Complete ablution (ghusl)- This is washing the entire body, done in such a way that not a single dry spot remains.

It is obligatory to perform Ghusl in the following cases:

1. In the state of junub, which occurs in cases of sexual intercourse (even if only the genitals have touched) and the release of sperm in men and similar fluid in women (even if there has been no sexual intercourse), both in the waking state and in sleep

2. After completion of menstruation and postpartum bleeding in women

It is advisable to perform a complete ablution before Friday (Jum'ah) and holiday prayers.

What cannot be done without complete ablution (ghusl)?

Obligatory actions (fard) of complete ablution

In the Holy Qur'an, Allah shows us the way to do complete ablution(ghusl) which is performed before prayer, described as follows:

“And if you are in sexual defilement, then be cleansed. If you are sick or on a journey, if one of you has come from the restroom, or if you have had intimacy with women and you do not find water, then go to clean earth and wipe your faces and hands with it. Allah does not want to create difficulties for you, but wants to purify you and complete His mercy towards you, so perhaps you will be grateful.”

Holy Quran. Surah 5 Al-Maida / The Meal, verse 6

If at least one of the obligatory actions is not performed, the full ablution is considered invalid.

1. Mouth rinse – 1 time

2. Rinse the nose – 1 time

3. Washing the entire body so that not a single dry spot remains on the body - 1 time

Completing these obligatory actions makes the ghusl valid, so in difficult situations (lack of water, time, etc.) you can limit yourself to them. If a person washes his mouth and nose, and then enters a body of water (swimming pool, lake, sea, etc.) and washes his entire body, he will perform a complete ablution (ghusl).

Desirable actions of complete ablution

When you are ready to perform ghusl, confirm this intention to yourself. Then say: Bismillahi r-Rahmani-r-Rahim- “In the name of Allah, the Gracious, the Merciful.” After this:

1. Perform wudhu (minor ablution), but without washing your feet, since it is better to wash them at the very end

2. Wash your genitals

3. Pour water on your head and wash it. Shampoo can be used if desired

4. Wash your entire body, starting from the right side and ending with the left. At the same time, try to wipe the washed body parts with your hand. There should not be a single dry spot left, even the size of a needle tip.

It is advisable to wash each part of the body three times, but you can limit yourself to just once.

Alhamdulillah, you accepted Islam (or began to follow the religion that your ancestors followed). And, of course, you have many questions, the first of which is how to perform ablution and prayer correctly? Sisters often write to our website and group with questions about how to perform ablution and prayer, whether such and such an action violates ablution (and the like).

Since for the validity of prayer it is necessary to be in a state of ritual purity (taharat in Arabic), in this article we, with the permission of Allah, will talk about ablution.

The concept of “taharat” (literally “purity”) includes performing a complete ablution (washing the entire body with water, in other words, bathing) and a small ablution - when you need to wash only certain parts of the body.

Complete ablution (ghusl)

When is full ablution (ghusl in Arabic) necessary?

A woman must perform a complete ablution after the end of menstruation (haid) and postpartum bleeding (nifas), as well as after marital intimacy.

The man also performs ghusl after marital relations and after ejaculation (emission).

Also, a complete ablution should be performed by a person who has just accepted Islam, since a sexually mature person has had a situation at least once in his life when a complete ablution was necessary. So if you have recently converted to Islam (or have just recently decided to perform namaz), you should perform a full ablution

According to Shariah, complete ablution consists of three required parts (fards of ghusl):

1. Rinse the nose.

2. Mouth rinse.

3. Washing the entire body with water.

When bathing, it is necessary to remove from the body everything that could interfere with the penetration of water, for example, paint, wax, dough, nail polish.

It is necessary to rinse areas of the body where water may not reach during normal bathing - for example, the folds of skin inside the navel, the pinna and the skin behind the ear, the skin under the eyebrows, holes for earrings in the ears (if a woman has pierced ears).

When performing a complete ablution, it is also necessary to wash the scalp and hair. If a woman long braids, she may not unravel them if they do not interfere with water getting to the scalp (if they do, then she needs to unravel them).

The woman also needs to wash the outer part of the genital organ (that which is accessible when she squats).

