What ghusl is, and when it is required
The definition of ghusl, the occasions it is fard, wajib, sunnah or mustahabb, the conditions for it to count, and its three obligations.
Ghusl is washing your whole body with water, called ghusl. You wash from the top of your head to the bottom of your feet, so that water touches every part of the outside of your body.
Ghusl is fard (you must do it) after these things
- Semen leaves the body with desire, while awake.
- You have a wet dream while asleep.
- A husband and wife have had intercourse.
- A woman's monthly bleeding (menstruation) finishes.
- A woman's bleeding after having a baby finishes.
Ghusl is also sunnah on Friday, on the two Eid days, when starting Ihram for Hajj or Umrah, and on the Day of Arafah for someone doing Hajj. It is mustahabb (a good extra thing to do) on some other special nights and occasions, such as the night of Laylat al-Qadr, when wearing new clothes, or when coming back from a journey.
The three things you must do for ghusl to count
- Rinse your mouth so water reaches all of it.
- Put water inside your nose.
- Pour water over your entire body, once.
Ghusl is washing the entire body, from head to toe, so that water reaches every external part that can be washed without difficulty, in order to remove major ritual impurity (hadath akbar).
| Level | Occasions |
|---|---|
| Fard | Ejaculation with desire; a wet dream; sexual intercourse; the end of menstruation; the end of postnatal bleeding. |
| Fard kifayah | Giving ghusl to a deceased Muslim, a duty on the Muslim community as a whole. |
| Wajib | For someone who becomes Muslim while already in a state that requires ghusl. |
| Sunnah | Friday (Jumu'ah); Eid al-Fitr; Eid al-Adha; entering Ihram for Hajj or Umrah; the Day of Arafah, for someone performing Hajj. |
| Mustahabb | The night of Shab-e-Barat; the night of Laylat al-Qadr; the night of Arafah, and during solar and lunar eclipses; wearing new clothes; returning from travel; entering Makkah al-Mukarramah; before the Tawaf of Ziyarat; entering Madinah al-Munawwarah out of respect for the Prophet ﷺ; and when praying for rain (Istisqa). |
Water must reach every external part of the body. If even a small part remains dry, the ghusl is not correct.
There must be nothing on the body that stops water from reaching it.
The reason that made ghusl obligatory must not still be present during the ghusl itself, for example, if bleeding has not actually stopped, a ghusl performed before it stops does not count.
There are three obligatory (fard) actions in ghusl. Everything else in the method (washing the hands, doing wudu, pouring three times) is sunnah or recommended, described in the how-to method.
The three obligations of ghusl
- Rinsing the mouth thoroughly, so water reaches every part of it.Drinking water so that it fills the mouth also fulfils this. Anything stuck between the teeth that blocks the water must be removed, as long as removing it does not cause harm.
- Taking water into the nose, so it reaches both nostrils where the soft part of the nose is.Any dried mucus blocking the way must be cleared first.
- Pouring water over the entire body, once, from head to toe.This includes wetting the hair from root to tip; washing the beard, moustache and the skin underneath even where the hair is thick; washing inside the ears and nostrils and through any piercings in them; moving a tight ring, tight earrings or a tight nose ring so water reaches beneath; removing dirt (such as dried dough) from the forehead or nails; and, for a man who is not circumcised, pouring water under the foreskin unless this causes harm.
Ghusl is the washing of the entire body from head to toe, so that water reaches every part of the exterior of the body that can be washed without difficulty, for the removal of hadath akbar (major ritual impurity).
| Level | Occasions |
|---|---|
| Fard | Ejaculation with desire; a wet dream (ihtilam); sexual intercourse; the end of menstruation (hayd); the end of postnatal bleeding (nifas). Each of these conditions is explained in full under the reasons for ghusl. |
| Fard kifayah | Giving ghusl to a deceased Muslim is a collective obligation on the living Muslims. |
| Wajib | Ghusl is wajib for a person who accepts Islam while already in a state that would require ghusl. |
| Sunnah | Friday (Jumu'ah); Eid al-Fitr; Eid al-Adha; entering Ihram for Hajj or Umrah; the Day of Arafah for one performing Hajj. |
| Mustahabb | The night of Shab-e-Barat; the night of Laylat al-Qadr; the night of Arafah, and during solar and lunar eclipses; wearing new clothes; returning from a journey; entering Makkah al-Mukarramah; before the Tawaf of Ziyarat; entering Madinah al-Munawwarah in respect for the Prophet ﷺ; and when praying for rain (Istisqa). |
The document lists 'the night of Arafah, during the solar and lunar eclipses' as a single item; it is reproduced here as printed. See the review notes for this ambiguity.
Three conditions govern the correctness (sihhah) of ghusl:
Water must reach every external part of the body; if even a small part remains dry, the ghusl is not correct.
There must be no obstruction (haʾil) on the body preventing water from reaching it.
The cause that made ghusl obligatory must not still be present during the performance of the ghusl itself.
Ghusl has three fard obligations; every other act in the received method (washing the hands, rinsing najasah from the body, performing wudu, and pouring water three times) is sunnah or mustahabb, and is set out separately in the how-to method and the sunnahs of ghusl.
The three obligations, with their explanation
- Rinsing the mouth (madmadah), such that water reaches every part of it.Drinking water to the point that it fills the mouth also discharges this obligation. Anything lodged between the teeth or in the gaps that would block the water must be removed, provided removal does not cause harm.
- Taking water into the nose (istinshaq), reaching both nostrils at the soft part of the nose.Dried mucus obstructing the passage must first be cleared.
- Pouring water over the entire body once, from head to toe.This obligation covers: wetting the hair from root to tip; washing the beard, moustache and the skin beneath them even where the hair is thick and the skin is not visible; washing inside the ears and nostrils, and through any piercings there, with water passed into them; moving or removing a tight ring, tight earrings or a tight nose ring so water reaches the skin beneath; removing matter such as dried dough from the forehead or under the nails so water can reach it; and, for an uncircumcised man, pouring water beneath the foreskin, unless doing so would cause harm, in which case it is not required.
Terms on this page
Related
- How to make ghusl, step by step The full sunnah method of ghusl in order, from washing the hands to the final pouring, with the notes that make it valid.
- The four obligatory acts (fard) of wudu The four fard acts of wudu explained in full: the face, the arms, wiping the head, and the feet.
- The conditions for wudu to be valid What must be true for wudu to count: water reaching every part, no barrier on the skin, and the exception for a chronic excuse.
- The sunnahs, preferred acts and disliked acts of ghusl The five sunnahs of ghusl, the acts that are mustahabb, and the acts that are makruh while bathing.