What purity (taharah) means, and its two kinds
Why cleanliness matters in Islam, the two kinds of ritual purity, and why prayer without it does not count.
Taharah means being clean and pure. In Islam it means your body is free from dirt, and free from the kind of impurity that stops you from praying.
You must be pure to pray. If you pray without being pure, your prayer does not count.
123There are two kinds of purity: small purity, which you get by making wudu, and big purity, which you get by taking a full bath (ghusl). We will learn about wudu first.
| Point of comparison | Small purity (taharah sughra) | Big purity (taharah kubra) |
|---|---|---|
| How you get it | By making wudu | By taking a full bath (ghusl) |
| When you lose it | When you go to the toilet, pass wind, sleep lying down, faint, or when blood flows from your body | After a wet dream, and, for grown-ups, after intercourse and when a woman's monthly bleeding or bleeding after childbirth ends |
| What you cannot do until you get it back | Pray, or touch the Quran without a cover | Pray, touch or read the Quran, or go into the mosque |
If there is no water, or you cannot use it, tayammum takes the place of both. You will learn about it later.
Taharah means cleanliness or purity. In Islamic terminology it refers to being free from both major and minor impurity, whether that impurity is physical or ritual.
| What is said | Who said it |
|---|---|
| "Islam is pure, so adopt purity, for only the pure will enter Paradise." | The Holy Prophet ﷺ |
| "The key to Paradise is prayer, and the key to prayer is purity." | The Holy Prophet ﷺ |
| "Purity is half of faith." | The Holy Prophet ﷺ |
| Allah loves a pure worshipper who keeps to the rules of the Shariah. | The Holy Prophet ﷺ |
| "Keep your bodies clean and pure." | The Holy Prophet ﷺ |
These are a few of the many hadiths on the virtues of purity.
Purity is a condition for the validity of prayer. Without it the prayer is not valid; some scholars have gone further and said that knowingly performing prayer without purification can lead to disbelief.
123| Kind | How it is achieved |
|---|---|
| Minor purity (taharah sughra) | Wudu (ablution) |
| Major purity (taharah kubra) | Ghusl (the full ritual bath) |
| Point of comparison | Minor purity (taharah sughra) | Major purity (taharah kubra) |
|---|---|---|
| The state it removes | Minor impurity (hadath asghar): the state the body is in once wudu is broken | Major impurity (hadath akbar): the state brought on by anything that makes ghusl obligatory |
| How it is restored | Ablution (wudu); dry ablution (tayammum) when water cannot be used | The full bath (ghusl); dry ablution (tayammum) when water cannot be used |
| What makes it necessary | Anything coming out of the private parts; blood or pus flowing from the body; vomiting a mouthful; blood equal to or more than the phlegm in what is spat or coughed out; sleeping lying down or leaning on a support; fainting; insanity; intoxication; laughing aloud in prayer | The emission of semen with desire; a wet dream; sexual intercourse (this breaks wudu as well, but because it makes ghusl obligatory, and ghusl restores both kinds of purity, it belongs here); the end of menstruation (hayd); the end of postnatal bleeding (nifas) |
| Not allowed until it is restored | Any prayer, whether obligatory, voluntary, Friday, Eid or funeral; the prostrations of recitation and of thanks; touching the Quran without a cover. Tawaf of the Kaaba is strongly disliked | Prayer; prostration; tawaf of the Kaaba; touching the Quran; reciting any part of it with the intention of recitation; writing a verse; touching or wearing anything with a verse inscribed on it; entering a mosque. A woman in menstruation or postnatal bleeding may not fast either |
Anything that makes ghusl obligatory also ends minor purity, so it is listed only under major purity: ghusl restores both kinds at once, and wudu on its own would not be enough. The full lists, with their details and exceptions, are on the pages on what breaks wudu, the reasons for ghusl, and menstruation and postnatal bleeding.
The rules of wudu are explained first, in the sections that follow.
Taharah is cleanliness or purity; in the terminology of fiqh it denotes freedom from both major and minor impurity, whether physical (a najasah on the body) or ritual (a hadath).
| What is said | Who said it |
|---|---|
| "Islam is pure, so adopt purity, for only the pure will enter Paradise." | The Holy Prophet ﷺ |
| "The key to Paradise is prayer, and the key to prayer is purity." | The Holy Prophet ﷺ |
| "Purity is half of faith." | The Holy Prophet ﷺ |
| Allah loves a pure worshipper who keeps to the rules of the Shariah. | The Holy Prophet ﷺ |
| "Keep your bodies clean and pure." | The Holy Prophet ﷺ |
These are a few of the many hadiths the source text cites on the virtues of purity.