Since performing ghusl requires rinsing your mouth, you must remove anything from your teeth that could prevent water from reaching the surface. However, this does not apply to dental fillings and crowns or dentures; they do not need to be removed! As for braces, orthopedic plates that are placed to correct teeth: if they are removable and easy to remove, they need to be removed; if they are attached to the teeth in such a way that only a doctor can remove them, there is no need to touch them, bathing will be valid.

Full ablution has its sunnat and adab (actions that are considered optional, but desirable and increase the reward for worship). You can read about them in this article: “Fards, Sunnat and Adab of Full Ablution”

It is also important to remember What actions are prohibited for a person who does not have complete ablution?(for example, a woman during her period):

1. You cannot perform namaz, as well as perform sajdah tilawa (bow to the ground when reading certain verses of the Koran) and sajdah shukr (bow to the ground in gratitude to Allah).

2. Touching the Koran or verses of the Koran (if they are printed in a book of religious content). This does not apply to the text of the Quran printed on a computer or other electronic media. In this case, it will only be impossible to touch the text of the Koran displayed on the screen with your hands, but you can read it from your phone (not out loud).

3. Reading even one verse of the Quran out loud (however, you can read fewer verses - for example, pronounce the phrases “Alhamdulillah” or “Bismillah”, which are also part of the verses). Of course, this applies only to the Arabic original of the Quran, and not to its translations. However, you can recite the verses of the Quran to yourself, mentally.

An exception is made for verses and surahs of the Qur'an, which are duas (supplications) and are read for protection from all harm - such as surahs Al-Fatiha, Al-Ikhlas, Al-Falyak and An-Nas and the verse Al-Kursi.

4. Visit to the mosque.

5. Circumambulation during the Kaaba (tawaf) in Hajj.

Note:

There is a distinction between the state of defilement (Junub) and the state of Haida and Nifas. In a state of defilement (for a woman - after a marital relationship), you cannot pray, but you can fast (during Ramadan, for example). You cannot fast in a state of Haida and Nifas.

For a more detailed explanation of the issue, you can refer to this article: "Women's fiqh of complete ablution"

Frequently asked questions regarding ablution:

• It should be noted that complete ablution (bathing) replaces small ablution. That is, if, for example, your period has just ended and you have performed ghusl, you will not need to perform additional ablution before prayer (unless you have committed actions that violate wudu - you have not gone to the toilet, for example ).

• “If I took a bath, and then a situation happened in which ablution was disrupted (for example, the release of gases), do I need to bathe again?”- No, since this action does not violate complete ablution, there is no need to bathe again, it is enough to renew the wudu.

• Is it possible to dye your hair, use different chemicals for curling or styling hair - will there really be a complete ablution in this case?-The decision here will depend on the method of action of the paint or other substance. If it allows water to pass through, your ghusl is valid; if not, you will have to remove the dye from your hair before bathing. We cannot say how exactly this or that paint works; you need to find out from their manufacturers. However, we know for sure: dyeing hair with henna does not prevent the penetration of water, so the ghusl will be valid.

Lesser ablution (wudu)

As for the small ablution (wudu in Arabic), it will be necessary in the following cases:

1. After visiting the toilet (for major or minor needs).

2. After the release of gases.

3. In case of sleep or fainting (except for the case when a person fell asleep while sitting, pressing his buttocks to the floor).

4. The release of blood, pus or other fluid from the human body. Exit refers to the release of a substance beyond the boundaries of its source (for example, a nosebleed or blood escaping beyond the boundaries of a wound or cut). If blood only appears in the wound (as from a pin prick, for example), but does not flow out, ablution is not broken.

5. If a person vomits, provided that the vomit completely fills the mouth.

6. Bleeding in the mouth (from the gums, for example), provided that there was more or the same amount of blood as saliva. This is determined by the color of the saliva - if it is yellow or orange, it means there is little blood, if it is red or dark red, it means there is more blood.

7. In case alcohol intoxication or madness.

What does NOT violate wudu:

1. Separation of a piece of skin (a callus, for example) from the human body, which is not accompanied by bleeding.

2. Touching the genitals (your own or another person’s – for example, a woman changing a child’s diaper, this does not violate ablution).

