Ghusl: A Step-by-Step Guide

November 19, 2024

Ghusl is a ritual washing performed to attain spiritual cleanliness and physical purity. This full-body purification can become necessary for engaging in various acts of worship. The need for ghusl arises at specific times: after menstrual periods, marital intimacy, and childbirth. It is also recommended on Fridays, Eids, and before entering Mecca and Medina.

Islam emphasizes the importance of ghusl for spiritual readiness and connection with God, Glorious and Exalted is He. Sayyid Sistani writes that the intention (niyyah) behind ghusl must be clear— it is done to seek nearness to God and to fulfill His command. Thus, this act is not merely physical but is deeply intertwined with spiritual cleansing and preparation for divine worship.

How To Do Ghusl

The question of how to do ghusl can be answered in two main ways: immersive and sequential.

1. Ghusl Tartibi (Sequential Ghusl): Based on obligatory precaution, this must be done in two stages. First, wash your head and neck, ensuring that water reaches the roots of your hair. You might need to run your fingers through your hair to help with this. 

Then, wash the rest of your body. It is recommended precaution to wash the entire right side first and then the left side. As you wash each part, make sure to include a little from the surrounding parts to ensure you’ve washed each part in its entirety. 

2. Ghusl Irtimasi (Immersion Ghusl): For this type, you immerse your entire body in a large body of water, like a pool or a lake. After removing any impurities from your body and making your intention, you dive in and ensure every part of you, including under your hair, is submerged all at once.

According to Ayatollah Sistani, you don’t need to be completely free of outward impurity before starting ghusl. If your body becomes pure as you either fully submerge your body in water or pour water over yourself with the intention to perform ghusl, then it is sufficient, so long as the water remains pure in the process. 

You must wash every part of your outer body. If any part remains unwashed, your ghusl won’t count. It’s also worth mentioning that you don’t need to wash the insides of your ears or nose.

Before you begin ghusl, make sure there’s nothing on your skin, including things like adhesive bandages, heavy makeup, or dirt that could block the water. If you’re unsure whether something might be a barrier, then check and clean it off. This step ensures that water can reach every part of your body, which is necessary for a valid ghusl.

If you have any specific conditions, like incontinence, you need to manage these effectively to keep yourself pure during ghusl and for your prayers afterward. Handling these details helps maintain both your spiritual and physical cleanliness, allowing you to participate in religious activities without worrying about impurity.

These are some of the rules to follow:

1. Purity of Water: The water used for ghusl must be pure (tahur) and not mixed with impurities. If performing ghusl in a large body of water (like kurr water), the water itself purifies the body so long as it remains uncontaminated during the ritual.
2. Dealing with Doubts: If one doubts whether a part of the body has been washed or if an obstacle was removed, one must resolve this doubt by ensuring the body part is clean and free of barriers. Ignoring these doubts can jeopardize the validity of the ghusl. Of course, if one doubts about a particular part of the body after having completed ghusl, they should ignore such doubts. 
3. Special Cases: In scenarios where the water can’t reach the skin under the hair without wetting the hair, the hair must also be washed. However, if the water can reach the skin without the need to wet the hair, then washing the hair is not necessary.
4. Intention (Niyyah): Perhaps the most crucial aspect is that the intention behind the ghusl must be clear and directed towards attaining spiritual purity for the sake of God. This intention should be consciously made at the beginning of the ghusl, meaning it does not have to be vocalized.
5. Conditions After Ghusl: After performing ghusl, if one experiences a minor occurrence that requires wudu, they need not repeat the ghusl but rather can simply perform wudu. 
6. Financial Honesty: One must have permission to use the water for ghusl. That can be getting permission from the owner or using legitimate wealth to pay for the privilege of performing ghusl somewhere. 
7. Recommended acts: Before beginning ghusl, it is recommended to:
   • wash one’s arms up to the elbows three times
   • rinse one’s mouth with water three times

During ghusl, it is recommended to:

• wash each part (the head and neck, the right side, the left side) three times
• wash the right side before the left side (in sequential ghusl)
• complete the ghusl without any gaps in time between washing the different body parts
• wash from top to bottom (in sequential ghusl)
• use one’s hand to ensure water reaches each body part (as a matter of precaution)
• begin the ghusl with Bismillāhi’r-Raḥmāni’r-Raḥīm
• recite the duas (supplications) reported in hadith for ghusl:
  • During ghusl: Allahumma ṭahhir qalbī, wa taqabbal sa‘yī, wa’j‘al mā ‘indaka khayran lī. Allahumma’j‘alnī minat-tawwābīn waj‘alnī mina’l-mutaṭahharīn
    “O God, purify my heart, accept my efforts, and make what is with You better for me. O God, make me among those who repent, and make me among those who are purified.”
  • During and after ghusl: Allahumma ṭahhir qalbī, wa’shraḥ ṣadrī, wa ajri ‘alā lisānī madḥataka wa’th-thanā’a ‘alayk, Allahumma’j‘alhu lī ṭahūran wa shifā’an wa nūrā, innaka ‘alā kulli shay’in qadīr
    “O God, purify my heart, expand my chest, and let praise and glorification of You flow from my tongue. O God, make it a purification, a healing, and a light for me, for You are capable of all things.”
  • After ghusl: Subḥānakallāhumma wa bi ḥamdik, ashhadu al-lā ilāha illā ant, astaghfiruka wa atūbu ilayk, wa ashhadu anna Muḥammadan ‘abduka wa rasūluk, wa ashhadu anna ‘Aliyyan waliyyuka wa khalīfatuka ba‘da nabiyyika ‘alā khalqika wa anna awliyā’ahu khulafā’uka wa awṣiyā’ahu awṣiyā’uk

“Glory and praise be to You, O God. I bear witness that there is no god but You. I seek Your forgiveness and repent to You. And I bear witness that Muhammad is Your servant and messenger. And I bear witness that Ali is Your waliyy and khalifa after Your prophet over Your creation, and that his awliya’ are Your khalifas and awsiya’.”

