands. For Allah doth blot out sins and
forgive again and again.[10]

[edit] Farā'id of Ghusl

There are three fard (obligatory) acts. If one of these acts is omitted, it must be returned to and
then completion of the successive acts are to be performed.

 Rinsing the inner mouth.

 Sniffing water and blowing it out.
 To wash the entire body in such a manner that not even an area equal to a strand of hair
be left dry. If this is not done properly, then Ghusl will not be done.

[edit] Sunan of Ghusl

sunnah (Optional - practised by Muhammad according to Sunni Hadiths) acts.

 Washing both the hands up to the wrists.

 Wash the private parts and remove dirt or filth from the body.
 Perform Wudu.
 Water should be poured over the head three times so that it flows all over the body.

[edit] Method of performance

In Islam, ghusl requires the washing of the full body. There are some differences in details
between the Sunni and the Shia schools of thought.

[edit] Sunni school of thought [11]

1. Start by making niyyah (intention) to perform Ghusl and cleanse the self of impurities.
2. Wash the right hand up to and including the wrist (and between the fingers) three times,
then similarly for the left hand.
3. Wash the private parts and remove dirt or filth from the body.
4. Perform Wudu. Ensure that the mouth and nostrils are thoroughly rinsed THRICE. If
sitting on a stool or stone while bathing then the feet should also be washed when
performing Wudu. But if sitting in a muddy place, feet should not be washed at this stage.
5. Water should be poured over the head three times so that it flows all over the body.
6. Pour water over both the shoulders three times each. Hands should be passed all over the
body when water is poured so that no part of the body is left dry.
7. Move to a clean spot and wash the feet if not washed during Wudu
If, after Ghusl, one recalls that a certain portion of the body is left dry, it is not necessary to
repeat the Ghusl, but merely wash the dry portion. It is not sufficient to pass a wet hand over the
dry place. If one has forgotten to rinse the mouth or the nostrils, these too could be rinsed when
recalled after Ghusl has been performed.

The following ahadith describe how ghusl should be performed by Sunni Muslims.

A narration attributed to Aisha bint Abi Bakr reports:

When Allah's Messenger bathed because of sexual intercourse, he first washed his
“ hands; he then poured water with his right hand on his left hand and washed his
private parts. He then performed wudu as is done for prayer. He then took some
water and ran his fingers in the roots of his hair. And when he found that it had been
properly moistened, he poured three handfuls on his head and then poured water over
his body and subsequently washed his feet. [12] ”
In another hadith, ibn Abbas stated that Maimuna said that The Messenger of Allah was given a
towel (after ghusl), but he did not rub his body with it, but he did like this with water (i.e. he
shook it off). [13] In addition, ibn Abbas recorded the following hadith on the authority of his
mother's sister.

A narration attributed to Maimuna, reports:

I placed water near The Messenger of Allah to take a bath because of sexual
“ intercourse. He washed the palms of his hands twice or thrice and then put his hand
in the basin and poured water over his body then struck hand against the earth and
rubbed it with force and then performed ablution for the prayer and then poured three
handfuls of water on his head and then washed his whole body after which he moved
aside from that place and washed his feet, and then I brought a towel (so that he may
wipe his body), but he returned it. [14] ”
Similarly, Muhammad ibn Saalih al-Uthaymeen said, "Sufficient ghusl means that you rinse your
mouth and nose, then you wash your entire body with water, even if that means plunging
yourself into deep water in one go.[citation needed]

Complete ghusl means washing your private parts and anywhere else that is contaminated with
traces of impurity, then you do full wudu, then you pour water over your head three times,
making sure that it reaches the roots of the hair. Then you wash the right side of the body then
the left side."[15]

[edit] Shia school of thought

According to the Shia school there are two main methods of performing a ghusl. For both
methods one has to begin with niyyah, the intention to remove any impurities.
  Irtimasi: one has to submerge the entire body in pure water, either at once or in stages.[16]
 Tartibi: one needs to start by washing the head and neck, and then the rest of the body,
preferably the right hand/side first followed by the left hand/side. [16]

How to Perform Ghusl (Ritual Bath)

Sheikh Ahmad Kutty
Senior lecturer and Islamic scholar
Islamic Institute of Toronto, Ontario, Canada
http://www.islamonline.net/servlet/Satellite?pagename=IslamOnline-English-
Ask_Scholar/FatwaE/FatwaE&cid=1119503546948

“The proper method of ghusl (ritual bath) involves the following steps:

1. Make the niyyah (intention) to perform ghusl for purification.

2. Wash your private parts thoroughly with water.

3. Perform wudu’ (ablution) except for washing of your feet, which you can do later while
bathing the body.

4. Wash the entire body, starting with your head and the right side, followed by the left.

5. It is preferred that the whole body be washed three times. The minimum is once.

Having completed the above, you are considered eligible to perform the salah (prayer).”

