🧼 Sharʿī Ruling on Using a Towel After Wuḍūʾ and Ghusl
Source: Fatāwā ʿIlmiyyah, Vol. 1 – Kitāb al-ʿAqāʾid, p. 217
Question by: Abū Qatādah, Basti Balochān Fard, District Sargodha
❖ Question:
Is it permissible to dry the body with a cloth or towel after wuḍūʾ (ablution) or ghusl (ritual bath)?
❖ Answer:
Alḥamdulillāh, waṣ-ṣalātu was-salāmu ʿalā Rasūlillāh, Ammā baʿd…
Yes — it is permissible to use a towel or cloth to dry the body after both wuḍūʾ and ghusl, though it is preferable not to.
Let’s examine both cases in detail:
① Using a Towel After Wuḍūʾ
🔹 Evidence from Ḥadīth
📖 It is narrated from Salman al-Fārsī (RA):
“Indeed, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ performed wuḍūʾ, then turned his woolen cloak and wiped his face with it.”
(Sunan Ibn Mājah: 468, 3564)
Though some scholars consider this narration weak, others such as:
◈ Ḥāfiẓ al-Buṣayrī graded it ṣaḥīḥ,
◈ Shaykh al-Albānī graded it ḥasan.
🔹 Practice of the Companions
📖 Anas ibn Mālik (RA) used to dry his face with a handkerchief after wuḍūʾ.
(Al-Awsaṭ by Ibn al-Mundhir: 1/415 – ḥasan chain)
📖 Bashīr ibn Abī Masʿūd (RA) also dried himself after wuḍūʾ.
(Al-Awsaṭ: 1/416 – ṣaḥīḥ chain)
🔹 Views of the Tābiʿīn and Scholars
✅ Permissible According to:
- Ḥasan al-Baṣrī
- Muḥammad ibn Sīrīn
- Imām Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal
(See: Ibn Abī Shaybah: 1/148–149; Masāʾil Abī Dāwūd, p. 12)
❌ Disliked or Considered Innovation By:
- ʿAṭāʾ ibn Abī Rabāḥ – considered it a bidʿah
- Ibrāhīm al-Nakhaʿī and Saʿīd ibn Jubayr – considered it makrūh
(Ibn Abī Shaybah: 1/150 – authentic chains)
🔸 Verdict for Wuḍūʾ:
✔ Drying the face and limbs after wuḍūʾ is permissible
✔ Better (afḍal) to leave the water to dry naturally, unless needed
✔ There is no sin in using a towel or cloth
② Using a Towel After Ghusl
📖 Ḥadīth of Maymūnah (RA):
“After the Prophet ﷺ finished his ghusl, a towel was brought to him, but he did not use it.”
(Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī: 259, 276; Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim: 317 — with varying wordings)
Scholarly Commentary
Imām Ibn al-Mundhir (RA) said:
“This narration does not prove prohibition or obligation.
Sometimes, the Prophet ﷺ would leave a permissible act so that it would not be perceived as obligatory.”
(Al-Awsaṭ: 1/419)
✔ Imām Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal also allowed using a towel after ghusl
(Masāʾil Abī Dāwūd, p. 12)
🔸 Verdict for Ghusl:
✔ It is permissible to dry the body after ghusl
✔ Better to let the body air-dry, but no harm if a towel is used
✔ In cold weather, using a towel is even more appropriate to avoid illness
③ Final Summary and Ruling
✅ After Wuḍūʾ:
- Using a towel is permissible
- Better not to, but there is no sin or blame in doing so
✅ After Ghusl:
- Using a towel is also permissible
- Leaving it is afḍal, but especially in winter, drying is better
📌 Some early scholars discouraged it, but major muḥaddithīn and fuqahāʾ allowed it — including the Prophet’s ﷺ own silence on the matter.
وَاللّٰهُ أَعْلَمُ بِالصَّوَاب
