How to perform ghusl, step by step.
Ghusl is the full bath that removes major impurity. Follow it step by step, with what is fard marked, and how to do it in an ordinary shower.
The three fard of ghusl
- Rinse the whole mouth
- Rinse the nose up to the soft bone
- Wash the entire body once
This is the Hanafi school. A shower that does all three is a valid ghusl.
Is ghusl required?
- After intercourse, or any release of semen with desire
- When menstruation ends
- When postnatal bleeding ends
Guide
Ghusl, when it is needed and how to do it.
Allah says: "And if you are in a state of janabah, then purify yourselves."1 Ghusl is required before you can pray, touch the mushaf or recite the Quran after janabah, menstruation or postnatal bleeding.
The fard of ghusl
Three things are fard: rinsing the whole mouth, rinsing the nose up to the soft bone, and washing the entire body once so no dry spot is left. The intention is sunnah, so a ghusl without it still removes the impurity.2
Other madhhabs
- Shafi'i
- Two fard: the intention and washing the whole body. Rinsing the mouth and nose is sunnah.
- Maliki
- The intention, washing the whole body, rubbing it (dalk) and continuity are fard. The mouth and nose are sunnah.
- Hanbali
- The intention and washing the whole body, including the mouth and nose, are fard.
Ghusl in the shower
A shower is a perfectly good ghusl. Stand under it, rinse the mouth and nose thoroughly, then let the water cover your whole body, rubbing the places water misses. Following the sunnah steps above is better, but the three fard are what make it valid.
When ghusl is sunnah
- Before Jumuah and the two Eid prayers.
- Before putting on ihram for Hajj or Umrah.
- On the day of Arafah, for pilgrims.
- For a new Muslim (it is fard if they were in janabah).
Women's questions
A woman with braided hair does not have to undo the braids if water reaches the roots.3 She makes ghusl when her period or postnatal bleeding has ended, and then prays the next prayer. Nail polish must be removed, as it stops water reaching the nails.
If you remember a dry spot
If you later realise a spot was left dry, wash just that spot. In the Hanafi school you do not need to repeat the whole ghusl, because continuity is not a condition. Any prayer prayed before you washed it should be repeated.
- Quran 5:6, translation by Sahih International.
- Al-Marghinani, al-Hidayah, Kitab al-Taharah, Fasl fi al-Ghusl.
- Sahih Muslim 330. The other madhhabs' positions are summarised from their standard manuals.
The rulings on this page are pending review by the scholars on our team.
Questions
Good to know.
What are the fard of ghusl?
In the Hanafi school there are three: rinsing the mouth, rinsing the nose, and washing the entire body once.
Does a shower count as ghusl?
Yes, as long as you rinse the mouth and nose thoroughly and water reaches every part of the body.
Do I need wudu after ghusl?
No. Ghusl includes wudu. You can pray with it unless something breaks your wudu afterwards.
Do women have to undo their braids for ghusl?
No, as long as water reaches the roots of the hair (Sahih Muslim 330).
What if I forgot to rinse my mouth in ghusl?
In the Hanafi school, rinse it now. That completes the ghusl. Repeat any prayer you prayed before you did.
Is ghusl required after a wet dream?
Yes, if you find any discharge of semen on waking. If you remember a dream but find nothing, ghusl is not required.