3. Touching a person of the opposite sex who is not a Mahram does not violate wudhu.

4. Expectoration of mucus, even if there is a lot of it.

According to Shariah, ablution includes four obligatory parts (fards of wudu):

1. Washing your face. Important– pay attention to what is considered the boundaries of the face!

Face boundaries: in length - from the hairline to the tip of the chin, in width - from one earlobe to the other.

2. Washing hands up to and including the elbow joint.

3. Washing the feet up to the ankles inclusive.

Very important: A condition for the validity of ablution is considered to be the contact of water on all areas of the skin within the boundaries of the organ that needs to be washed! Therefore, there should be no substances on the body that could interfere with the penetration of water into the skin - for example, dough, wax, glue, nail polish. If you have rings on your fingers, you need to move them so that water gets under them.

However, if you dye your hair or hands with henna, this does not interfere with your ablution, since henna allows water to pass through.

4. Rubbing (maskh) one quarter of the head with a damp hand.

It is valid to wipe the hair on the head (and not on the forehead or neck). It will be invalid to wipe a braid braided around the head or hair that falls from the head in a loose state.

What is forbidden to do without performing ablution:

1. Perform namaz;

2. Touch the Arabic text of the Holy Quran (but you can read the Quran in electronic media— phone, tablet, computer, without touching the screen with the displayed text);

3. Perform sajda-tilyawa while reading the Holy Quran;

4. Walk around the Kaaba (tawaf).

Lesser ablution also has its sunnat and adab. You can read about them here: “Ahkyams and sunnat of small ablution.” The procedure for small ablution is also shown in some detail in the picture above.

Frequently asked questions regarding ablution:

• Do I need to remove contact lenses from my eyes?– No, the eyes are not one of the organs that need to be washed when washing the face, so there is no need to remove the lenses.

• Does the exposure of clothing or body to substances that are considered impurity (najasa) ruin wudu? — The contact of such substances (najas) on the body or clothing does not violate ablution. It is enough to rinse the area three times with water (with smooth surface- for example, leather clothes - just wipe off the dirt), and it is considered that you have removed the impurity.

Mask (wiping) leather socks and bandages

Wiping khuffs (leather socks):

According to Sharia, a person is allowed to wipe special leather socks (khuffs) instead of washing his feet. They must be put on after performing ablution - on clean feet. The next time a person's wudhu goes wrong, he will not need to wash his feet, just run his wet hand once from the tip of his fingers to his shin along the surface of the sock, and wudhu will be valid.

The validity period of such wiping is one day and one night for a sedentary person and three days and three nights for a traveler. The period of validity must be counted from the moment a person’s ablution goes wrong for the first time (after he puts on the khuffs).

Attention! Wiping regular (cotton, wool, synthetic) socks or stockings will not be valid. It is also not allowed to wipe a scarf or skullcap (instead of a hair mask), gloves (instead of washing your hands), or a niqab (instead of washing your face).

Wiping the bandage

What to do if a person has been bandaged due to a wound or fracture (and getting water on the wound can harm health):

In this case, a person can simply wipe the bandage with a damp hand once (it is not necessary to wipe the entire bandage - just wipe most of it). If there is concern that washing the skin near the bandage may cause water to enter the wound and cause harm to it, you can also wipe (rather than wash) the skin near the bandage and wudhu will be valid.

You can read more about wiping socks and bandages in the article: “Actions that violate the reality of the socks off. Wiping the bandage."

Please note: All the above rules and decisions regarding ritual purity refer to the opinion of scholars of the Hanafi legal school (madhab). The decisions of scholars of other madhhabs on issues of ablution, in particular, the Shafi'i madhhab, will be somewhat different. Therefore, Muslims living in regions where the Shafi'i school is followed (Chechnya, Dagestan, Ingushetia) should turn to the relevant sites and scholars.

Muslima (Anya) Kobulova

Based on materials from the Darul-Fikr website

Wudu, or ablution, is a traditional ritual and practice through which Muslims maintain high levels of physical and spiritual hygiene. Traditionally, ablution is considered to be a cleansing of the mind and body by Muslims before performing the obligatory prayer - namaz.

We wrote earlier about how to do namaz.

