Ritual Bath and Ablution (Ghusl and Wudu) in Islam
It is obligatory to perform a full-body purification ritual, Ghusl and ablution or wudu (wudhu), before
prayers and any other rituals such reading Quran, tawaf, etc. The ritual bath,
or ghusl and ablution/wudu, are an important aspect of Islamic hygiene and spiritual
purification. It is required for a variety of circumstances.
Content
- The Things that Make a Ritual Bath Compulsory
- The Compulsory Acts of Ritual Bath
- The Conditions of Wuḍūʾ are Ten
- The Factors that Nullify the Wudu
- Commentary on Ghusl and Wudu
-
Back to Islamic Sharia: Law and Theology
The Things that Make a Ritual Bath Compulsory
(فصل ) موجبات الغسل ستة: إيلاج الحشفة في الفرج ، وخروج المنى والحيض والنفاس
والولادة والموت .
Chapter The Things Make a Ritual Bath Compulsory are Six:
1.
Insertion the head of the penis into the vagina.20
2. Discharge of
semen.21
3. Menstruation.22
4. Postnatal bleeding.23
5.
Childbirth.24
6. Death.25
The Compulsory Acts of Ritual Bath
(فصل ) فروض الغسل اثنان : النية ، وتعميم البدن بالماء .
Chapter
The Compulsory Acts of a Ritual Bath are Two:
1.
Intention.26
2. To ensure that water reaches the entire body.27
The Conditions of Wuḍūʾ are Ten 28
(فصل ) شروط الوضوء عشرة : الإسلام ، والتمييز ، والنقاء ، عن الحيض ، والنفاس
، وعما يمنع وصول الماء إلى البشرة ، وأن لا يكون على العضو ما يغير الماء
الطهور ، ودخول الوقت ، والموالاة لدائم الحدث.
Chapter
The Conditions of Wuḍūʾ are Ten
1. Islām .
2.
The age of understanding.29
3. Cleanliness from menstruation and
postnatal bleeding.
4. Being free from that which prevents the water
from reaching the skin.
5. Nothing should be upon the limb that will
change the (qualities of the) water.
6. Knowledge of it (wuḍūʾ) being
obligatory.
7. Not to assume the farḍ (obligatory) acts as sunnah
(recommended).30
8. Pure water.
9. Entering of the time (of
ṣalāh).31
10. Continuity, for a person who constantly remains in
the state of impurity.
The Factors that Nullify the Wudu
(فصل ) نوا قض الوضوء أربعة أشياء : (الأول) الخارج من أحد السبيلين من قبل أو
دبر ريح أو غيره إلا المنى ، (الثاني ) زوال العقل بنوم أو غيره إلا نوم قاعد ،
ممكن مقعده من الأرض ، (الثالث) التقاء بشرتي رجل وامرأة كبيرين من غير حائل ،
(الرابع ) مس قبل الآدمي أو حلقة دبره ببطن الراحة أو بطون الأصابع .
Chapter
The Factors that Nullify the Wuḍūʾ are Four:
1.
Anything that exits from either the front or the rear private parts, whether
wind or anything else,32 except semen.33
2. Loss of intellect34 through
sleep or other causes,35 except sleep while firmly seated on the ground.
3.
Skin-to-skin contact between an adult,36 non-mahram(marriageable), male and
female without any barrier.37
4. Touching the private parts of a human
with the palm or inner surface of the fingers.38
Commentary
19 Even though none of the water 's characteristics (i.e. taste, colour or smell) have changed.
20 Insertion of the head of the penis into the front or back private part of a male or female human, or animal, adult or minor, living or dead, will necessitate a ritual bath.
21 Male sperm and female sexual fluid are recognized by the fact that they (1) come in spurts by contractions, (2) with sexual gratification and (3) when moist, smell like bread dough, and when dry, like egg-white.
22 Periodic discharge of blood from the vagina.
23 Blood discharged after giving birth.
24 Ritual bath becomes wajib even in the case of dry birth or miscarriage.
25 It is wajib to give a bath to a Muslim who is non-martyr. It is not wajib to give a bath to a disbeliever, though it is permissible. It is haram to give a bath and to offer alah upon a martyr.
26 The intention is of removing hadath or janabah (major ritual impurity) or removing the impurity of haid (menstruation). One bath will suffice with the intention of removing both major ritual impurity and the sunnah of the Friday prayer, though if only one intention is made, the bath counts for that one but not the other.
27 The water reaches all of the hair and skin, to the roots of the hair, under the nails and the outwardly visible portion of the ear canals, including the area under the foreskin of an uncircumcized man, and the private part of a non-virgin woman which is normally exposed when she squats to relieve herself.
28 The conditions for the validity of wud11', these conditions are also applied for a ritual bath.
29 A child reaches the stage of mumayyiz (discerning) when he can eat, drink and clean himself after using the toilet unassisted.
30 For the general public, it is suffice to know some of its acts are fard and some are sunnah.
31 Wudu ' or a ritual bath should be performed after the entering of the alahs' time for fard alah or at a particular time for sunnah alah (e.g. dhuha).
32 Or anything else whether common or uncommon such as a worm or stone but not man/ (semen).
33 An example of this being someone firmly seated who sleeps and has a wet dream, or someone who looks at something lustfully and sperm or sexual fluid are emitted.
34 Meaning the loss of the ability to distinguish.
35 Or other causes like insanity, drunkenness etc. excludes drowsing and daydreaming, which do not break wudu ' . Among the signs of drowsing is that one can hear the words of those present, even though without comprehension.
36 Adult means the age that usually stirs up sexual desire in a person. Wudu ' will not break if this is only found in one of the two.
37 The wudu ' will break even if they touch without sexual desire, or unintentionally, and even if be with the tongue or a malfunctional surplus limb. Touching does not include contact with teeth, nails, hair or a severed limb. Wudu ' is also broken by touching an aged person or a corpse of the opposite sex.