❖ 10 Obligatory Evidences for Rinsing the Mouth and Nose in Wudhu and Ghusl ❖
Source: Fatāwā al-Dīn al-Khāliṣ, Volume 1, Page 362
Topic: The Ruling on Gargling in Wudhu and Ghusl – Shar‘i Explanation and Evidences
Is gargling obligatory during Wudhu and Ghusl? And if a fasting person experiences a wet dream during the day, is gargling required at Iftar time?
All praise is due to Allah, and blessings and peace be upon the Messenger of Allah. To proceed:
Gargling (ghargarah) in Wudhu or Ghusl is not established in any authentic Hadith. Likewise, a fasting person who experiences a wet dream during the day is not required to gargle at the time of breaking fast.
➊ Rinsing the nose thoroughly is obligatory when one is not fasting.
“Perfect your Wudhu, run your fingers through your fingers, and rinse the nose thoroughly unless you are fasting.”
(Abu Dāwud 1/29, Tirmidhi 1/41, Ibn Mājah 1/70, Mishkāt 1/76)
➋ Abu Hurairah رضي الله عنه reported:
“When one of you performs Wudhu, he should rinse his nose.”
(Abu Dāwud 1/29 – Authentic chain)
➌ From Ṣaḥīḥayn (Bukhari & Muslim):
“When one of you wakes up from sleep, he must blow water out of his nose three times, for the Shayṭān stays in his nose during the night.”
(Mishkāt 1/45)
✔ Key Points:
◈ The Qur'an commands washing the face, and both mouth and nose are part of the face, just as cheeks, eyes, and eyelids are.
➍ Hadith of Muslimah ibn Qays:
“When you perform Wudhu, blow water out of your nose.”
(Tirmidhi 1/10, Nasā’ī 1/27)
➎ Another narration of Laqīt ibn Ṣabrah رضي الله عنه:
“When you perform Wudhu, rinse your mouth.”
(Abu Dāwud 1/21 – Graded authentic by Hafiz Ibn Ḥajar in Fath al-Bārī)
➏ From Daraqutni:
“The Prophet ﷺ commanded rinsing the mouth and nose.”
Though some mentioned this hadith as mursal, the narrator Hudbah is a narrator of the Ṣaḥīḥayn, so the narration is acceptable.
➐ Zād al-Maʿād (1/167) – Ibn al-Qayyim رحمه الله:
“It is never reported that the Prophet ﷺ omitted rinsing the mouth and nose in any of his Wudhu or Ghusl.”
➑ Statements of Abu Bishr al-Dūlābī and Abu al-Ḥasan ibn al-Qaṭṭān:
“When you perform Wudhu, exaggerate in rinsing the mouth and nose, unless you are fasting.”
➒ Bayhaqi’s Report (1/52) – from ʿĀ’ishah رضي الله عنها:
“Rinsing the mouth and nose is essential in Wudhu.”
Objection:
“Ten things are from the Sunnah.”
Response:
This refers to natural human customs (fitrah), not the Sunnah in the jurisprudential sense.
Objection:
“The Qur’an mentions washing the face, but not rinsing the mouth or nose.”
Response:
Rinsing the mouth (madhmadah) and nose (istinshāq) are included in washing the face, as they are part of it.
Objection:
“Ibn ʿAbbās رضي الله عنه narrated that rinsing the mouth and nose is Sunnah, not obligatory.”
Response:
This narration is weak due to the presence of Ismāʿīl ibn Muslim, a weak narrator.
(Daraqutni 1/85)
✔ Supporting Verse:
“وَمَا آتَاكُمُ الرَّسُولُ فَخُذُوهُ وَمَا نَهَاكُمْ عَنْهُ فَانتَهُوا”
(Al-Ḥashr)
“Whatever the Messenger gives you – take it, and whatever he forbids you – abstain from it.”
◈ Imam al-Shawkānī (Al-Sayl al-Jarrār 1/81):
“The opinion of obligation is correct, because the Qur’an commands washing the face, and both actions are included in the face.”
◈ Imam Ibn Ḥazm (Al-Muḥallā 1/297):
“Rinsing the nose and mouth is obligatory.”
◈ Shah Waliullah – Ḥujjatullāh al-Bālighah (2/175):
“No authentic and explicit narration proves that the Prophet ﷺ ever performed Wudhu without rinsing the mouth and nose.”
◈ Madhmadah (مضمضہ): Swirling water inside the mouth.
◈ Istinshāq (استنشاق): Drawing water into the nose and then blowing it out.
Gargling (taking water deep into the throat) has no basis in the Sharīʿah.
Inserting fingers into the nose has no Sharʿī evidence.
“The Prophet ﷺ rinsed the mouth and nose from a single handful of water, and did this three times.”
(Muttafaqun ʿAlayh)
Note:
Some other narrations also establish doing them separately.
Rinsing the mouth (madhmadah) and rinsing the nose (istinshāq) are obligatory parts of both Wudhu and Ghusl, based on the Qur’an, authentic Sunnah, and the practice of the Prophet ﷺ. Gargling and inserting fingers in the nose are not legislated practices.
Hādha mā ʿindī, wallāhu aʿlam bis-ṣawāb.
Source: Fatāwā al-Dīn al-Khāliṣ, Volume 1, Page 362
Topic: The Ruling on Gargling in Wudhu and Ghusl – Shar‘i Explanation and Evidences
❖ Question
Is gargling obligatory during Wudhu and Ghusl? And if a fasting person experiences a wet dream during the day, is gargling required at Iftar time?