The details of the main steps may vary among different Islamic schools. The Koran says the following:

“O you who believe! When you get up for prayer, wash your faces and hands up to the elbows, wipe your head and feet up to the ankles.” (Quran. Sura 5, Al-Maida (Meal) 5:6)

How to do ablution. Sequence of stages

Niyat (intention)

Intention is a concept in Islam of performing any action for the sake of Allah. To perform wudhu properly, a Muslim must concentrate, calm his thoughts and distract himself from external stimuli.

Niyat does not necessarily involve saying any phrases, but focusing on the word “Bismillah” (in the name of Allah) is good way achieve the required level of concentration. You can say it silently or out loud, depending on how comfortable you feel.

Washing the hands

With our left hand we wash our right hand three times. After this, we wash with our right hand left hand three times. Make sure the water reaches all areas, including between the fingers and all the way up to the wrist.

Washing the mouth

We take water with our right hand and rinse the inside of our mouth three times. You need to rinse your mouth well and spit out the water.

Washing the nose

You need to inhale the water, collecting it with your right hand and exhale, holding one nostril with your left hand, if this is more convenient.

Washing the face

We wash ourselves, covering the areas from the right ear to the left and from the roots of the hair to the chin with water.

Washing the forearms

We wash the area of ​​the hand from the wrist to the elbow. The right hand is washed with the left hand three times, and vice versa

Washing the head

With wet hands, rub the hair from the forehead to the back of the head once.

Ear washing

With the same water we wipe the area inside the ears and behind the ears (index fingers and thumbs).

Washing the feet

We wash each foot up to the ankles, making sure that the water passes between the toes. Washing the feet begins with the right foot three times and ends with washing the left foot three times.

After this, it is not necessary, but it is advisable to say a dua (supplication) to yourself.

“Ash-hadu alla illaha illaahu
ua ashhadu anna mukhammadan abduhu wa rassulyukh
Allahuma ja'alni minat-tawabina
wa ja'alni minal-matatahirrin"

Which translated means: “I testify that there is no god but Allah and I testify that Muhammad is His slave and His Messenger. God, make me repentant and make me purifying.”

Important! Ablution must be repeated if it is broken.

Actions that violate wudu

• fainting,
• fulfillment of natural needs,
• flatulence (emission of gases),
• loud laughter
• unclean discharge (pus, blood, etc.)
• vomit,
• intoxication.

• Clear your thoughts before performing ablution (wudhu) so that you can concentrate on worshiping the Almighty.
• It is better to relieve yourself before ablution. This reduces the likelihood that the need will suddenly arise after performing ablution.
• To perform ablution you need clean water. If finding water is a problem, dry ablution (tayammum) with clean dust, earth or sand is allowed.
• The stages of ablution must be performed in the specified order without long pauses between them.
• A beneficial practice is brushing your teeth, a practice that the Prophet Muhammad performed.
• If the hand is in a cast, it is allowed to wash the hand on top of the cast.

Full obligatory ablution is a ritual bathing.

It should be done:

1. For men and women after sexual intercourse, even if it was not completed.

2. For men and women after orgasm, regardless of where, how and under what circumstances it happened.

3. For women after cleansing from menstruation.

4. Women after cleansing postpartum or post-miscarriage discharge.

5. It is also necessary to completely wash the body of the deceased.

What is prohibited for one who is obligated to perform ablution?

Without the obligatory complete ablution of the body after breaking it, for the reasons stated above, it is prohibited (haram): to perform namaz, make sudjdatilawat and shukra, touch the Quran and carry it, read anything from the Quran (from a book or by heart), perform tawaf (circumambulation seven times). Kaaba) and located inside the mosque.

For women during menstruation, postpartum and post-miscarriage discharge, all this is prohibited from the moment the discharge begins. In addition, during menstruation, postpartum and post-miscarriage discharge, women are prohibited from fasting. But once the discharge stops, the ban on fasting is lifted, even if the woman has not yet bathed.

During such periods, spouses are prohibited from having sexual intercourse; the husband is not allowed to touch his wife’s body without a barrier between the navel and knees. The wife is also obliged to prohibit her husband from doing this. Only after cleansing from menstruation or postpartum and post-miscarriage discharge and performing the obligatory full ablution are all prohibitions associated with these periods lifted.