(Excerpted, with slight modifications, from: www.islam.ca)

Laws and Types of Ghusl

There are seven obligatory baths:

 Bath for Janabat

 Bath for Hayz (for women only)
  Bath for Nifas (for women only)
 Bath for Istihaza (for women only)
 Bath for touching a dead body
 Bath for a dead body
 Bath which becomes obligatory on account of a vow or an oath to perform it.

Rules Regarding Janabat

351. * A person enters the state of Janabat in two ways:

 Sexual intercourse
 Discharge of semen, while sleeping or when awake, little or more, with lust or otherwise,
voluntarily or involuntarily.

352. When one cannot ascertain whether the fluid emitted from one's body is semen, urine
or something else, it will be treated as semen if it is thrown out with lust and if the body is
slackened. If all or some of these signs are not present the fluid will not be treated as
semen. In the case of illness, the fluid may not come out with sudden swiftness and the
body may not slacken; but if the emission takes place with lust, it will be treated as semen.

353. If a fluid emitted by a healthy person possesses one of the aforesaid three signs and he
does not know whether or not it also possessed other signs, and if before the emission he
was with wudhu he will content himself with that wudhu. And if he was not with wudhu, it
would be sufficient for him to perform wudhu only, and Ghusl would not be necessary.

354. It is Mustahab that a person should urinate after the seminal discharge. If he did not
urinate and an emission was seen after Ghusl, which could not been determined as semen
or something else, it would be treated as semen.

355. If a person has sexual intercourse with a woman and the male organ enters either of
the private parts of the woman up to the point of circumcision or more, both of them enter
Janabat, regardless of whether they are adults or minors and whether ejaculation takes
place or not.

356. If a person doubts whether or not his penis penetrated up to the point of circumcision,
Ghusl will not become obligatory on him.

357. If (God forbid!) a person has sexual intercourse with an animal and ejaculates, Ghusl
alone will be sufficient for him, and if he does not ejaculate and he was with wudhu at the
time of committing the unnatural act even then Ghusl will be sufficient for him. However,
if he was not with wudhu at that time, the obligatory precaution is that he should do Ghusl
and also perform wudhu. And the same orders apply if one commits sodomy.

358. If movement of seminal fluid is felt but not emitted, or if a person doubts whether or
not semen has been ejaculated, Ghusl will not be obligatory upon him.
359. A person who is unable to do Ghusl, but can perform tayammum is allowed to have
sexual intercourse with his wife even after the time for daily prayers has set in.

360. If a person observes semen on his dress and knows that it is his own, and he has not
done Ghusl on that account, he should do Ghusl, and repeat as Qadha all those prayers
about which he is certain that he offered them after the discharge of semen. However, it is
not necessary for him to repeat those prayers about which there is a probability that he
might have offered them before the discharge of semen.

Forbidden Acts for those in Janabat

361. * The following five things are Haraam for junub:

 To touch with any part of one's body the script of the holy Qur'an or the Name of
Almighty Allah in whichever language it may be. And it is better that the names of the holy
Prophet and Imams and Hazrat Fatima Zahra (peace be upon them) should also not be
touched in that condition.
 Entering Masjidul Haraam or Masjidun Nabi, even though it may be only passing from one
gate and going out of another.
 To stay or halt in all other Masjids, and similarly, on the basis of obligatory precaution, to
stay in the shrines of the holy Imams. However, there is no harm if one crosses or
traverses through a mosque, entering from one gate and exiting from another.
 To enter a mosque with an intention of lifting away something or placing something in it.
 To recite those verses of the holy Qur'an on the recitation of which performance of Sajdah
becomes obligatory. These verses occur in four surahs of the holy Qur'an:
o Surah Alif Lam Mim as-Sajdah, 32:15
o Surah Ha Mim Sajdah, 41:38
o Surah an-Najm, 53:62
o Surah al 'Alaq, 96:19