Taharah is a condition (shart) for the validity of salah; without it the prayer does not stand. The source text further notes that some scholars have held that praying knowingly without purification can amount to disbelief.
123| Kind | How it is achieved |
|---|---|
| Taharah sughra (minor purity) | Wudu |
| Taharah kubra (major purity) | Ghusl |
| Point of comparison | Taharah sughra (minor purity) | Taharah kubra (major purity) |
|---|---|---|
| The hadath it removes | Hadath asghar: the state that arises once wudu is broken | Hadath akbar: the state that arises once any cause of ghusl occurs |
| How it is restored | Wudu; tayammum where water cannot be used | Ghusl; tayammum where water cannot be used |
| What brings the hadath on | Anything exiting the private parts, habitual or not; blood or pus flowing from the body; a mouthful of vomit; blood dominant over or equal to phlegm in what is spat or coughed out; sleep lying on one side or resting on a hip with support; fainting; insanity (junun); intoxication; a loud laugh (qahqaha) in prayer | Emission of semen with desire; a wet dream; sexual intercourse (also listed by the manual among the things that break wudu; it is placed here because it brings on hadath akbar, and ghusl removes hadath asghar with it); the end of menstruation (hayd); the end of postnatal bleeding (nifas). Istihada (non-menstrual bleeding) does not oblige ghusl |
| Forbidden while it lasts | Any prayer (fard, nafl, Jumuah, Eid or janazah); sajdah tilawah and sajdah shukr; touching the Quran without a cover. Tawaf is makruh tahrimi | Prayer; prostration; tawaf; touching the Quran; reciting any part of it, even less than a verse, with the intention of recitation; writing a verse; touching or wearing an item inscribed with a verse; entering a mosque. For a woman in hayd or nifas, fasting as well |
Every cause of hadath akbar brings on hadath asghar as well, so such causes are listed only under major purity: ghusl removes both, and wudu alone would leave the major impurity standing. The full lists, their exceptions, and what remains permissible in each state are on the pages on what breaks wudu, the reasons for ghusl, and menstruation and postnatal bleeding.
The rules of wudu are treated first, before ghusl and tayammum, in the sections that follow.
This is the English translation of Nisab Ahle Khidmaat Sharia, exactly as the book has it, for the passages this page was written from. About 822 words. Switch back to Guide for the rewritten version.
Rulings of Purity (Taharah) Definition of Taharah (Purity)
Taharah means cleanliness or purity. In Islamic terminology, it refers to being free from both major and minor impurities, whether physical or ritual.
Rulings of Purity (Taharah) Virtues of Taharah
- The Holy Prophet ﷺ said, "Islam is pure, so adopt purity, for only the pure will enter Paradise."
- He ﷺ also stated, "The key to Paradise is prayer, and the key to prayer is purity."
- Another Saying of the Prophet ﷺ is that "Purity is half of faith."
- He ﷺ said that Allah loves a pure worshipper who remains in accordance with the rules of Shariah.
- He advised, "Keep your bodies clean and pure."
Rulings of Purity (Taharah) Note
There are many more virtues of purity. It is important to understand that purity is essential for prayer. Without it, prayer is not valid. In fact, some scholars have stated that knowingly performing prayer without purification can lead to disbelief.
Rulings of Purity (Taharah) Types of Taharah
There are two types of Taharah:
- Minor Purity (Taharah Sughra): This is achieved through performing wudu (ablution).
- Major Purity (Taharah Kubra): This is achieved through performing ghusl (full ritual bath).
The rules of wudu will be explained first.
Rulings of Wudu (Ablution) 14. Things that break Wudu
- Anything coming out from the private parts (whether it is a regular occurrence or not).
- Blood or pus flowing out from the body.
- Vomiting a mouthful (whether it is food, drink, or coagulated blood).
- Blood or phlegm being coughed or spit out from the mouth or nose in such a quantity that bloodbecomes dominant or equal to the phlegm.
