Obligatory baths (Ghusl) part 1

Introduction

There are seven obligatory baths: 

* Bath for Janabat 

* Bath for Haydh (for women only) 

* Bath for Nifas (for women only) 

* Bath for Istihadha (for women only) 

* Bath for touching a dead body 

* Bath for a dead body 

* Bath which becomes obligatory on account of a vow or an oath to perform it.

Rules regarding Janabat

- A person enters the state of Janabat in two ways: 

* Sexual intercourse 

* Discharge of semen, while sleeping or when awake, little or more, with lust or otherwise, willingly or unwillingly. 

- When one cannot ascertain whether the fluid emitted from one's body is semen, urine or something else, it will be treated as semen if it is thrown out with lust and if the body is slackened. If all or some of these signs are not present the fluid will not be treated as semen. In the case of illness, the fluid may not come out with sudden swiftness and the body may not slacken; but if the emission takes place with lust, it will be treated as semen. 

- If a fluid emitted by a healthy person possesses one of the aforementioned three signs and he does not know whether or not it also possessed other signs, and if before the emission he was with wudhu he will content himself with that wudhu. And if he was not with wudhu, it would be sufficient for him to perform wudhu only, and Ghusl would not be necessary. 

- It is Mustahab that a person should urinate after the seminal discharge. If he did not urinate and an emission was seen after Ghusl, which could not been determined as semen or something else, it would be treated as semen. 

- If a person has sexual intercourse with a woman and the male organ enters either of the private parts of the woman up to the point of circumcision or more, both of them enter Janabat, regardless of whether they are adults or minors and whether ejaculation takes place or not. 

- If a person doubts whether or not his organ penetrated up to the point of circumcision, Ghusl will not become obligatory on him. 

- If (God forbid!) a person has sexual intercourse with an animal and ejaculates, Ghusl alone will be sufficient for him, and if he does not ejaculate and he was with wudhu at the time of committing the unnatural act even then Ghusl will be sufficient for him. 
However, if he was not with wudhu at that time, the obligatory precaution is that he should do Ghusl and also perform wudhu. And the same orders apply if one commits sodomy. 

- If movement of seminal fluid is felt but not emitted, or if a person doubts whether or not semen has been ejaculated, Ghusl will not be obligatory upon him. 

- A person who is unable to do Ghusl, but can perform tayammum is allowed to have sexual intercourse with his wife even after the time for daily prayers has set in. 

- If a person observes semen on his dress and knows that it is his own, and he has not done Ghusl on that account, he should do Ghusl, and repeat as Qadha all those prayers about which he is certain that he offered them after the discharge of semen. 
However, it is not necessary for him to repeat those prayers about which there is a probability that he might have offered them before the discharge of semen.

Forbidden acts for those in Janabat

- The following five things are Haraam for junub (a person in a state of Janabat): 

* To touch with any part of one's body the script of the holy Qur'an or the Name of Almighty Allah in whichever language it may be. And it is better that the names of the holy Prophet and Imams and Hazrat Fatima Zahra (peace be upon them) should also not be touched in that condition. 

* Entering Masjidul Haraam or Masjidun Nabi, even though it may be only passing from one gate and going out of another. 

* To stay or halt in all other Masjids, and similarly, on the basis of obligatory precaution, to stay in the shrines of the holy Imams. However, there is no harm if one crosses or traverses through a mosque, entering from one gate and exiting from another. 

*To enter a mosque with an intention of lifting away something or placing something in it. 

* To recite those verses of the holy Qur'an on the recitation of which performance of Sajdah becomes obligatory. These verses occur in four surahs of the holyQur'an: 

1- Surah Alif Lam Mim as-Sajdah, 32:15 

2- Surah Ha Mim Sajdah, 41:38 

3- Surah an-Najm, 53:62 

4- Surah al 'Alaq, 96:19 

Things which are Makrooh for Junub (in a state of Janabat)

- The following nine things are Makrooh for junub: 

* To eat 

* To drink. But if the junub washes his or her face, hands and mouth, then eating or drinking in that state will not be Makrooh. And if he or she washes the hands only, then unworthiness of the acts is reduced. 

