Ghusl
Encyclopedia
Ghusl is 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
), completion of the menstrual cycle
, giving birth, and death by natural causes.
Islam also recommends (i.e. it is mustahab) the performance of the full ablution before the Friday and Eid prayers, before entering the ehram
, in preparation for hajj
, after having lost consciousness, and after 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
.
ic 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."
(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.
(Optional - practised by Muhammad(s.a.w) according to Sunni
Hadiths) acts.
and the Shia schools of thought.
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.
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). In addition, ibn Abbas recorded the following hadith on the authority of his mother's sister.
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.
Complete ghusl means washing your private parts and anywhere else that is contaminated with traces of impurity, then you do full head, 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."
Arabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
term referring to the full ablution
Ritual purification
Ritual purification is a feature of many religions. The aim of these rituals is to remove specifically defined uncleanliness prior to a particular type of activity, and especially prior to the worship of a deity...
(ritual washing) required in Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
for various rituals and prayers. The ablution becomes mandatory for any adult Muslim after having sexual intercourse
Sexual intercourse
Sexual intercourse, also known as copulation or coitus, commonly refers to the act in which a male's penis enters a female's vagina for the purposes of sexual pleasure or reproduction. The entities may be of opposite sexes, or they may be hermaphroditic, as is the case with snails...
, any sexual discharge (e.g. of semen
Semen
Semen is an organic fluid, also known as seminal fluid, that may contain spermatozoa. It is secreted by the gonads and other sexual organs of male or hermaphroditic animals and can fertilize female ova...
), completion of the menstrual cycle
Menstrual cycle
The menstrual cycle is the scientific term for the physiological changes that can occur in fertile women for the purpose of sexual reproduction. This article focuses on the human menstrual cycle....
, giving birth, and death by natural causes.
Islam also recommends (i.e. it is mustahab) the performance of the full ablution before the Friday and Eid prayers, before entering the ehram
Ehram
Ihram is, in Islam, a sacred state which a Muslim must enter in order to perform the major pilgrimage or the minor pilgrimage...
, in preparation for hajj
Hajj
The Hajj is the pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia. It is one of the largest pilgrimages in the world, and is the fifth pillar of Islam, a religious duty that must be carried out at least once in their lifetime by every able-bodied Muslim who can afford to do so...
, after having lost consciousness, and after formally converting to Islam. Shia Muslims also perform the ablution before Namaz-e-tawbah
Namaz-e-tawbah
Namaz-e-Tawbah or Salah-e-tawbah; is a Muslim prayer consisting of 4 rakah, or units.-Method of performance:In the Shia tradition, the prayer is performed as follows:...
.
Ghusl should not be confused with wudu
Wudu
Wuḍhu is the Islamic procedure for washing parts of the body using water often in preparation for formal prayers...
, a partial ablution, that Muslims perform before salat
Salat
Salah is the practice of formal prayer in Islam. Its importance for Muslims is indicated by its status as one of the Five Pillars of Sunni Islam, of the Ten Practices of the Religion of Twelver Islam and of the 7 pillars of Musta'lī Ismailis...
.
Ghusl is allowed to have the following water in it
- Rain water
- Well water
- Spring, sea or river water
- Water of melting snow or hail
- Water of a big tank or pond
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, e.g. urine, blood, stool or wine or some animal had died after falling into it
- Used water of WuduWuduWuḍhu is the Islamic procedure for washing parts of the body using water often in preparation for formal prayers...
or Ghusl - Water left over after drinking by haraamHaraamHaraam is an Arabic term meaning "forbidden", or "sacred". In Islam it is used to refer to anything that is prohibited by the word of Allah in the Qur'an or the Hadith Qudsi. Haraam is the highest status of prohibition given to anything that would result in sin when a Muslim commits it...
animals, e.g. dogs, pigs or animals of prey - Water left by a person who has just drunk alcohol - this water is unclean.