- Lying down on one side or resting on one hip using support, causing sleep (or unconsciousness).
- Fainting (whether due to illness or shock).
- Insanity (Junun).
- Intoxication (from using intoxicating substances).
- Laughing loudly during prayer, such as in the bowing or prostration positions (this is called a loud laugh or Qahqaha).
- Engaging in sexual intercourse (meaning the genitals of two adults coming into contact with each other in such a way that no cloth or barrier exists between them).
Rulings of Wudu (Ablution) 15. Rulings related to Minor Impurity (Hadath Asghar)
- The state that arises in the body when Wudu is broken is called Hadath Asghar (minor impurity).
- In the state of Hadath Asghar:
- Prohibited (Haram):
- Performing any prayer (whether it is Nafl, Fard, Jummah, Eid, or Janazah).
- Performing prostration (Sajdah Tilawah or Sajdah Shukr).
- Touching the Quran without a cover.
- Makrooh Tahrimi (Strongly Disliked):
- Performing Tawaf (circumambulation) of the Kaaba.
- Permissible:
- Touching the Quran if it is in a cover or wrapped in a cloth not directly attached to it.
- Reciting or teaching the Quran (whether from memory or by looking).
- Giving the Quran to children or letting them touch it.
There are five Sunnahs in Ghusl 25. Reasons for Ghusl (Actions that make Ghusl necessary)
- Emission of semen with sexual desire.
- Experiencing a wet dream (i.e., ejaculation during sleep).
- Sexual intercourse.
- End of menstruation (hayd).
- End of postnatal bleeding (nifas).
There are five Sunnahs in Ghusl 26. Rules of Major Impurity (Hadath Akbar)
- When conditions that require Ghusl occur, they result in a state of major impurity (hadath akbar).
- In this state, it is forbidden to perform prayer, make prostration, perform tawaf (circumambulation) of the Kaaba, touch the Quran, recite any part of it (even less than a verse) with the intention of recitation, write any verse, touch or wear an item with Quranic verses inscribed, or enter a mosque.
- Fasting is also prohibited for women during menstruation (hayd) or postnatal bleeding (nifas).
- During menstruation and nifas, women are completely exempt from prayer and do not have to make it up later. However, they must make up missed fasts.
- A woman who teaches Quranic lessons may instruct each word separately without reciting a full verse if she is menstruating.
- Sexual intercourse is forbidden during menstruation. Touching or any physical contact between the navel and knees is disliked (makruh tahrimi) without a barrier. Other parts of the body, however, can be touched.
- It is permissible to sleep alongside a menstruating woman, use the same water or items she has used, and have her cook or prepare food.
- If a woman forgets her menstrual schedule and is unsure if a particular time is her period or a period of cleanliness, she should perform Ghusl at each prayer time and then pray.
- If a woman’s menstrual bleeding stops after a full ten days and nights, intercourse is allowed even before she performs Ghusl, though it is preferable to wait until after Ghusl.
Rulings of Impurity 58. Types of Impurity
- Legal Impurity: This refers to the state in which a person is not allowed to pray or touch the Qur'an. It is also called "Hadath" and has two types:
- Major Impurity: This is the state where a person cannot pray or touch the Qur'an without performing Ghusl (or Tayammum).
- Minor Impurity: This is the state where a person cannot pray or touch the Qur'an without performing Wudu (or Tayammum).
- Physical Impurity: This refers to physical impurities, such as feces, urine, etc. It also has two types:
- Severe Impurity: This is the impurity that is undoubtedly impure, and there is no difference of opinion among scholars about it.
- Light Impurity: This is the impurity about which there is doubt, and scholars may differ in opinion.
Terms on this page
Related
- The virtues of ablution (wudu) The rewards the hadith describe for ablution (wudu), from the eight gates of Paradise to protection from Satan.
- Why prayer matters What prayer (salah) is, why it stands before every other act of worship, what abandoning it costs, and the blessings it brings.
- Menstruation (hayd), postnatal bleeding (nifas), and the rulings of major impurity What menstruation (hayd) and postnatal bleeding (nifas) are, how long they last, what is forbidden during major impurity, and when prayer and intercourse resume.
- The conditions for prayer to be valid The six external conditions: purity of body, clothes and place, covering the body (awrah), facing the direction of the Kaaba (qibla) and the intention, with what each requires.