Things which are Makrooh for Junub

362. * The following nine things are Makrooh for junub:

 To eat
 To drink
But if the junub washes his or her face, hands and mouth, then eating or drinking in that
state will not be Makrooh. And if he or she washes the hands only, then unworthiness of
the acts is reduced.
 To recite more than seven verses of the holy Qur'an other than those in which obligatory
Sajdah occur.
 To touch the cover, the margin or border of the holy Qur'an or the space between its
lines, with any part of one's body.
 To keep the holy Qur'an with oneself.
 To sleep. But its would not be Makrooh to sleep if the person concerned performs wudhu
or performs tayammum instead of Ghusl on account of non-availability of water.
  To dye one's hair with henna etc
 To apply oil on one's body.
 To have sexual intercourse after Ihtelam (i.e. discharge of semen during sleep).

Ghusl for Janabat

363. * Ghusl for Janabat is obligatory for offering the daily prayers and other similar acts
of worship. However, it is not obligatory for Namaz-e-Mayyit or for sajdatus sahv
(prostrating on account of oversight) or sajdatush shukr' (prostration for thanksgiving) or
for the obligatory Sajdah upon reciting the four particular verses of the holy Qur'an. (Rule
no. 361)

364. * At the time of doing ghusl, it is not necessary to have in mind that one is performing
an obligatory Ghusl. It is sufficient if one performs the Ghusl with the intention of Qurbat,
i.e. complying with Allah's orders.

365. If a person who performs Ghusl with the niyyat of Wajib after having ascertained that
the time of Namaz had set in, comes to know after performing the bath that it was
performed before the time for prayers had set in, the bath would be correct and valid.

366. * There are two methods of performing Ghusls, both Wajib and Mustahab.

 Tartibi (Sequential)
 Irtimasi (By submerging the whole body).

Tartibi

367. * In this method, a person should first make a niyyat for Ghusl. Thereafter one should
first wash one's head and neck, and thereafter the remaining parts of one's body. It is better
that one washes the right part of the body first and then the left part.

And if a person, while standing under the water, jerks each of these parts on one's body
with an intention of performing Tartibi Ghusl, it will not be sufficient and the precaution is
that one should not content oneself with it.

And if a person washes the body before washing the head, either intentionally, or on
account of forgetfulness or because of not knowing the rule, Ghusl is void.

368. * If a person washed the body before the head it will not be necessary to repeat the
bath. What one has to do is to wash the body again and Ghusl will then be correct.

369. In order to ensure that both the parts (head, neck and remaining parts of the body)
have been washed thoroughly one should, while washing a part, also include some portion
of the other part with it.

370. After the Ghusl, if a person realises that certain parts of the body have been left out,
not knowing which, it will not be necessary to wash the head again. One will wash only
those parts of one's body which one feels had not been washed.

371. If one realises after Ghusl that one has not washed a certain part of the body it is
sufficient to wash only that part if it is the left side. However, if that part is the right side
then the recommended precaution is that after washing that part of the body one should
wash the left side again. And if the unwashed part is that of head and neck one should, after
washing that part, wash the body once again.

372. * If a person doubts before completing Ghusl whether one has washed a part on the
left or right side it will be necessary to wash that part and if one doubts about having
washed a part of the head and neck then, as an obligatory precaution, one would wash that
part and then wash the right and the left side of the body again.

Irtimasi

373. * Ghusl by way of Irtimasi is either carried out instantly or gradually. If the Ghusl of
Irtimasi is to be done at one instance, then water must reach all parts of the body at one
time. However, it is not necessary that the whole body be submerged in water from the
very beginning of Ghusl. If a part of the body is outside, and is later submerged with the
niyyat of Ghusl, it will be deemed in order.

374. If one wishes to perform Irtimasi Ghusl gradually, then it is necessary that the whole
body is out of water before Ghusl commences. Then one would submerge one's body
gradually in water with the intention of Ghusl.

375. If after performing Ghusl Irtimasi it becomes known that water has not reached some
part of the body one should repeat the Ghusl, whether the part up to which water has not
reached is determined or not.

376. If one does not have sufficient time for Tartibi, one should perform Ghusl by way of
Irtimasi.

377. * A person who has put on Ihram for Hajj and Umrah is not allowed to perform Ghusl
by way of Irtimasi. However, if one performs it forgetfully the Ghusl will be valid.

