Short answer
No. Precum (madhy) does not require ghusl. It breaks wudu, and you must wash it off your body and clothes. Ghusl is only required for mani, the fluid that comes out with climax. The four schools agree, with small differences on how to clean it.
Madhy breaks wudu and is impure (najasah ghalizah), so wash it from the body and from clothes if it is more than a dirham in area. Ghusl is not required.
Other madhhabs
- Maliki
- Ghusl is not required, but you must wash the whole penis with intention, not only the spot.
- Hanbali
- Ghusl is not required. Wash the penis and testicles; for clothes, sprinkling water on the spot is enough.
Explanation
Ali, the Prophet's ﷺ son-in-law, had a lot of madhy and was too shy to ask about it himself. He sent someone to ask, and the answer was simple: wash your private part and make wudu. No ghusl.
How to tell the fluids apart:
- Madhy (precum): thin, clear and sticky. It comes out with arousal, often without you feeling it, and arousal continues after it. Wudu only.
- Mani (semen): thicker, comes out in spurts with climax, and desire fades after it. Ghusl is required. In women it is the fluid released at orgasm.
- Wadi: thick, white drops that come after urinating or lifting something heavy. Wudu only.
Women have madhy too: the wetness that comes with arousal breaks wudu but does not require ghusl.
What to do: wash the area, wash the spot on your underwear or change it, then make wudu. In the Hanafi school, madhy on clothes larger than a dirham (about the size of the hollow of your palm) stops your prayer from being valid, and a smaller spot should still be washed. If you are unsure whether it was madhy or mani after waking up, see wet dreams and ghusl.
The evidence
Sahih al-Bukhari 269
Sahih... توضا واغسل ذكرك ...
"Make wudu and wash your private part."
The Prophet's answer about madhy: wudu and washing, not ghusl.
Where the ruling is recorded
- al-Hidaya, Kitab al-Taharat, chapter on ghusl. Madhy and wadi require wudu, not ghusl.
- Nur al-Idah with Maraqi al-Falah, Chapter on what makes ghusl obligatory. Defines mani, madhy and wadi.
- Kashshaf al-Qina', Kitab al-Taharah, chapter on impurities. The Hanbali ruling on sprinkling clothes stained by madhy.
This answer is pending review by the scholars on our team. Quran translation by Sahih International. Hadith Arabic from the standard editions of the six books and the Muwatta, with gradings as recorded there; the English is our own rendering. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.