Essential Rulings of Janabah and Ghusl in Islamic Purification

❀ Rulings Related to Janābah (Major Impurity) and Issues of Purification ❀

◈ Circumstances That Make Ghusl Obligatory​

In Islam, ghusl becomes obligatory in the following cases:


① Emission of semen with sexual excitement (includes wet dreams)
② After sexual intercourse between husband and wife
③ Upon completion of menstruation (ḥayḍ)
④ Upon cessation of postpartum bleeding (nifās)

◈ Ghusl After Intercourse: Is Ejaculation Necessary?​

The Companions discussed whether ghusl becomes obligatory only upon penetration, or ejaculation is also a condition.


Sayyiduna Abū Mūsā رضي الله عنه asked Umm al-Mu’minīn ʿĀ’ishah رضي الله عنها about this. She replied:


“When a man sits between the four limbs of a woman and their circumcised parts touch, ghusl becomes obligatory.”
(Muslim: 349)


Another narration states:


“Once you have sexual contact — even if ejaculation does not occur — ghusl is mandatory.”
(Bukhārī: 291; Muslim: 348)


✔ Conclusion:
Ghusl becomes obligatory as soon as the private parts meet, even without ejaculation.

◈ Ruling on Women Having Wet Dreams​

Sayyidah Umm Sulaym رضي الله عنها asked:


“O Messenger of Allah, does a woman have to perform ghusl if she experiences a wet dream?”


The Prophet ﷺ replied:


“Yes, if she sees the trace of semen.”
Sayyidah Umm Salamah رضي الله عنها said, “Does a woman really have such dreams?”
He ﷺ said:
“Yes. May your hand be dusty!” (i.e., an Arabic idiom, not a curse)
(Bukhārī: 282; Muslim: 313)

◈ Seeing Wetness Without Recalling a Dream​

Sayyidah ʿĀ’ishah رضي الله عنها narrated:


When someone asked about a person who finds wetness but does not recall a dream, the Prophet ﷺ said:
“He must perform ghusl.”
And if someone remembers the dream but finds no wetness,
“Then ghusl is not obligatory.”
(Abū Dāwūd: 236)


✔ Conclusion:
Ghusl is obligatory only if traces of semen are present, regardless of dream memory.

◈ Ruling on Hair During Ghusl​

Sayyidah Umm Salamah رضي الله عنها asked:


“I braid my hair tightly. Should I untie it for ghusl (due to Janābah or ḥayḍ)?”
The Prophet ﷺ replied:


“No. Pour water over your head three times and wash the whole body.”
(Muslim: 330)


Sayyidah ʿĀ’ishah رضي الله عنها expressed surprise when she heard Ibn ʿUmar instructed women to untie their hair for ghusl. She said:


“Strange! He burdens women. He should rather instruct them to shave their heads.
The Prophet ﷺ and I used to perform ghusl from one vessel, and I would not pour more than three handfuls of water over my head.”
(Muslim: 331)


✔ Conclusion:

• Unbraiding hair is not required for ghusl Janābah.
• For ḥayḍ, unbraiding is recommended.
  (Ibn Mājah: 641 — Authentic according to al-Būṣīrī)

◈ Interacting With a Person in Janābah​

Sayyiduna Abū Hurayrah رضي الله عنه said:


“I once met the Prophet ﷺ in a state of Janābah. He took my hand, but I quietly left, bathed, and returned.
The Prophet ﷺ asked, ‘Where did you go, Abū Hurayrah?’
I explained, and he ﷺ said:
‘Subḥān Allāh! A believer is never impure.’”
(Bukhārī: 283; Muslim: 371)


✔ Clarification:
A Muslim in a state of Janābah is not physically impure; it is a ritual impurity.
Eating, talking, or sitting with such a person is not prohibited.

◈ Ruling on Madhī (Pre-Seminal Fluid)​

Sayyiduna ʿAlī رضي الله عنه said:


“I frequently experienced madhī, so I asked al-Miqdād to inquire from the Prophet ﷺ.
He ﷺ said:
‘If madhī comes out, wash the private part and perform wudu.’”
(Bukhārī: 176; Muslim: 303)


And he ﷺ said:


“If it stains your clothes, sprinkle a handful of water on that spot.”
(Abū Dāwūd: 206; Tirmidhī: 115 — Ḥasan Ṣaḥīḥ)

◈ Differences Between Madhī, Manī, and Wadhī​

• Madhī: A sticky fluid that emerges at the time of arousal without force.
  ➥ Wudu is required, not ghusl.
• Manī (Semen): A white fluid discharged with force and pleasure, from which children are born.
  ➥ Ghusl is obligatory.
• Wadhī: A thick white fluid discharged before or after urination.
  ➥ Wudu only, no ghusl.

◈ Vaginal Discharge (Leukorrhea) and Ghusl​

Women who experience white discharge (leukorrhea) are not required to perform ghusl.
They may continue praying regularly.