How do I do ghusl?
When you need it, the least that counts, and the way the Prophet ﷺ did it.
You wake up for Fajr and remember last night. Or your period ended yesterday. You know you need ghusl before you pray, but nobody ever showed you how, and you are too shy to ask.
Ghusl is washing your whole body with water, meaning it in your heart as ghusl. It is simpler than most people think.
The short answer: mean it in your heart, rinse your mouth and nose, and get water over every part of your body. That is a valid ghusl.
When do I need ghusl?
Allah tells believers in this state to wash themselves before they pray. You need ghusl for four things:
1. After sex. Both the husband and the wife, even if nothing came out.
2. When sexual fluid comes out with pleasure, awake or in a dream. This is the same for men and women. A woman asked Nabi ﷺ if she needs ghusl after a wet dream. He said yes, if she sees the fluid.
3. When your period ends. Once the bleeding has fully stopped, make ghusl and start praying again.
4. When the bleeding after childbirth stops, even if that is before 40 days.
Woke up wet but do not remember a dream? Make ghusl. Remember a dream but find nothing? You do not need it. The thin, clear fluid that comes when you are aroused only needs washing and wudu, not ghusl.
Do I have to say anything?
No special words. The intention is in your heart: you know you are washing for ghusl, not just to get clean. Saying Bismillah as you start is enough.
What is the least that counts?
Three things. Mean it in your heart. Rinse your mouth and your nose. Get water over your whole body at least once: every part of your skin, and your hair down to the scalp.
Some scholars count the mouth and nose as a must and some do not, so doing them means your ghusl counts in every school. Everything in the next section is sunnah: extra reward, not a requirement.
How did the Prophet ﷺ do it, step by step?
His wife Aisha described it. Seven steps, in order:
1. Say Bismillah and wash your hands.
2. Wash your private parts, then wash that hand well with soap.
3. Make a full wudu, the same as for salah.
4. Run wet fingers through the roots of your hair until your scalp is wet.
5. Pour water over your head three times.
6. Wash the rest of your body, the right side first, then the left.
7. If you left your feet out of the wudu, wash them last. His wife Maimunah saw him do it that way.
Then check the spots people miss: behind the ears, the belly button, the armpits, between the toes, and under a ring or watch.
Do I have to undo my braids?
No. A woman asked Nabi ﷺ this exact question. He told her three handfuls of water over her head were enough. What matters is that the water reaches the roots.
Nail polish is different. It stops water from reaching the nail, so take it off first. Henna is only color, so it can stay.
Do I need wudu again after ghusl?
No. Aisha said Nabi ﷺ did not make wudu after his ghusl. The wudu inside the ghusl already counts, so you can pray straight away.
What if I cannot use water?
If water would truly harm you, because you are ill, or there is no water at all, you do tayammum instead. Allah allows it in the same verse that tells us to make ghusl: you strike clean earth and wipe your face and hands.
Allah says in that verse that He does not want to make things hard for you. A cold morning or a busy day is not a reason for tayammum. A real illness or no water is.
What if I cannot make ghusl right away?
You are not dirty as a person. A man once slipped away from Nabi ﷺ because he needed ghusl and felt he should not sit with him. Nabi ﷺ told him a believer never becomes unclean.
So you can talk, eat, work and sleep before ghusl. Making wudu before you sleep in that state is sunnah. Nabi ﷺ sometimes woke up in Ramadan still needing ghusl, then bathed and fasted that day.
The one thing you cannot do is let a prayer time pass. If you wake up needing ghusl at Fajr, make it in time to pray before sunrise. Being shy at home, or not wanting wet hair, is never a reason to miss salah.
Is there a ghusl for Friday?
Yes, but it is sunnah, not a must. Nabi ﷺ strongly encouraged a bath on Friday before Jumuah, and he also said wudu is fine and ghusl is better. Most scholars say it is a strong sunnah.
What to do
- Remember the three must-dos: the intention, your mouth and nose, and water over every part.
- Make ghusl before the prayer time runs out, even a quick one.
- Run water through to your scalp, and check behind the ears and between the toes.
- Take off nail polish and anything waterproof before you start.
What not to do
- Do not skip a prayer because you are shy about making ghusl.
- Do not undo tight braids if the water reaches the roots.
- Do not make ghusl for the clear fluid of arousal. Wudu is enough.
- Do not leave the water running. Nabi ﷺ bathed with about three to four liters.
One last thing
The next time you shower, do it the sunnah way once, step by step, with the intention of ghusl. After the first time it stops feeling like a rule and becomes your normal shower, and every one of them can carry reward.
Source: Quran 5:6; Quran 4:43; Quran 2:222; Sahih al-Bukhari 291; Sahih Muslim 348; Sahih al-Bukhari 282; Sahih al-Bukhari 331; Sunan Abi Dawud 236; Sahih al-Bukhari 248; Sahih Muslim 316; Sahih al-Bukhari 249; Sahih Muslim 330; Jami` at-Tirmidhi 107; Sahih al-Bukhari 283; Sahih al-Bukhari 287; Sahih al-Bukhari 1926; Sahih al-Bukhari 879; Jami` at-Tirmidhi 497; Sahih al-Bukhari 201
Learn more in our guides
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The teaching in this post comes from the Quran and the hadith listed above. I only put it in plain words. The tips on what to do and what not to do are my own advice. If you want to talk about anything in this post, write to me at salam@sunnahdaily.com.
For a ruling on your own situation, please speak to a qualified local scholar. You are welcome to email me about it as well, and I will help if I can, or point you to someone who can.