Rules About Ghusl

378. It is not necessary that the entire body of a person should be Pak before Irtimasi and
Tartibi Ghusl. So, if the body becomes Pak while diving in water or pouring water over
one's body with the intention of the Ghusl, the Ghusl will be in order.

379. If a person who entered the state of Janabat due to an unlawful act takes a bath with
warm water, the Ghusl will be valid even though one may perspire at that time. But the
recommended precaution is that such a person should do Ghusl with cold water.

380. While doing Ghusl, if a part of the body, however small, remains unwashed the Ghusl
is invalid. But, it is not obligatory to wash the inside of the ear or nose and other places
which are reckoned to be the interior of the body.

381. * If a person doubts whether a particular part of the body is to be treated as external or
internal, it should be washed.

382. If the hole pierced for an earring and other similar objects is so wide that it is
reckoned to be external, then it should be washed; otherwise it is not necessary to wash it.

383. All things which prevent water from reaching the body should be removed. If a person
does Ghusl before ensuring that such obstacles have been removed, the Ghusl will be void.

384. At the time of Ghusl, if one doubts whether there is something on one's body which
would prevent water from reaching the body, one should investigate and satisfy oneself
that the obstacle is not there.

385. While doing Ghusl, one should wash the short hair which are taken as a part of the
body. Washing of the long hair is not obligatory. However, if one makes water reach the
skin in such a way that those long hair do not become wet, the Ghusl is in order. However,
if it is not possible to make water reach the skin without washing those hair one should
wash them so that water may reach the body.

386. All the conditions for the validity of Wudhu (e.g. the water being pure and not having
been usurped) also apply to the validity of Ghusl. However, for Ghusl it is not necessary
that the body be washed downwards from the head. Moreover, it is not necessary in Tartibi
Ghusl to wash the body immediately after washing the head and the neck. There is no
harm, therefore, if there is a lapse of some time after washing one's head and neck before
washing one's body. It is not necessary that one should wash one's head, neck and body in
one instance. However, if a person is incontinent, unable to retain urine or faeces except for
such time that he could be able to offer prayers after Ghusl then he should do Ghusl at once
and offer his prayers immediately thereafter.

387. If a person uses a public bath with an intention of deferring payment to its owner,
without a prior consent of the owner, the Ghusl will be void even if the owner is later made
to agree to the arrangement.

388. If the owner of the public bath is agreeable to the Ghusl being done on credit basis,
but the person doing Ghusl intends not to pay the charges to him or to pay him from the
money acquired illegally, the Ghusl will be void.

389. If a person pays to the owner of the public bath from the funds whose Khums (1/5 of
the yearly profit see rule no. 1760) has not been paid, then such a person commits a sinful
act, but the Ghusl will be valid, though the liability for khums remains.

390. If a person hires a public bath for Ghusl, but before commencing Ghusl, he or she
carries out an extra function of making the anal part Pak with the same water of the public
bath, and if it becomes doubtful whether the owner would agree to the Ghusl being taken,
then the owner's consent must be sought before the Ghusl. Otherwise, the Ghusl will be
void.

391. * When a person is in doubt whether he or she has done Ghusl or not, such a person
must do Ghusl. However, if doubt arises in the mind after Ghusl as to whether Ghusl was
correct or not, then there is no need to do Ghusl again.

392. * If one urinates or passes wind (or does any act which would invalidate the Wudhu)
while doing the Ghusl, one does not have to abandon the Ghusl and start all over again. In
fact, one can continue with the same Ghusl till completion. However, in this situation, one
will have to do Wudhu also, as per obligatory precaution.

393. * A person who has very little time at his disposal before Qadha, should perform
Tayammum instead of Ghusl. Yet, if such a person does Ghusl under the impression that
there is sufficient time for Ghusl and offering prayers, the Ghusl will be valid, provided
that it was done with the intention of complying with the orders of Allah, even if the Ghusl
was done with a view to offering the prayers.

394. * If a person after being Junub doubts whether or not he or she did Ghusl, the prayers
already offered during that period would be deemed valid. But for the later prayers, such a
person should do the Ghusl. If any such act which would invalidate Wudhu is committed,
like urinating or passing the wind, after the prayers, then it will be necessary to do Wudhu,
and as an obligatory precaution, to repeat the prayers he had offered, if time permits.

395. A person who has more than one Ghusl to do can do one Ghusl with the niyyat of the
rest. In fact, one Ghusl with its niyyat is enough to represent all others.

