Some Issues Regarding Ghusl
Q. Which Baths are Sunnah, and what are their names?
A. These are four, namely:
- Bath for Friday prayers.
- Bath for the prayers of the two ‘Eids’.
- Bath before wearing ‘IHRAM’ (cloth especially worn by the Hajj pilgrims).
- Bath at ARAFAT for the stay there (Waquf).
- At the time of conversion to Islam
- Washing a dead body
Q. Which, and how many Baths are ‘Desirable’ (Mustahab)?
A. These are quite many. However, a few of them are:
- Bath on the night of the 15th of the month of Sha’ban (known as Shab-e-Bar’at).
- Bath on the night of ‘Arafa’ i.e. the night following the evening of the 8th of Zil-Hiijah.
- Bath for the prayer of the Solar and Lunar Eclipse.
- Bath for the prayer of Istisqa (Salat-ul-Istisqa), which is a prayer for begging rains from Allah.
- Bath before entering the holy cities of Makkah and Madinah.
- Bath of a person who has given a bath to the dead, and
- Bath of a disbeliever, after embracing Islam.
Q. If there is the necessity for a Bath (Ghusl), and one stands in rain; or dives into the river, water flowing all over the body, would that fulfill the conditions of having a Bath?
A. Yes, provided that one also rinses the mouth, and passes water into the nostrils.
Q. Is it permissible to face the Qiblah while bathing?
A. It is not allowed to face the Qiblah when one is naked. There is no harm, however, if the ‘Satr’ is covered. (Satr means such parts of one’s body which must remain covered, according to Shariah).
Q. How is it to bathe with the Satr, uncovered?
A. it is permissible to bathe naked in the bathroom, or at any other secluded place, where one’s Satr is not exposed.
Q. What are the undesirable acts (Makruhat) in a Bath?
A. These are:
- Consuming a lot of water i.e. unnecessary wastage.
- Talking during Bath with the Satr uncovered.
- Facing the Qiblah and;
- Bathing against Sunnah of the Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him).
Q. If ablution (Wudu) is not performed before the Bath, is it necessary to do so for prayer, after taking the Bath?
A. Bath covers ablution, as well. Therefore, no ablution is necessary after the bath.
Visible uncleanliness NAJAASAT HAQIQIY-YAH:
Q. How many kinds of gross defilement [Najaasat Haqiqiya-yah (Visible dirt)] are there?
A. There are two kinds of gross defilement (Najaasat Haqiqiyyah): One is Najaasat-a-Ghaleeza and the other, Najaasat-a-Khafeefa
Q. What are: Najaasat-a-Ghaleeza, and Najaasat-a-Khafeefa?
A. (a) Gross defilements are called Najaasat Ghaleeza; (b) Light uncleanliness is called Najaasat-a-Khafeefa.
Q. How many things fall under the category of gross defilement (Najaasat-a-Ghaleeza)?
A. Urine feces of humans, excretion of animals, urine of forbidden (Haram) animals, the flowing blood of man and animals, and wine and droppings of chicken and ducks, fall under the category of gross defilement (Najaasat-a-Ghaleeza).
Q. What things fall under the category of Light Uncleanliness (Najaasat-a-Khafeefa)?
A. Urine of permissible (Halal) animals and the droppings of forbidden (Haram) birds are all Light Uncleanliness (Najaasat-a-Khafeefa).
Q. To what extent gross defilement (Najaasat-a-Ghaleeza) is excusable?
A. If the gross defilement is thick like excrement, its maximum extent of three grams is excusable. If it is in liquid forms, such as wine, or urine, then it is excusable if the area covered is not more than that of an English one-rupee coin. To be excusable it means that the prayers offered with such defilements on the body or the clothes will be valid, though undesirable. Not removing, deliberately, even such an extent of defilement, is not allowed.
Q. How much light defilement (Najusat a-Khafeefa) is excusable?
A. It is excusable when it covers less than a quarter of a garment or less than one-fourth of any particular part of the body.
Q. How to clean the body or a garment from gross defilement (Najaasat-a-Haqiqiyyah)?
A. Gross defilement (Najaasat-a-Haqiqiyyah), whether it be gross defilement (Najaasat–a-Ghaliza) or (Najaasat-a-Khafeefa) i.e. light uncleanliness on the body, or a garment, can be removed by washing three times. The clothes must also be squeezed, all three times.
Q. Can defilement be cleaned just by the water, or also by something else?
A. Yes, by all thin fluids such as Vinegar; or watermelon juice. These are good enough to wash gross defilement (Najaasat-a-Haqiqiyyah)