Introduction
Alhamdulillah unlimited; all praise is due to Allah. All thanks are for Allah. All good is in the Good Hands of Allah. All affairs shall be returned to Allah. May His Peace and Blessings be upon Habibi Muhammad, his family members, his companions and all those who follow his guided path till the Day of judgment.
This article comes in response to a Facebook question I received, on how to perform the holy bath (Ghusl). I pray that Allah bestows His Blessings on the person who asked this question. And may He grant him rewards equal to the number of people (readers) who will benefit from the answers below.
In order to perform Ghusl (holy bath), it’s important that we know why special bath must be performed in certain conditions, and when it is supposed to be taken.
Why do we need to take Ghusl?
There may be a few reasons why a Muslim is required to perform Ghusl in certain situations, but all the reasons together, when combined, are not considered when the divine reason, is taken into consideration. That divine reason is that; we perform Ghusl because it’s an instruction that was descended directly from Allah, s.w.t.
In other words, whether there are other reasons (i.e., scientific discoveries of the importance of it) or not, the above mentioned reason is sufficient, for us, Muslims, to obey and comply. If one is to search for other (logical) reasons in order to be convinced, then once they find and are convinced, they will be following their convincing and hence, not showing obedience to Allah s.w.t. Ibadah is performed with only Allah in mind as the cause of carrying out the the Ibadah.
Allah says in Surah Al-Maidah, 5:6:
وَإِن كُنتُمْ جُنُبًا فَاطَّهَّرُواIt means, “ If you are in a state of impurity, take a full bath.”
Allah s.w.t. also says in Surah Al-Nisaa, 4:43:
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لَا تَقْرَبُوا الصَّلاةَ وَأَنتُمْ سُكَارَىٰ حَتَّىٰ تَعْلَمُوا مَا تَقُولُونَ وَلا جُنُبًا إِلَّا عَابِرِي سَبِيلٍ حَتَّىٰ تَغْتَسِلُواIt means, “Believers, do not approach your prayers when you are drunk, until you understand what you say, nor when you are in a state of impurity, — except when you are on a journey — till you have bathed.”
Every matured Muslim is required to take Ghusl in one of the following situations:
When must we perform Ghusl?
A matured Muslim is required to perform Ghusl (holy bath) when he/she is in one of the following situations:
- Have released semen by any mean; either in sleep or awake.
- When two (male and female) sexual organs meet where the tip of the penis disappears completely in the vagina, even if there is no release of semen.
- A woman who has finished her menstruation period and needs to perform Solat.
- A woman who has finished her post-partum bleeding (Nifaas).
When can we optionally perform Ghusl?
In addition to the situations in which one must perform Ghusl, there are other situations, in which one is advised to perform Ghusl optionally. Such conditions are as:
- Going for Hajj/Umrah, when putting on Ihram.
- Going for Friday prayers.
- Going for Eid prayers, or any righteous gathering.
How do we perform Ghusl?
Before performing Ghusl, one should first and foremost do the following:
- Make intention (Niyyah) to take bath, in compliance with Allah and His Messenger’s teachings.
- Get water for the bath. The water must be:
- Clean (as clean as the one which can be used to take wudhu). Therefore, no soap is needed to be used while the water is been used for the purpose; and
- Rightful. Water possessed illegally can’t be used for purification.
- Perform the Ghusl. Ghusl can be performed in either of two ways:
- Simple way
- Comprehensive way
Simple way of performing Ghusl
The simple way to perform Ghusl is to rinse your mouth and nose, then wash your entire body with water. Washing your entire body with water can be by dipping yourself into deep water in one go (with intention of Ghusl).
Comprehensive way of performing Ghusl
The ‘comprehensive way’ of Ghusl is by following the following steps (with intention of Ghusl):
- One should wash their private parts and anywhere else, that is contaminated with traces of impurity (i.e. semen, etc.). If we are using bucket, we have to use only our clean hand(s) to fetch the water.
- Next, one takes wudhu, similar to the wudhu we take for solat.
- After that, one should wash their head and neck (we must ensure that the water touches our scalp).
- After that, one should wash their right side of body (shoulder to toe; front and back).
- Finally, one should wash their left side of body (shoulder to toe; front and back).
This way, one has successfully performed their Ghusl, and is set to perform solat immediately if they didn’t release urine or air during the process of performing the Ghusl, or if they didn’t touch their private parts with their palm (for males) or insert their fingers into their private parts (for females). If they did, then they should take wudhu and then go ahead for Solat.
If you find this short article useful, kindly share it with your Muslim brothers and sisters, for someone may be guided, because of your sharing. And you’ll be rewarded equally to their righteousness.
Allah knows best.
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