Without the obligatory complete ablution of the body after its violation, it is undesirable to eat, drink anything, or sleep. It is also undesirable to re-enter intimacy with your wife without first performing a small ablution.

What are the required components (arcanas) of complete ablution?

In order for complete ablution to be considered valid, it is necessary, firstly, to make an intention at the beginning of ablution mentally (this is fard) and with the tongue (this is sunnat), that is, it is necessary to have the intention to perform the obligatory full ablution: “I intend to perform the obligatory (fard) complete ablution bodies." In this case, it is necessary to connect the intention with the first washed part of the bather’s body. Secondly, the water must wash the entire body, without leaving the slightest point (that is, the water must flow around the entire body, all its parts, it is not enough to simply wet the body or its individual parts). In particular, when bathing, the hair should be washed to the roots and the areas under the nails; there should be no insulator on the body that prevents water from coming into contact with the body, such as nail polish. Before ritual bathing begins, impurities (najasa) must be removed from the body. For women, water must fall into those places of the awra that are revealed when sitting.

Desirable actions (sunnah) of complete ablution.

There are 12 desirable actions of ablution: turning towards the Qiblah; washing both hands; performing a small ablution first (as for prayer); preliminary cleansing of body folds where water is difficult to enter; removal of evil spirits in advance; pouring water first on the head, then on the right side, then on the left; rubbing your hand everywhere; repeating all this three times; there must be at least three liters of water; if you bathe after ejaculation, then before bathing you should relieve yourself; reading d'a after bathing (the one that is read after small ablution).

Under what circumstances is it advisable (sunnah) to take a bath?

It is advisable to take a bath in the following seventeen cases: for Friday prayer; for both holiday prayers; every night of the month of Ramadan; for prayer of asking for rain; for solar prayer and lunar eclipse; after washing the deceased; for a non-believer after accepting Islam; for a madman after he has come to his senses; who lost consciousness after regaining consciousness; for putting on ihram; in order to enter Mecca; to stand on Mount Arafa; for an overnight stay in the Muzdalifa valley; for throwing stones in jamarat; to circumambulate the Kaaba.

Ablution plays a special role in the Islamic faith, since without it Muslims cannot perform certain rituals of worship. This term in Islam refers to the process of ritual purification performed by believers at least several times a day.

There are two types of ablution: small (“wudu”, “taharat”), and full (“ghusl”).

Taharat

Lesser ablution is a type of ritual cleansing performed by believers regularly and does not require complete nudity when performing it.

In what cases is it necessary to perform taharat:

• before starting prayer (namaz);

• before reading the Holy Quran;

• before starting the tour around the Kaaba.

Procedure for performing wudu:

1. Say your intention to perform ablution: in order to begin taharat, a person must have an appropriate intention, which he can say to himself.

2. Say the words “Bismillahir-Rahmanir-Rahim”(“In the name of Allah, the Beneficent and the Merciful”).

3. Wash your hands up to the wrists: the believer must wash the palms of both hands up to the wrists three times, mandatory rinsing the areas between the fingers (it is advisable to start with right hand).

4. Rinse your mouth: After using your hands, you should rinse your mouth well three times, and it is advisable to hold the water to your lips with your right hand.

5. Rinse your sinuses: A Muslim must rinse his nose three times, drawing in water from his right hand and removing the secretions with his left.

6. Wash your face: To do this, it is enough to rinse your face three times, so that each time water gets on its entire surface (up to the ears).

7. Wash your hands up to the elbows: each hand, starting with the right, is sequentially washed on all sides three times from the wrist to the elbow.

8. Wiping the head, neck and ears: It is necessary to wipe the hair with wet palms, and it is recommended to touch at least a quarter of the head (usually wipe with the right hand from the crown to the forehead). After this, the thumbs are moved under the earlobes, and the index fingers are rubbed over the auricle and ear canal. At the end of this stage, you should walk along the neck with the backs of your hands, smoothly moving your hands from the back to the front.

9. Cleansing the feet: Finally, the feet to the ankles are washed three times, including the areas between the toes. Here it is also encouraged to perform the procedure starting with the right leg.

