Islamic Manual

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.

This is the full way the Prophet ﷺ used to make ghusl. It has the three fard things inside it, plus the sunnahs, all in the right order.

The order of the sunnah ghusl, in eight stagesEight numbered panels showing schematic figures: washing both hands three times, washing the private parts and removing impurity, performing wudu with a thorough mouth and nose rinse, wetting the hair, pouring water over the head three times, pouring over the right shoulder, pouring over the left shoulder while rubbing the whole body so water reaches everywhere, and finally washing the feet.1×3Both hands, thrice2Wash the private parts3Wudu, rinsing mouth and nose4Wet the hair5Pour over the head, thrice6Pour over the right shoulder7Left shoulder, whole body8Wash the feet
The order to follow.

Make ghusl like this

  1. Make the intention in your heart: "I am bathing to purify myself."
  2. Quietly say Bismillāhi'r-Raḥmāni'r-Raḥīm in your heart.
  3. Wash both hands up to the wrists, three times.
  4. Wash your private parts and clean off any impurity from your body.
  5. Do wudu like you do for prayer: rinse your mouth well and put water in your nose.
  6. Wet your hair, then pour water over your head, then your right shoulder, then your left shoulder, so your whole body gets wet.
  7. Rub your whole body with your hands so the water reaches everywhere.
  8. Pour water over your head and shoulders two more times, so you have done it three times in total.
Say this quietly at the start of ghusl

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ

Bismillāhi'r-Raḥmāni'r-Raḥīm

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

This is the complete sunnah method of ghusl: it contains the three fard obligations together with the sunnah acts, performed in the order the Prophet ﷺ followed.

The order of the sunnah ghusl, in eight stagesEight numbered panels showing schematic figures: washing both hands three times, washing the private parts and removing impurity, performing wudu with a thorough mouth and nose rinse, wetting the hair, pouring water over the head three times, pouring over the right shoulder, pouring over the left shoulder while rubbing the whole body so water reaches everywhere, and finally washing the feet.1×3Both hands, thrice2Wash the private parts3Wudu, rinsing mouth and nose4Wet the hair5Pour over the head, thrice6Pour over the right shoulder7Left shoulder, whole body8Wash the feet

The sunnah method

  1. Make the intention: "I am bathing to purify myself," and quietly say Bismillāhi'r-Raḥmāni'r-Raḥīm.
  2. Wash both hands up to the wrists, three times.
  3. Wash the private parts and remove any impurity from the body, even if none is visible.
  4. Wash any part of the body where impurity might be present, and rub the hands well with clay or soap and rinse them.
  5. Perform wudu as for prayer, rinsing the mouth thoroughly and taking water into the nose. If water pools on the floor where you are bathing, you may leave washing the feet until after ghusl is finished.
  6. Wet the hair on the head, then pour water over the head three times, making sure the water reaches the roots.
  7. Pour water over the right shoulder, then the left, so the whole body is drenched and water runs off it.
  8. Rub the entire body with the hands so every area is wet.
  9. Pour water over the whole body in this way two more times, so that water has reached everywhere a total of three times; this completes the sunnah. If the feet were left unwashed, move to a clean spot and wash them now, then dry the body with a clean cloth.
Said quietly at the start of ghusl

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ

Bismillāhi'r-Raḥmāni'r-Raḥīm

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

The method below is the received sunnah method of ghusl: it carries the three farāʾiḍ within it, together with the sunan, performed in their transmitted order.

The order of the sunnah ghusl, in eight stagesEight numbered panels showing schematic figures: washing both hands three times, washing the private parts and removing impurity, performing wudu with a thorough mouth and nose rinse, wetting the hair, pouring water over the head three times, pouring over the right shoulder, pouring over the left shoulder while rubbing the whole body so water reaches everywhere, and finally washing the feet.1×3Both hands, thrice2Wash the private parts3Wudu, rinsing mouth and nose4Wet the hair5Pour over the head, thrice6Pour over the right shoulder7Left shoulder, whole body8Wash the feet

The received method

  1. Form the niyyah, 'I am bathing to purify myself,' and recite Bismillāhi'r-Raḥmāni'r-Raḥīm silently.
  2. Wash both hands to the wrists, three times.
  3. Wash the private parts and remove any najāsah from the body, even where none is apparent.
  4. Wash any part of the body where najāsah might be present; rub the hands with clay or soap and rinse them.
  5. Perform wuḍūʾ as for prayer, with thorough madmaḍah and istinshāq. Where water pools underfoot, washing the feet may be deferred to the end of ghusl.
  6. Wet the hair of the head, then pour water over the head three times, ensuring it reaches the roots.
  7. Pour water over the right shoulder, then the left, drenching the whole body until water runs from it.
  8. Rub the entire body with the hands so that every area is wet.
  9. Repeat the pouring over the whole body twice more, so water has reached the entire body three times in all; this is the sunnah in full. If the feet were left, move to a clean place, wash them, and dry the body with a clean cloth.
Sunnahthe Prophet’s way

Ghusl is valid even without a discrete wuḍūʾ performed within it, so long as the three fard obligations (madmaḍah, istinshāq and washing the whole body) are actually fulfilled. Where a person performs wuḍūʾ and then pours water over the body, the madmaḍah and istinshāq of that wuḍūʾ already discharge the first two obligations of ghusl.

Recited silently at the start of ghusl

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ

Bismillāhi'r-Raḥmāni'r-Raḥīm

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

Terms on this page

ghusl

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