Some days ago, I met with an old lady in a masjid.
While talking about different things,
we started talking about the performance of Ghusl.
I was astonished to know that the old lady was not even aware of the 3 Fard of performing Ghusl.
It means she was not performing proper Ghusl from last 60 years.
I thought i should share this information with Muslims so that they can perform the Ghusl in a proper way.
Muslim men and women perform the act of Ghusl which is an Arabic word meaning of purifying oneself.
It is performed before a special ritual or to perform prayers.
It is an important act to perform for purifying oneself after sexual intercourse or sexual act,
after losing consciousness or after menstruation to be pure.
It is also performed after giving birth or death.
There is a specific way to clean and wash the body from impurities which are discussed below.
It is also important to mention here that cleanliness of body is one of the 7 Fard pre-requisites of Salah.
When do you need to perform Ghusl?
It is good to perform Ghusl before Eid prayers, before Friday prayers,
after washing a corpse, after conversion of a disbeliever to Islam and before the pilgrimage to Makkah.
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01- Ghusl is a must when you discharge, be it men or women.
It is also required after sexual intercourse.
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02- A woman should perform ghusl for getting pure after the end of menstruation and after the bleeding stops from childbirth more preferably on the 40th day.
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03- People who die require Ghusl as well if it’s from natural causes.
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04- Death from jihad doesn’t require Ghusl
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Fard of performing Ghusl: There are 3 fard parts of Ghusl.
If we miss any of these parts, our Ghusl is not valid.
01-Wash mouth with water as it should reach all the parts internally from lips to the base of the throat.
If not fasting gargle.
02-Wash inside of the nose with water.
Water should be pulled hard enough all the way to the soft part of the base of the nose.
03-Wash the body once from head to the bottom of feet.
The water must pour over the body.
Every strand (hair) and skin of the body must get wet. Even if a single strand or a small portion of skin is not washed the Ghusl will not be completed.
FIND WATER: Find water source near you, for example, well, lake, pond, tap water or rain water.
Water covering an area of 6.5 by 6.5 meters is said to be large enough to gather water.
Do not use impure water for this purpose especially water from previous wudu, Ghusl or from trees and fruits.
Discolored water or water from animals cannot be used.
When a water source is not available or there is a shortage of water or you are traveling, you can simply rub earth mud on your face and hands.
Procedure to perform GHUSL properly:
Keep intention of getting pure by heart and not required to be verbal.
–Recite “Bismillah”.
–After positioning yourself facing the water, wash your hands, the right one.
This includes your wrist and fingers till the arm.
Repeat it three times. Do the same with your left hand now.
–Using water, wash your private parts three times and remove all the impurities by rubbing your body parts.
–Cupping your right hand, fill water and take it in your mouth. Swirl it inside and then spit it.
Repeat it three times as well.
–Take water inside through nostrils using right hand. Blow it out on your left hand and repeat it three times.
–Wash your face three times.
You should wash it from hairline till chin extending to both the ears.
Men should wash their beard as well.
–Now wash your arms, first the right and then the left from above the elbow three times.
–Now pour water three times on your head such that your hair gets wet till the roots and scalp.
–Pour water on your right side of the body including the shoulders and repeat it on the left.
Now pour it over the head wetting your whole body and rubbing it with hands.
–Move to a clean platform and wash your legs right and then left till the ankles and between the toes including the sole three times.
–Dry your body with a clean towel.
You are now clean and eligible for prayers.
Ghusl is the full ablution or washing of the body that is required by Islam before its followers are able to undertake formal prayer or to hold the holy Quran.
Although there are different variations of Ghusl it is generally accepted that it takes the form of a thorough and total cleansing of the whole body.
Women often wonder if they need to perform Ghusl after they have had intercourse and the answer is that yes both Muslim men and women will need to practice Ghusl after sex.
Ghusl is usually undertaken to purify the body after certain bodily functions have occurred.
Women are advised to perform Ghusl after childbirth, post-natal bleeding and once their period has finished. They also need to practice Ghusl after intercourse.
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How to perform Ghusl after sex
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You should ideally perform Ghusl as soon as possible after intercourse.
Until you have completed this ritual purification you will not be able to attend mosque or practice any formal prayers and you will be considered unclean.
Clean tap water from your bath or shower is perfectly acceptable to use for performing Ghusl.
This means that the easiest way to do Ghusl for men and women is simply by doing it in the privacy of their own bathroom after they have had sex.
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There are two forms of ghusl:
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Acceptable form: in the sense that if a person only does ghusl in this manner, their ghusl is valid and they become purified from major impurity.
But if a person doesnt perform this kind of ghusl properly, their ghusl is not valid.
Complete and preferred form: this is the type which it is mustahabb to do but is not obligatory.
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As for the complete form, it is as follows
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1. Form the intention in the heart to purify oneself from major impurity: janaabah (impurity following sexual discharge), menses or nifaas (postpartum bleeding).
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2. Then say Bismillah and wash the hands three times, then wash any dirt from the private part.
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3. Then do wudoo’ as for prayer, a complete wudoo’.
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4. Then pour water over the head three times, and rub the hair so that the water reaches the roots of the hair.
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5. 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.
Once you have finished washing you should then leave the bathroom or the area that you have washed in and say a Ghusl dua which is a short prayer to Allah.
Your partner will also need to perform Ghusl after intercourse.
Other occasions that you may need to perform Ghusl
As well as performing Ghusl after sex,
after your period and after giving birth there are a number of instances where you could be required to perform Ghusl.
Islam recommends that it is practiced before formal Friday prayers, before the festival of Eid and before undertaking the pilgrimage of Hajj.
If you are a new convert to Islam it can be a good idea to perform Ghusl just before you undertake your formal conversion.
This is a symbolic way of way of marking your spiritual journey and purifying yourself in preparation for your new religion.
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Allah knows best
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