How To Perform The Purificatory Bath (Ghusl)

TECHNICALITIES

When performing the purificatory bath, one:

1. Begins by saying, "In the name of Allah, Most Merciful and Compassionate";

2. Removes any unclean matter on the body, let them be pure or impure);

3. Performs ablution (wudhu) as one does before Solat;

4. Pours water over the head three times - and during that - the niyyat (intention) is made i.e. intending the purificatory bath, or to lift a state of major ritual impurity (janabah) or menstruation, or to be permitted to perform the prayer, and running the fingers through one's hair to saturate it;

5. Next, the person bathing then pours water over the body's right side three times, then over the left side three times, ensuring that water reaches all joints and folds, and rubbing oneself.

6. If bathing after menstruation, a woman uses some musk to eliminate the afterscent of blood by applying it to a piece of cotton and inserting it, after bathing, into the vagina as far as is obligatory (explained in point b. below) for her to wash. What is meant here is a substance that removes the traces of filth, by any means, and it is fine to use soap.


OBLIGATORY FEATURES

In the traditional Shafi'i school of the Ahlus Sunnah Wal Jama'ah, two things alone are obligatory for the validity of the purificatory bath:

a. Having the intention above when water is first applied to the parts that must be washed; and

b. To ensure that water reaches all of the hair and skin i.e. to the roots of the hair, under the nails, and the outwardly visible portion of the ear canals, though unlike ablution the sequence of washing the parts is not obligatory, even under the foreskin of the uncircumcised man, and the private parts of the non-virgin woman - defined as that part which are normally disclosed when she squats to relieve herself.

Please note that in the Hanafi scool of jurisprudence, rinsing out the mouth and nostrils is obligatory for the validity of the purificatory bath. Thus, out of Taqwa, it is religiously more precautionary for a Muslim never to omit it, and Allah knows best.


NULLIFYING ABLUTION (WUDHU) BEFORE FINISHING THE PURIFICATORY BATH

If one begins the purificatory bath while on ablution (wudhu) but nullifies it before finishing, one simply completes the bath. Nevertheless, one needs a new ablution before praying.


REMOVAL OF FILTH FROM BODY BEFORE BATHING

If there is filth (najasa) on the body, one washes it off by pouring water on it and then performs the purificatory bath, though washing oneself a single time suffices for both removing it and for the purificatory bath.


PERFORMING THE BATH FOR TWO REASONS AT ONCE

When a woman who is obliged to both lift a state of major ritual impurity (janaba) and purify after menstruation performs the purificatory bath for either of these, it suffices for both.

Whoever performs the bath one time with the intention to both lift a state of major ritual impurity and fulfill the sunnah of the Friday prayer bath has performed both, though if he only intends one, his bath counts for that one but not the other.


TIMES WHEN PURIFICATORY BATH IS SUNNAH

The purificatory bath is Sunnah:

1. For those who want to attend the Friday prayer - the bath can be performed anytime from the beginning of dawn;

2. On the two Eids - from the time for it beginning from the middle of the night;

3. On days when the sun or moon eclipse;

4. Before the Sunnat drought prayer;

5. After washing the dead; and it is also Sunnah to perform ablution (wudhu) after touching a corpse;

6. After recovering one's sanity or regaining consciousness after having lost it;

7. Before entering the state of pilgrim sanctity (ihram), when entering Makkah, for standing at Arafah, for circumambulating the Ka'abah and going between Safa and Marwa, for entering Madinah, at Al-Mash'ar Al-Haram (a place between Makkah and Mina), and for each day of stoning at Mina on the three days following Eid-ul-Adha.

The Sunnahs Of The Body

IT IS SUNNAH:

1. To trim the fingernails and toenails.

2. To clip one's moustache when it grows long. The most one should clip is enough to show the pink of the upper lip. Plucking it out or shaving it off is makruh (offensive)

3. Shaving one's beard is unlawful according to the Imams Hanafi, Maliki and Hanbali. Imam Shafi'i wrote two opinions about it, one that it is offensive - which is the minor opinion, and the other that it is unlawful to shave. It is unbelief (kufr) to turn from the sunnah in order to imitate non-Muslims when one believes their way to be superior to the sunnah. This fact is a common misconception of modern Muslim men which must be rectified, as their Imaan is at stake.

