This article presents the rulings of ghusl according to the Hanbali madhhab. The rulings are summarized from Sharh Muntaha al-Iradat, Kashshaf al-Qina, and Matalib Uli al-Nuha.

The Definition of Ghusl

Linguistically, ghusl means washing.

Technically, ghusl is the act of washing the entire body with purifying (tahur) water in a prescribed manner, together with the required intention (niyyah) and the tasmiyah.

Ghusl is the ritual bath prescribed in Islam to remove a state of major ritual impurity (janabah), allowing a person to perform acts of worship that require ritual purity, such as prayer.

That Which Requires Ghusl

There are seven situations in which ghusl becomes required according to the Hanbali school:

1. Movement of semen without discharge — If a person experiences the internal movement associated with ejaculation but prevents the semen from exiting, ghusl is still required. If they perform ghusl and the semen later exits without renewed pleasure, they do not need to repeat the ghusl.
2. Discharge of semen with pleasure — Ghusl becomes obligatory when semen exits with sexual pleasure. However, a person who wakes from sleep or regains consciousness after fainting and finds semen on their clothing or body must perform ghusl, even if they do not remember experiencing pleasure.
3. Sexual intercourse — Ghusl becomes obligatory when the glans of the penis enters the vagina or anus, even if no ejaculation occurs. This ruling applies regardless of whether the act itself was lawful or unlawful.
4. Embracing Islam — A person who accepts Islam after disbelief must perform ghusl, whether they were originally a non-Muslim or an apostate, and whether or not anything requiring ghusl occurred before accepting Islam.
5. Menstruation — A woman must perform ghusl after her menstrual bleeding ends before resuming acts of worship that require ritual purity.
6. Postpartum bleeding (nifas) — A woman must perform ghusl after her postpartum bleeding ends. If childbirth occurs without any postpartum bleeding, ghusl is not required according to the Hanbali school, although wuduʾ is still required.
7. Death — A deceased Muslim must be washed before burial as an act of worship. The exception is the martyr who is killed in battle fighting in the cause of Allah, or the one killed unjustly, who is buried without being washed.

Sleeping in a State of Major Ritual Impurity

It is disliked for a person in a state of major ritual impurity (janabah) to sleep without first performing wuduʾ. To learn more in-depth about the rulings of wudu’, read this article.

A person is not required to perform ghusl immediately after entering a state of major ritual impurity unless the time for a prayer requiring ghusl has arrived. However, if they wish to delay ghusl, it is recommended that they first perform wuduʾ before going to sleep.

Acts Prohibited for a Person in a State of Ritual Impurity

The following rulings apply to a person in a state of ritual impurity, whether minor or major:

1. Performing prayer — It is prohibited to perform any prayer while in a state of ritual impurity. This includes obligatory and voluntary prayers, the funeral prayer, and the prostration of Qur’anic recitation.
2. Performing tawaf — It is prohibited to perform tawaf, whether obligatory or voluntary.
3. Touching the mushaf — It is prohibited to touch the mushaf without complete ritual purity. However, it is permissible to touch it through a barrier, such as a cloth. It is also permissible to handle books of tafsir, hadith, fiqh, and similar works that contain Qur’anic verses, as they are not considered a mushaf.

The following additional rulings apply specifically to a person in a state of major ritual impurity:

1. Remaining in the mosque — It is prohibited to remain in the mosque. However, it is permissible to pass through the mosque without remaining there, provided there is no risk of soiling it. This ruling also applies to menstruating women and women experiencing postpartum bleeding.
2. Reciting the Qur’an — It is prohibited to recite one complete verse or more from the Qur’an. However, it is permissible to recite less than a complete verse, engage in the remembrance of Allah (dhikr), or say words that coincide with the Qur’an, such as the basmalah, provided they are not intended as Qur’anic recitation.

The Conditions for a Valid Ghusl

For ghusl to be valid, the following seven conditions must be fulfilled:

1. The cause requiring ghusl must have ended — For example, a woman cannot perform ghusl for menstruation until her menstrual bleeding has completely stopped.
2. Intention — A person must intend to remove major ritual impurity. Bathing solely to cool down, clean oneself, or for another non-ritual purpose does not fulfill the obligation of ghusl.
3. Islam — Ghusl performed by a non-Muslim is not valid as an act of worship.
4. Sanity — Ghusl is only valid from a person of sound mind.
5. Discernment — Ghusl is only valid from someone who has reached the age of discernment.
6. Using pure, permissible tahur water — The water used must be ritually pure and lawful to use. For more information about the types of water, read this article.
7. Removing anything that prevents water from reaching the body — Anything that forms a physical barrier between the water and the skin must be removed. Mere color does not affect the validity of wuduʾ. For example, nail polish must be removed, while the stain left by henna after it has been washed off does not affect the validity of wuduʾ.

Combining Multiple Intentions in Ghusl

If more than one reason for ghusl exists at the same time, a single ghusl is generally sufficient.

