Ghusl (Major Purification Bath)

Ghusl is the major ritual purification that involves washing the entire body with water. It is required to remove major ritual impurity (hadath akbar) and is a precondition for prayer, tawaf, and other specific acts of worship. Allah Most High says: "And if you are in a state of janabah, then purify yourselves" (al-Ma'idah 5:6).

Causes Requiring Ghusl: The following situations make ghusl obligatory: (1) Sexual intercourse, even if ejaculation does not occur, based on the hadith: "When the two circumcised parts meet, ghusl becomes obligatory" (Muslim); (2) Ejaculation of semen with desire, whether during sleep (nocturnal emission) or wakefulness; (3) The end of menstruation (hayd); (4) The end of postpartum bleeding (nifas); (5) Death — the deceased Muslim must be washed, though this is a communal obligation (fard kifayah) rather than a personal one; (6) Embracing Islam — a new Muslim must perform ghusl upon converting, according to the Hanbali position.

Integral (Fard) of Ghusl: The Hanbali school holds that the sole obligatory act in ghusl is to wash the entire body, including the hair and skin, once with water such that water reaches every part. The intention must accompany this washing. There is no requirement for sequence or immediacy in the Hanbali view, though both are recommended.

Recommended Acts (Sunan) of Ghusl: The complete Sunnah method of ghusl, as described in the hadith of Aisha and Maymunah (Bukhari and Muslim), includes: beginning with the basmalah and niyyah; washing the hands three times before starting; washing away any visible impurity; performing complete wudu; pouring water over the right side of the body first, then the left; running the fingers through the hair to ensure water reaches the roots; and then washing the entire body three times. Many scholars add rinsing the mouth and nose within the ghusl itself.

What is Permitted Without Ghusl: A person in the state of janabah may do acts that do not require ritual purity: eating, drinking, sleeping (after washing the hands and private parts and performing wudu, which is recommended), reciting dhikr and du'a, and reading the Quran from memory according to the majority position — though the Hanbali school traditionally prohibited reciting the Quran while in janabah, while many contemporary scholars following the evidences permit it.