396. If a verse of the holy Qur'an or Name of the Almighty Allah is written or tattooed on
the body of a person then such a person while doing Wudhu or Ghusl, will be required to
pour water on that part without touching the writing.

397. A person who does Ghusl of Janabat should not do Wudhu for the prayers. In fact one
can offer prayers without performing Wudhu after all Wajib Ghusls (except the bath for
medium istihaza) as well as after Mustahab Ghusls (see rule no. 651). In the case of
Mustahab Ghusls, however, it is better to do Wudhu as a recommended precaution.
 Some details on Ghusl

Before making Ghusl one should make Niyyah (intention) thus: - "I am performing Ghusl
so as to become Paak." Without Niyyah, there is no Thawaab (reward) although Ghusl will
be valid. Ghusl should be made in a place of total privacy and one should not face towards
the Kiblah while making Ghusl. Ghusl may be performed standing or seated, preferably
seated. Use sufficient water, don't skimp nor be wasteful. One should abstain from
speaking while performing Ghusl. It is better not to read any Kalimah or Aayah while
bathing. Be aware of these rules whilst making Ghusl.

PROCEDURE FOR PERFORMING GHUSL:

* Wash both hands up to and including wrists.

* Wash the private parts. The hands and private parts should be washed even if one is not
in the state of Janaabat or Najaasat.

* If there is Najaasat elsewhere on the body, it should now be washed off.

* Perform Wudhu (Read separate pamphlet for Wudhu according to Sunnah). If making
Ghusl on a stool or platform where water will rapidly flow away, and then perform the
complete Wudhu. If there is fear of the feet being immersed in wastewater during the
Ghusl then postpone the washing of the feet to the end of the Ghusl. Ensure that the mouth
and nostrils are thoroughly rinsed thrice.

* After performing Wudhu, pour water over the head thrice, then pour thrice over right
shoulder and thrice again over left shoulder. Now pour water over entire body and rub. If
the hair of the head is not plaited, it is compulsory to wet all the hair up to the very base. If
a single hair is left dry, Ghusl will not be valid. If the hair of a woman is plaited, she is
excused from loosening her plaited hair, but it is compulsory for her to wet the base of
each and every hair. If one fails to do this then the Ghusl will not be valid. As for men who
grow long hair and plait them, they are NOT excused from leaving their hair dry. If a
woman experiences difficulty or is unable to wet the very bottom of her plaited hair, then
it is necessary for her to unplaite her hair and wash her entire head. It is Mustahab
(preferable) to clean the body by rubbing it. All parts of the body should be rubbed with
the hand so as to ensure that water has reached all parts of the body, and that no portion is
left dry. Rings and earrings, etc. should be moved so as to ensure that no portion covered
by them is left dry. Ensure that the navel and the ears are all wetted. If they are not wet
Ghusl will be incomplete.

* On completion one should confine oneself to a clean place. If, while performing Wudhu,
the feet had been washed, it is not necessary to wash them again. Dry the body with a
clean towel, and dress as hastily as possible.

If, after Ghusl, one recalls that a certain portion of the body is left dry, it is not necessary
to repeat the Ghusl, but merely wash the dry portion. It is not sufficient to pass a wet hand
over the dry place. If one has forgotten to rinse the mouth or the nostrils, these too could
be rinsed when recalled after Ghusl has been performed.

The three Faraa'ids (compulsory acts) of Ghusl are: -

* To rinse the mouth in such a manner that water reaches the entire mouth.

* To rinse the nostrils up to the ending of the fleshy part.

* To completely wet the whole body. When one performs these Faraa'id intentionally or
unintentionally Ghusl will be valid.

There are five Sunnahs that needs to be taken care of while performing Ghusl:

* Washing hands upto the wrists.

* Washing the private parts and the parts over which uncleanliness is found:

* Niyyat of washing off Hukmi Najaasat.

* Making Wudhu before washing the body.

* Then passing water cover the whole body thrice.

Rules Whilst Making Ghusl:

* Ghusl should be made in a place of total privacy.

* One should not face the Qibla whilst making Ghusl.

* Ghusl may he performed standing or seated, preferably seated.

* Use sufficient water. Do not skimp nor be wasteful

* Abstain from speaking whilst performing Ghusl.

* It is better not to read any Kalimah or Aayah while bathing. Before performing Ghusl
one should make