Ghusl

( ar, غسل ', ) is an Arabic term to the full-body ritual purification mandatory before the performance of various rituals and prayers, for any adult Muslim after sexual intercourse/ejaculation or completion of the menstrual cycle.

The washing is also recommended (i.e. it is ''mustahabb'') 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'' (Prayer of Repentance).

''Ghusl'' is often translated as "full ablution", as opposed to the "partial ablution" of ''wudu'' that Muslims perform after lesser impurities such as urination, defecation, flatulence, deep sleep, and light bleeding.

It is a ritual bath.

Types by purpose

Ghusl becomes obligatory for seven causes, and the ''ghusl'' for each of these different causes has different names:

*''Ghusl Janabat'' is ''ghusl'' performed after sexual intercourse/ejaculation.
*''Ghusl Hayd'' is following menstruation.
*''Ghusl Nifas'' is following lochia (vaginal discharge after giving birth, which can occur for up to 6 weeks after birth)
*''Ghusl Mayyit'' is ''ghusl'' performed on a dead Muslim.

In some denominations, two further categories obligate ghusl:
*''Ghusl Istihada'' is for irregular bleeding (in women).
*''Ghusl Mas-hil Mayyit'' becomes obligatory if one directly touches a dead body.
Ghusl also becomes obligatory following a vow or oath to perform it.

Water requirements

Similar to wudu, some water is permissible for use for ghusl whereas some water is not.

Ghusl requires clean, odourless water that has not been used for a previous ritual and begins with the declaration of the intention of purity and worship.

Permissible water sources include:
*Rainwater
* Well water
*Spring, sea, or river water
*Water of melting ice
*Water of a big tank or pond

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 ''faraid'' (obligatory) acts. If one of these acts is omitted, it must be returned to and completed before the remaining acts.

# Rinsing the inner mouth.
# Sniffing water and blowing it out.
#Washing the entire body.

Sunnah of Ghusl

Optional alternate method as demonstrated by the Islamic prophet, Muhammad:

# Washing both the hands up to the wrists.
# Wash the private parts and remove dirt or filth from the body (using your left hand).
# Perform wudu (ablution).
# Pour water over the head three times, and rub the hair so that the water reaches the roots of the hair.
# 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

#Start by making ''niyyah'' (intention) to perform Ghusl, say '' bismillah'' (in the name of Allah) and make the intention to cleanse yourself of impurities.
#Wash the right hand up to and including the wrist (and between the fingers) three times and make sure to clean thoroughly, then similarly for the left hand.
#Wash the private parts and remove dirt or filth from the body (using your left hand).
#Perform Wudu as if for prayer. Ensure that the mouth and nostrils are thoroughly rinsed one time. 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.
#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.
#Pour water over both shoulders three times each (starting from the right shoulder). 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 Wudu
#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.

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.

Makruh things in the act of Ghusl

Things that are makruh in ghusl.

#To perform ghusl at a place where anybody is watching you.
#Performing naked ghusl while facing towards the Kaaba.
#Talking in ghusl.
#Doing ghusl opposite to farad ghusl.
#Reciting dua other than the 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'' tartibih

"''Ghusl tartibi''" means an ordinal bath, performed in three stages.

After washing away the ''najasat'' (e.g., semen or blood) 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 (e.g., with your fingers) 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 (mustahabb, sunnat) during the ''ghusl''. These recommendable acts are five:

#Gargling three times and washing the nose three times.
#Performing the acts of wudu before the actual washing.
#Wiping the hands on the whole body to ensure that every part has been thoroughly washed.
#Combing the hair with the fingers to ensure that the water reaches the hair-roots.
#(For men) Doing istibra' (urinating) 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.Wasa'il al Shia, vol. 1, p. 482.

See also

* ''Wudu''
* Baptism, the Christian ritual bath
* Tamasha, the Mandaean full body ritual purification
* ''Mikveh'', the Jewish ritual bath
* '' Misogi'', the Shinto ritual bath

References

External links

Ghusl details from Teachings of Islam (Talim-ul-Haq)

* ttp://www.al-islam.org/laws/ghusl.html Ghusl: Obligatory Bathsbr>GHUSL (COMPLETE BATH) The University of Southern California

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Islamic terminology
Salah
Ritual purity in Islam
Salah terminology