4. To remove the hair of the underarm, nostrils and pubic area.

5. To line the eyes with kuhl (an antimonic compound that one should be careful to see contains no lead), each eye an odd number of times, preferably three.

6. It is offensive to shave part of the head and leave part unshaven though merely cutting some of the hair shorter than another part is not objectionable, though a person must ensure that a "drop-slope" must not be seen e.g. in "GQ" hairstyles etc. There is no harm in shaving it all though this is not recommended except for the rites of Hajj and Umrah.

7. According to the Shafi'i school of jurisprudence, circumcision is obligatory for both men and women. For men it consists of removing the prepuce from the penis, and for women, removing the prepuce of the clitoris i.e. not the clitoris itself, as some mistakenly assert.

8. It is unlawful for men or women to dye their hair black, except when the intention is for the purpose of jihad as a show of strength to disbelievers. Plucking out grey hair is offensive. It is sunnah to dye the hair with yellow or red. It is unlawful for a woman to cut her hair to disfigure herself for mourning, though if done for the sake of beauty it is permissible as per her husband's wishes. It is sunnah for a married woman to dye all of her hands and feet with henna (a natural red plant dye). However, this is unlawful for men to do so unless it is needed e.g. to protect from sunburn.

The Shari'ah Ruling On Dogs

All creatures are the creation of Allah Ta'ala and deserve the recognition of being a creation of the Almighty. As much as Muslims detest even the sight of pigs - it is the creation of Allah Ta'ala – and because Allah has placed life into it, we cannot inflict pain nor torture the pig.

Similarly Allah created the dog from among His creation. This does not mean that we should love the dog. It is perhaps the indoctrination of the Western culture that "The dog is man’s best friend". The theory that "dogs are very dependent on human affection" is a myth - again culture and custom has helped to develop this unnatural behaviour.

Allah Ta'ala the Creator of this Universe – having created the dog would surely have known that the dog requires human affection and love to exist in this world. Rasulullah SAW thus would have advised us Muslims, to keep dogs as pets. On the contrary, we are instructed not to keep dogs as pets and ‘love’ them as exemplified by non-Muslims. Remember our life is structured and bound by the Shariah i.e. The Noble Qur'an and the beautiful example of Rasulullah SAW.

The Ahaadith below should be considered and contemplated:

Abu Talha RA reports that Rasulullah SAW said:

“Angels do not enter a house wherein there is a dog or an animate picture." (Sahih Bukhari: Hadith No. 2986)

Abdullah Ibn Abbas RA reports from Maimunah RA that once Rasulullah SAW became sad; and said that Jibril AS promised to meet him at night but did not turn up.

“By Allah what has kept him back,” said the Prophet SAW.

Then he realised a puppy was under his bed. He ordered that the puppy be removed and the area be sprinkled with water. In the afternoon when Jibril AS came, Rasulullah SAW enquired as to the delay. Jibril AS said that:

"We, the group of Angels do not enter a house wherein there is a dog or pictures."(Sahih Muslim: Hadith no.3928)

In the light of these Ahaadith and other narrations it is not permissible to keep dogs as pets. The household is deprived of the Mercy of Allah Ta'ala.

However, Jurists have stated that it is permissible to keep a dog for security purposes, farming and hunting.

It should also be noted that the saliva of a dog is Najis (impure). If it touches the clothes or body, that portion also becomes impure and must be washed with seven different portions of water, one of which must be mixed with soil.

Urine - Special Concessions

In Islam, a Muslim has to wash after passing urine.

However - health-wise, certain people do have the problem of urine dripping in drops even just after several minutes of completing urination in the toilet. At times these people experience urine coming in drops while in solat.

For such persons, the ruling in Shari'ah is that he or she would fall under the category of "Ma'zur" i.e. an (excused) person.

For solat purposes, after performing wudhu and while performing solat, the dropping of urine does not invalidate the solat or the wudhu.