The acts of Ghusl
The Qur'anQur'an
The Quran , also transliterated Qur'an, Koran, Alcoran, Qur’ān, Coran, Kuran, and al-Qur’ān, is the central religious text of Islam, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God . It is regarded widely as the finest piece of literature in the Arabic language...
ic mandate for Ghusl comes in the forty-third ayat
Ayah
Ayah or Aayah is the Arabic word for sign or proof:"These are the Ayat of Allah, which We recite to you with truth...
of sura
Sura
A sura is a division of the Qur'an, often referred to as a chapter. The term chapter is sometimes avoided, as the suras are of unequal length; the shortest sura has only three ayat while the longest contains 286 ayat...
4 (An-Nisa
An-Nisa
Sura An-Nisa is the fourth chapter of the Qur'an, with 176 verses. It is a Medinan sura...
(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."
Farā'id of Ghusl
There are three fardFard
also is an Islamic term which denotes a religious duty. The word is also used in Persian, Turkish, and Urdu in the same meaning....
(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.
Sunnah of Ghusl
SunnahSunnah
The word literally means a clear, well trodden, busy and plain surfaced road. In the discussion of the sources of religion, Sunnah denotes the practice of Prophet Muhammad that he taught and practically instituted as a teacher of the sharī‘ah and the best exemplar...
(Optional - practised by Muhammad(s.a.w) according to Sunni
Sunni Islam
Sunni Islam is the largest branch of Islam. Sunni Muslims are referred to in Arabic as ʾAhl ūs-Sunnah wa āl-Ǧamāʿah or ʾAhl ūs-Sunnah for short; in English, they are known as Sunni Muslims, Sunnis or Sunnites....
Hadiths) acts.
- Washing both the hands up to the wrists.
- Wash the private parts and remove dirt or filth from the body.
- Perform WuduWuduWuḍhu is the Islamic procedure for washing parts of the body using water often in preparation for formal prayers...
. - Water should be poured over the head three times so that it flows all over the body.
Method of performance
In Islam, ghusl requires the washing of the full body. There are some differences in details between the SunniSunni Islam
Sunni Islam is the largest branch of Islam. Sunni Muslims are referred to in Arabic as ʾAhl ūs-Sunnah wa āl-Ǧamāʿah or ʾAhl ūs-Sunnah for short; in English, they are known as Sunni Muslims, Sunnis or Sunnites....
and the Shia schools of thought.
Sunni school of thought
- Start by making niyyahNiyyahNiyyah, Niyyah, Niyyah, (also called niyah, niyya, niyyat or niyat (Arabic: نیّة) is an Islamic concept which is the intention one evokes in his heart to do an act for the sake of Allah (God)....
(intention) to perform Ghusl and cleanse thy self of impurities. - Wash the right hand up to and including the wrist (and between the fingers) three times, then similarly for the left hand.
- Wash the private parts and remove dirt or filth from the body.
- Perform WuduWuduWuḍhu is the Islamic procedure for washing parts of the body using water often in preparation for formal prayers...
. 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 WuduWuduWuḍhu is the Islamic procedure for washing parts of the body using water often in preparation for formal prayers...
. But if sitting in a muddy place, feet should not be washed at this stage. - Water should be poured over the head three times so that it flows all over the body.
- 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.
- Move to a clean spot and wash the feet if not washed during WuduWuduWuḍhu is the Islamic procedure for washing parts of the body using water often in preparation for formal prayers...
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
Hadith
The term Hadīth is used to denote a saying or an act or tacit approval or criticism ascribed either validly or invalidly to the Islamic prophet Muhammad....
describe how ghusl should be performed by Sunni Muslims.
- Ghusl should be made in a place of total privacy
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). In addition, ibn Abbas recorded the following hadith on the authority of his mother's sister.
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.
Complete ghusl means washing your private parts and anywhere else that is contaminated with traces of impurity, then you do full head, 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."
External links
- Ritual Purity in the Qur’an, hadith and fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence) including bath of purification/ghusl
- Sahih Bukhari, Book 5: Bathing (Ghusl) Prophet performing Ghusl
- Ghusl details from Teachings of Islam (Talim-ul-Haq)
- IS YOUR GHUSL CORRECT?
- Ghusl: Obligatory Baths
- GHUSL (COMPLETE BATH) The University of Southern California