Sharʿī Ruling on Using a Towel After Wuḍūʾ and Ghusl

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