It is important to know that the obligatory actions (fard) of Taharat will be the following: washing the face, hands up to the elbows, wiping the neck, ears and head, washing the feet. The obligatory nature of these stages is due to the fact that they are mentioned in the Holy Scriptures of Muslims:

“O you who believe! When you stand up for prayer, wash your faces and your hands up to the elbows, wipe your heads and wash your feet up to the ankles” (5:6)

Thus, after performing wudhu, the believer is in a state of ritual purity, in which he can perform prayer, read the Koran, and so on. This provision remains until the believer commits any action that violates it.

What breaks wudu:

• elimination of needs, including the release of gases;

• loss of consciousness;

• sleep, except when a person dozes while sitting or standing;

• release of waste from the human body in large quantities (blood, pus, etc.);

• touching the genitals directly (i.e. not through tissue);

• severe vomiting (provided that the vomit has filled the entire oral cavity).

Ghusl

Full ablution is a type of ablution performed when a Muslim is in a state of ritual desecration. In the Qur'an, the Lord of the Worlds tells us:

“...If you are defiled, then wash from head to toe and make yourself clean...” (5:6)

Situations in which GUSL is necessary:

• after intimacy(for ritual desecration, contact of the genitals will be sufficient, even if ejaculation has not occurred);

• after ejaculation that did not occur as a result of intimacy (for example, if it arose due to passionate sensations as a result of thoughts, or viewing images and videos with naked bodies, wet dreams, etc. is considered haram);

• postmenstrual period in women (during menstruation, a woman is in a state of ritual desecration, and therefore on such days she is even forbidden to pray and. After the completion of menstruation, women should perform ghusl);

• the postpartum period in women (at the end of postpartum bleeding, complete ablution is also prescribed);

• after accepting Islam (after a person has said the Shahada and became a Muslim, he must purify himself);

• death (before burial, the body of every Muslim must be washed)

Being in a state of ritual desecration, a believer does not have the right:

• read and touch Holy Quran(if its text is entirely in Arabic);

• perform namaz;

• visit a mosque;

• circumambulate the Kaaba.

Procedure for performing ablution:

Intention for performing Ghusl: as before taharat, a person must say (maybe mentally) the intention;

Say “Bismillahir-Rahmanir-Rahiim”;

Washing hands up to wrists: rinse your hands three times up to the wrists, while cleaning the areas between the fingers (it is preferable to start with the right hand);

Washing the genitals: this should be done carefully to eliminate all impurities, and preferably with the left hand;

Performing all acts of ablution (wudu): in this case, the procedure of washing the palms is repeated, and the soles of the feet are postponed until the completion of the ghusl;

Pouring the head: it must be done three times and so that all the hair on the head, including the beard and mustache, is moistened from the tips to the roots;

Pouring the right side of the body: three times and a sufficient amount of water for this, but without allowing excessive consumption;

Dousing the left side of the body three times;

Washing feet(including areas between the fingers).

Like Taharat, Ghusl contains both obligatory and desirable actions. However, there are some discrepancies among Muslim legal schools regarding complete ablution. If, according to the Hanafite madhhab, rinsing the mouth, washing the nasal cavity and dousing the entire body is considered fard when performing ghusl, then in the Shafi'i madhhab it is the intention, the removal of impurities and complete dousing.

Advantages of ablution

Believers are required to perform ablution not only before performing religious practices- a state of ritual purity should be inherent in any Muslim almost constantly. Taharat and ghusl in Islam are considered a good deed, for which there is a reward. The famous hadith of the Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.) reads: “If someone, while in a state of ablution, performs it again, the Almighty writes to him 10 good deeds” (at-Tirmidhi).

In addition, ritual cleansing helps to erase the sins of the believer, as stated in the following hadith: “When a Muslim performs ablution, then, by washing his face, he washes away all the sins that his eyes commit, by washing his hands, he washes away all the sins that he committed with them, by washing his feet , washes away all the sins that he committed with them, and thus a person will become clean from sins” (quoted by Muslim and at-Tirmidhi).

Another advantage of ablution is the fact that it can lead a believer to Paradise. The Messenger of Allah (s.w.w.) once admonished: “Whoever of you performs ablution and then says, for him all eight gates of heaven will open” (hadith from Muslim).