* To recite more than seven verses of the holy Qur'an other than those in which obligatory Sajdah occur. 

* To touch the cover, the margin or border of the holy Qur'an or the space between its lines, with any part of one's body. 

* To keep the holy Qur'an with oneself. 

* To sleep. But it would not be Makrooh to sleep if the person concerned performs wudhu or performs tayammum instead of Ghusl on account of non-availability of water. 

* To dye one's hair with henna etc 

* To apply oil on one's body. 

* To have sexual intercourse after Ihtelam (i.e. discharge of semen during sleep).

Ghusl for Janabat

- Ghusl for Janabat is obligatory for offering the daily prayers and other similar acts of worship. However, it is not obligatory for Namaz-e-Mayyit or for sajdatus sahwi (prostrating on account of oversight) or sajdatush shukr' (prostration for thanksgiving) or for the obligatory Sajdah upon reciting the four particular verses of the holy Qur'an. (the above mentioned four verces). 

- At the time of doing ghusl, it is not necessary to have in mind that one is performing an obligatory Ghusl. It is sufficient if one performs the Ghusl with the intention of Qurbat, i.e. nearness to Allah. 

- If a person who performs Ghusl with the niyyat of Wajib after having ascertained that the time of Namaz had set in, comes to know after performing the bath that it was performed before the time for prayers had set in, the bath would be correct and valid. 

- There are two methods of performing Ghusls, both Wajib and Mustahab. 

* Tartibi (Sequential) 

* Irtimasi (By submerging the whole body into the water).

Tartibi (sequential)

- In this method, a person should first make a niyyat for Ghusl. Thereafter one should first wash one's head and neck, and thereafter the remaining parts of one's body. It is better that one washes the right part of the body first and then the left part.

And if a person, while standing under the water, jerks each of these parts on one's body with an intention of performing Tartibi Ghusl, it will not be sufficient and the precaution is that one should not content oneself with it.

And if a person washes the body before washing the head, either intentionally, or on account of forgetfulness or because of not knowing the rule, Ghusl is void. 

- If a person washed the body before the head it will not be necessary to repeat the bath. What one has to do is to wash the body again and Ghusl will then be correct. 

- In order to ensure that both the parts (head, neck and remaining parts of the body) have been washed thoroughly one should, while washing a part, also include some portion of the other part with it. 

- After the Ghusl, if a person realizes that certain parts of the body have been left out, not knowing which of it, it will not be necessary to wash the head again. One will wash only those parts of one's body which one feels had not been washed. 

- If one realizes after Ghusl that one has not washed a certain part of the body it is sufficient to wash only that part if it is the left side. However, if that part is the right side then the recommended precaution is that after washing that part of the body one should wash the left side again. And if the unwashed part is that of head and neck one should, after washing that part, wash the body once again. 

- If a person doubts before completing Ghusl whether one has washed a part on the left or right side it will be necessary to wash that part and if one doubts about having washed a part of the head and neck then, as an obligatory precaution, one would wash that part and then wash the right and the left side of the body again. 

Irtimasi (by submerging the whole body into water)

- Ghusl by way of Irtimasi is either carried out instantly or gradually. If the Ghusl of Irtimasi is to be done at one instance, then water must reach all parts of the body at one time. However, it is not necessary that the whole body be submerged in water from the very beginning of Ghusl. If a part of the body is outside, and is later submerged with the niyyat of Ghusl, it will be deemed in order. 

- If one wishes to perform Irtimasi Ghusl gradually, then it is necessary that the whole body is out of water before Ghusl commences. Then one would submerge one's body gradually in water with the intention of Ghusl. 

- If after performing Ghusl Irtimasi it becomes known that water has not reached some part of the body one should repeat the Ghusl, whether the part up to which water has not reached is determined or not. 

- If one does not have sufficient time for Tartibi, one should perform Ghusl by way of Irtimasi. 

- A person who has put on Ihram for Hajj and Umrah is not allowed to perform Ghusl by way of Irtimasi. However, if one performs it forgetfully the Ghusl will be valid.