❖ Answer
All praise is due to Allah, and blessings and peace be upon the Messenger of Allah. To proceed:
Gargling (ghargarah) in Wudhu or Ghusl is not established in any authentic Hadith. Likewise, a fasting person who experiences a wet dream during the day is not required to gargle at the time of breaking fast.
✿ The Obligation of Rinsing the Nose and Mouth in Wudhu and Ghusl
✔ Shar‘i Rulings:
➊ Rinsing the nose thoroughly is obligatory when one is not fasting.
- Hadith of Laqīt ibn Ṣabrah رضي الله عنه:
“Perfect your Wudhu, run your fingers through your fingers, and rinse the nose thoroughly unless you are fasting.”
(Abu Dāwud 1/29, Tirmidhi 1/41, Ibn Mājah 1/70, Mishkāt 1/76)
➋ Abu Hurairah رضي الله عنه reported:
“When one of you performs Wudhu, he should rinse his nose.”
(Abu Dāwud 1/29 – Authentic chain)
➌ From Ṣaḥīḥayn (Bukhari & Muslim):
“When one of you wakes up from sleep, he must blow water out of his nose three times, for the Shayṭān stays in his nose during the night.”
(Mishkāt 1/45)
✿ Why Rinsing the Mouth and Nose is Obligatory in Wudhu and Ghusl
✔ Key Points:
◈ The Qur'an commands washing the face, and both mouth and nose are part of the face, just as cheeks, eyes, and eyelids are.
✔ Additional Evidences:
➍ Hadith of Muslimah ibn Qays:
“When you perform Wudhu, blow water out of your nose.”
(Tirmidhi 1/10, Nasā’ī 1/27)
➎ Another narration of Laqīt ibn Ṣabrah رضي الله عنه:
“When you perform Wudhu, rinse your mouth.”
(Abu Dāwud 1/21 – Graded authentic by Hafiz Ibn Ḥajar in Fath al-Bārī)
➏ From Daraqutni:
“The Prophet ﷺ commanded rinsing the mouth and nose.”
Though some mentioned this hadith as mursal, the narrator Hudbah is a narrator of the Ṣaḥīḥayn, so the narration is acceptable.
➐ Zād al-Maʿād (1/167) – Ibn al-Qayyim رحمه الله:
“It is never reported that the Prophet ﷺ omitted rinsing the mouth and nose in any of his Wudhu or Ghusl.”
➑ Statements of Abu Bishr al-Dūlābī and Abu al-Ḥasan ibn al-Qaṭṭān:
“When you perform Wudhu, exaggerate in rinsing the mouth and nose, unless you are fasting.”
➒ Bayhaqi’s Report (1/52) – from ʿĀ’ishah رضي الله عنها:
“Rinsing the mouth and nose is essential in Wudhu.”
✿ Responses to Common Objections
Objection:“Ten things are from the Sunnah.”
Response:
This refers to natural human customs (fitrah), not the Sunnah in the jurisprudential sense.
Objection:“The Qur’an mentions washing the face, but not rinsing the mouth or nose.”
Response:
Rinsing the mouth (madhmadah) and nose (istinshāq) are included in washing the face, as they are part of it.
Objection:“Ibn ʿAbbās رضي الله عنه narrated that rinsing the mouth and nose is Sunnah, not obligatory.”
Response:
This narration is weak due to the presence of Ismāʿīl ibn Muslim, a weak narrator.
(Daraqutni 1/85)
✔ Supporting Verse:
“وَمَا آتَاكُمُ الرَّسُولُ فَخُذُوهُ وَمَا نَهَاكُمْ عَنْهُ فَانتَهُوا”
(Al-Ḥashr)
“Whatever the Messenger gives you – take it, and whatever he forbids you – abstain from it.”
✿ Opinions of Renowned Scholars
◈ Imam al-Shawkānī (Al-Sayl al-Jarrār 1/81):
“The opinion of obligation is correct, because the Qur’an commands washing the face, and both actions are included in the face.”
◈ Imam Ibn Ḥazm (Al-Muḥallā 1/297):
“Rinsing the nose and mouth is obligatory.”
◈ Shah Waliullah – Ḥujjatullāh al-Bālighah (2/175):
“No authentic and explicit narration proves that the Prophet ﷺ ever performed Wudhu without rinsing the mouth and nose.”
✿ Linguistic Clarifications
◈ Madhmadah (مضمضہ): Swirling water inside the mouth.
◈ Istinshāq (استنشاق): Drawing water into the nose and then blowing it out.
✿ On Gargling and Inserting Fingers in the Nose
Gargling (taking water deep into the throat) has no basis in the Sharīʿah. Inserting fingers into the nose has no Sharʿī evidence.✔ Hadith of ʿAbdullāh ibn Zayd رضي الله عنه:
“The Prophet ﷺ rinsed the mouth and nose from a single handful of water, and did this three times.”
(Muttafaqun ʿAlayh)
Note:
Some other narrations also establish doing them separately.
Conclusion:
Rinsing the mouth (madhmadah) and rinsing the nose (istinshāq) are obligatory parts of both Wudhu and Ghusl, based on the Qur’an, authentic Sunnah, and the practice of the Prophet ﷺ. Gargling and inserting fingers in the nose are not legislated practices.
Hādha mā ʿindī, wallāhu aʿlam bis-ṣawāb.
