Ghusl


Ghusl is an Arabic term referring to the full-body ritual purification mandatory before the performance of various rituals and prayers, for any adult Muslim after having sexual intercourse, ejaculation or completion of the menstrual cycle. However, wudu or just sleep, without either, are acceptable prior to performing ghusl.
The washing is also recommended but not required before Jumu'ah and Eid prayers, before entering the ihram in preparation for Hajj, after having lost consciousness and after formally converting. Sunni Muslims also perform the ablution before Namaz-e-tawbah.
Ghusl is often translated as "full ablution", as opposed to the "partial ablution" of wudu وضوء that Muslims perform after lesser impurities such as urination, defecation, flatulence, deep sleep, and light bleeding.
It is a ritual bath.

Types of ''ghusl'' by purpose

Ghusl becomes obligatory for seven causes, and the ghusl for each of these different causes has different names:
In some denominations, two further categories obligate ghusl:
Similar to wudu, some water is permissible for use for ghusl whereas some water is not. Permissible water sources include:
Ghusl is not allowed with unclean or impure water or water extracted from fruit and trees.

The acts of ghusl

The Quranic mandate for ghusl comes in surah an-Nisa:
The phrase translated as 'intercourse' in this verse has been interpreted by Hanafi scholars to mean sexual contact, while Shafi'i scholars interpret it to mean both physical and sexual contact. Hence, the Hanafi school of thought does not require one to take wudu if there is non-sexual contact with a member of the opposite sex, while the Shafi'i school of thought does require wudu before salah and so on.

Farā'id of Ghusl (Hanafi Guidelines)

There are three fard acts. If one of these acts is omitted, it must be returned to and completed before the remaining acts.
  1. Rinsing the inner mouth.
  2. Sniffing water and blowing it out.
  3. Washing the entire body.

    Sunnah of Ghusl

Optional alternate method as demonstrated by the Islamic Prophet Muhammad :
  1. Washing both the hands up to the wrists.
  2. Wash the private parts with the left hand and remove dirt or filth from the body.
  3. Perform wudu.
  4. Pour water over the head three times, and rub the hair so that the water reaches the roots of the hair.
  5. Then wash the body, making sure that the water reaches all parts, starting with the right side of the body and then the left and rubbing it with the hands so that the water reaches the entire body.
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.

Sunni school of thought

  1. Start by making niyyah to perform Ghusl, say bismillah and cleanse yourself of impurities.
  2. Wash the right hand up to and including the wrist three times, then similarly for the left hand.
  3. Wash the private parts and remove dirt or filth from the body.
  4. Perform Wudu as if for prayer. Ensure that the mouth and nostrils are thoroughly rinsed three times. 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, ensuring that the roots of hairs and parts not easily reached by water such as the back of the knees are washed thoroughly.
  6. Pour water over the both 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
  8. As at the end of Wudu, it is recommended to recite the Shahada.
“Ash-hadu-Allah-illaha-illahahu wa-ash-hadu ann-muhamaddan ab-duhu wa rasuluhu”
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 hadith describes 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 Muhammad was given a towel after ghusl, but he shook off the water instead of rubbing his body with it. In addition, Ibn Abbas recorded the following hadith on the authority of his mother's sister.

https://www.muslimgoogle.com/2020/06/how-to-perform-ghusl.html Makruh things in the act of Ghusl

Things that are makruh in ghusl.
1) To perform ghusl at a place where anybody is watching you.
2) Performing naked ghusl while facing towards .
3) Talking in ghusl.
4) Doing ghusl opposite to farad ghusl.
5) Reciting Dua other than Bismillah.

Shia school of thought

There are two methods of performing ghusl. One is known as ghusl tartibi, and the other is known as ghusl irtimasi.

''Ghusl'' tartibi

"Ghusl tartibi" means an ordinal bath, performed in three stages.
After washing away the najasat from the body and after niyyat, the body has to be washed in three stages: head down to the neck; then the right side of the body from the shoulder down to the foot; then the left side of the body.
Each part should be washed thoroughly in such a way that the water reaches the skin. Special care should be taken while washing the head; the hair should be combed so that water reaches the hair-roots. While washing the right side of the body, some part of the left side must be washed too, and vice versa.

''Ghusl'' irtimasi

"Ghusl irtimasi" means a bath involving immersion of the whole body in the water. It can only be done in a body of water, e.g., a pool, river, lake or sea. After washing away the semen or blood from the body and after niyyat, the whole body should be completely immersed in the water all at once, not gradually. One has to make sure that the water reaches all parts of the body, including hair and the skin under it.
Ghusl tartibi is preferred over ghusl irtimasi.

Recommendable acts of ''ghusl''

What has been mentioned above are the wajib acts of ghusl; there are things which are recommendable during the ghusl. These recommendable acts are five:
  1. Gargling three times and washing the nose three times.
  2. Performing the acts of wudu before the actual washing
  3. Wiping the hands on the whole body to ensure that every part has been thoroughly washed.
  4. Combing the hair with the fingers to ensure that the water reaches the hair-roots.
  5. Doing istibra' before ghusl janabat. If a liquid comes out of a man's penis after completing the ghusl, and he doubts whether it is semen or urine, he does not need to repeat the ghusl as long as he also urinated before the ghusl. If he did not urinate before the ghusl, then he must repeat the process. This rule of istibra' applies only to men.