When Is Ghusl Compulsory For A Woman? 

When is ghusl compulsory for a woman? There are specific circumstances under which ghusl becomes mandatory for a woman. These include after menstruation, childbirth, or engaging in marital intimacy. Each of these situations requires a woman to perform ghusl to achieve spiritual cleanliness before participating in regular prayers or entering sacred spaces.

For women, understanding how to perform ghusl after a period is important because this particular ghusl (ghusl al-hayd) becomes necessary after the end of each menstrual period. Like any other ghusl, it involves thorough washing and the intention to purify oneself for the sake of God. The process for this ghusl is similar to other types of ghusl, with the only difference being the intention set before starting the bath. 

According to many marjas, ghusl al-hayd does not suffice for performing prayer. However, Sayyid Sistani believes that ghusl al-hayd is sufficient, so one does need to make wudu in addition to ghusl al-hayd before performing prayer. Of course, based on obligatory precaution, this ruling does not apply to istihada mutawassita, as a woman should perform both ghusl and wudu in such situations. 

Here’s when ghusl al-hayd becomes necessary:

1. For Worship: You need to perform ghusl al-hayd to carry out any acts of worship that require ritual purity, like daily prayers or performing tawaf (circumambulating the Kaaba).
2. For Religious Restrictions: It’s also obligatory in situations where being in a state of ritual impurity causes restrictions. For instance, a menstruating woman or someone in a state of janaba (major ritual impurity) should not touch the script of the verses of the Quran, stay or place anything in a mosque, or even pass through the sacred mosques of Mecca and Medina.
3. During the Month of Ramadan: If your menstrual period stops before dawn during the Month of Ramadan, you must perform ghusl before the morning prayer call (adhan). If you don’t, your fast for that day won’t count, and you’ll have to make it up later.

How to do ghusl effectively involves specific steps that ensure the entire body is purified. Women with long hair don’t need to undo their braids, but they do need to make sure the water reaches the roots of their hair and the scalp. For men and women with short hair, the goal is straightforward—just ensure the entire head and hair are thoroughly wet.

Privacy is particularly important for women during ghusl, especially in communal settings like public baths or showers. It’s essential to perform this ritual in a place that guarantees privacy and respects the woman’s modesty.

The ghusl steps for ladies are the same as those for men. However, ghusl is mandatory for women after menstrual or postpartum bleeding stops. That means they may need to perform ghusl more frequently than men, who generally require it only after seminal discharge or sexual intercourse. Of course, both men and women must perform ghusl after intimacy.

Ghusl: Most Asked Questions

1. What is the ruling on doing wudu after ghusl? According to Sayyid Sistani, the need for wudu after ghusl depends on the type of ghusl performed. If the ghusl is mandatory, like ghusl al-janaba, or a firmly established recommended act, then it replaces wudu, except in the case of istihada mutawassita, based on obligatory precaution. Meanwhile, if the ghusl is recommended but not firmly established, then wudu is still necessary before prayer and touching the text of the Quran. 

The firmly established recommended ghusls are: 

• Friday prayer
• The nights of the the 1st, 17th, 19th, 21st, 23rd, and 24th of the month of Ramadan
• Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha (Eid al-Qurban)
• The 8th and 9th of Dhu al-Hijjah
• Touching a dead body after ghusl has been given to it
• For ihram (in Hajj)
• Entering the sacred precinct (haram) of Mecca, entering Mecca, visiting the Kaaba, entering the Kaaba
• Slaughtering a camel (nahr) and slaughtering an animal (dhibh)
• Shaving one’s head (halq) for Hajj or Umra
• Entering the sacred precinct (haram) of Medina and entering Medina
• Bidding farewell to the pure grave of the Prophet (pbuh&hp)
• Mutual imprecation (mubahala) with an opponent
• The prayer (salat) of istikhara (seeking the best from God)
• The prayer (salat) for seeking rain (istisqa’)

2. What are the different types of obligatory ghusl? There are several types of ghusl for various situations: ghusl al-janaba (after sexual impurity), ghusl al-hayd (after menstruation), ghusl al-istihada (for irregular bleeding), ghusl al-mayyit (for touching a dead body), among others. 
3. What deeds require us to be in a state of purity from janaba? 
   • Any salah except for salat al-jana’iz
   • Tawaf (circumabulating the Kaaba)
   • Fasting
   • Touching the script of the Quran or God’s name
   • Entering a mosque
   • Placing something in a mosque even if you are just passing through, based on obligatory precaution
   • Passing through Masjid al-Haram and Masjid al-Nabiyy (pbuh&hp)
   • Entering or placing something in the shrines of the Infallibles, based on obligatory precaution
4. How do I perform ghusl correctly? To perform ghusl, start with the intention of purification, then wash your entire body, ensuring that water reaches every part. Start with the head and the neck, then wash the body. The water must reach all areas, including under the hair and skin folds.
5. Can I perform ghusl while fasting? Yes, performing ghusl does not invalidate the fast. 
6. What should I do if I doubt whether my ghusl was correct? If you have doubts after completing your ghusl, and you generally remember performing it correctly, you should ignore these doubts. However, if you clearly remember missing a part of the ghusl, you must perform it again to ensure it meets the requirements for purification. If the part that was not washed is on the body (and not the head or neck), one simply needs to wash that part and does not need to repeat the entire ghusl. 

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