Ghusl — The Full Ritual Bath
Five causes and four obligations
Core Principle
Ghusl has five causes that make it obligatory and four obligations in the Mālikī school
Why It Matters
Knowing what makes ghusl obligatory and what its obligations are keeps purification clear: ghusl is not established except by fulfilling its four obligations.
Lesson
The causes that make ghusl obligatory are five: 1. Emission of semen (*nuzūl al-manī*). 2. Sexual intercourse (*al-jimāʿ*). 3. Menstrual blood (*dam al-ḥayḍ*). 4. Postnatal blood (*dam al-nifās*). 5. Death (*al-mawt*).
The obligations of ghusl are four: 1. The intention (*niyya*) — it must be one of the intentions that suffice for ghusl. 2. Covering the whole body with water that is pure and purifying (*ṭāhir muṭahhir*). 3. Running the fingers through the hair (*takhlīl al-shaʿr*), i.e. all the hair of the body. 4. Rubbing (*dalk*) and continuity (*fawr*), as explained earlier in wudu: *dalk* is passing the hand over the washed limb with the palm of the hand, and *fawr* is continuity without a long interruption. In ghusl these, as so defined, suffice; and care is taken over the areas where water is hard to reach.
Key Points
- 1
The causes of ghusl are five
- 2
The obligations of ghusl are four
- 3
Covering the whole body with pure, purifying water
- 4
Running the fingers through all the hair of the body
- 5
Rubbing and continuity are obligations of ghusl
- 6
Care is taken over the parts of the body water struggles to reach
Glossary
الغسل
ghusl
The full ritual washing of the body
نزول المني
nuzūl al-manī
Emission of semen
الجماع
al-jimāʿ
Sexual intercourse
دم الحيض
dam al-ḥayḍ
Menstrual blood
دم النفاس
dam al-nifās
Postnatal blood
النية
niyya
Intention of the heart
تعميم البدن
taʿmīm al-badan
Making the water reach the whole body
تخليل الشعر
takhlīl al-shaʿr
Running the fingers through the hair
الدلك
al-dalk
Passing the hand over the washed limb, with the palm of the hand
الفور
al-fawr
Continuity, without a long interruption
الماء الطاهر المطهر
al-māʾ al-ṭāhir al-muṭahhir
Water that is pure in itself and purifies others
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