This includes situations where:

• Two or more obligatory reasons for ghusl occur together. In this case, one ghusl with the intention of removing major ritual impurity is sufficient for all of them.
• An obligatory ghusl and a recommended ghusl occur together, such as a person in a state of janabah performing ghusl on Friday. If they intend the obligatory ghusl, the recommended Friday ghusl is also fulfilled.

If a person intends only a recommended ghusl while an obligatory ghusl is required, it only removes the major ritual impurity if they had forgotten they were in a state of major ritual impurity. However, if they were aware that ghusl was obligatory and intentionally intended only the recommended ghusl, their major ritual impurity is not removed.

The Minimum Sufficient Ghusl

The minimum ghusl consists of only the obligatory acts required to remove major ritual impurity.

To perform a valid minimum ghusl:

1. Remove any physical impurity (najasah) and anything that prevents water from reaching the skin, such as paint, nail polish, or similar substances.
2. Make the intention (niyyah) to remove major ritual impurity or to make acts of worship requiring purification permissible.
3. Say “Bismillah.”
4. Wash the entire body with water, ensuring that water reaches every part of the body. Simply wiping the body is not sufficient.
5. Rinse the mouth and sniff water into the nose, as both are obligatory parts of ghusl.
6. Ensure that water reaches all of the hair, including both its outer surface and its roots, whether the hair is loose or braided.

The Complete Ghusl

The complete ghusl includes all of the obligatory acts along with the recommended Sunnah acts. It is performed as follows:

1. Make the intention (niyyah) to remove major ritual impurity or to make acts of worship requiring purification, such as prayer, permissible.
2. Say “Bismillah.”
3. Wash the hands three times.
4. Wash any impurity from the body, including the private parts or any other area affected by impurity.
5. Rub the hands against the ground, a wall, or similar surface, then wash them to remove any remaining impurity.
6. Perform a complete wuduʾ**.** It is permissible to delay washing the feet until the end of the ghusl.
7. Pour three handfuls of water over the head, ensuring that the water reaches the roots of the hair. Running the fingers through the hair before pouring the water is recommended.
8. Wash the rest of the body three times, beginning with the right side and then the left.
9. Rub the body with the hands to help ensure that water reaches every part of the body.
10. Ensure water reaches all concealed areas, such as the roots of the hair, the ears, beneath the chin, the armpits, the navel, between the buttocks, behind the knees, between the fingers and toes, skin folds, and any other places where water may not naturally reach.
11. Move to another place and wash the feet, if they were not washed during wuduʾ.

A strong and reasonable belief (ghalabat al-zann) that water has reached the entire body is sufficient. Absolute certainty is not required.

It is recommended to wash the body continuously without long interruptions. However, unlike wuduʾ, neither continuity (muwalah) nor washing the body in a particular sequence (tartib) is obligatory.

Recommended Ghusl

In addition to the obligatory ghusls, the Hanbali school recommends performing ghusl on the following occasions:

1. Before the Friday (Jumuʿah) prayer — This is the most emphasized of the recommended ghusls. It is recommended for anyone attending the Friday prayer and should be performed on Friday after the onset of Fajr, preferably immediately before leaving for the prayer. If a person performs this ghusl and later breaks their wuduʾ, the ghusl remains valid and only wuduʾ needs to be renewed.
2. Before the ʿEid prayer — It is recommended for anyone attending the ʿEid prayer and should be performed on the morning of ʿEid after the onset of Fajr.
3. Before the eclipse (salat al-kusuf) and rain (salat al-istisqaʾ) prayers — These ghusls are recommended because they are congregational acts of worship.
4. After washing a deceased person — It is recommended for the person who washed the deceased to perform ghusl afterward.
5. After recovering from insanity or unconsciousness — If no semen was discharged during the period of insanity or unconsciousness, ghusl is recommended. If semen was discharged, then ghusl is obligatory.
6. For a woman experiencing abnormal uterine bleeding (istihadah) — It is recommended for her to perform ghusl before each prayer.
7. Before entering the state of ihram — This recommendation applies even to a woman who is menstruating or experiencing postpartum bleeding.
8. Before entering Makkah — It is recommended to perform ghusl before entering the city.
9. Before entering the Sacred Precinct (Haram) of Makkah — It is also recommended to perform ghusl before entering the Haram.
10. Before standing at ʿArafah — It is recommended to perform ghusl before the standing at ʿArafah during Hajj.
11. Before spending the night at Muzdalifah — It is recommended to perform ghusl before staying at Muzdalifah.
12. Before stoning the jamarat — It is recommended to perform ghusl before throwing the pebbles during Hajj.
13. Before Tawaf al-Ziyarah — It is recommended to perform ghusl before the main tawaf of Hajj.
14. Before Tawaf al-Wadaʾ — It is recommended to perform ghusl before the farewell tawaf.