What Makes Ghusl Obligatory? Key Reasons Explained in Islam

Conditions That Make Ghusl Obligatory in Islam


Source:
This article is derived from the book 500 Questions & Answers for Women, a compilation of Fatawa by the Scholars of the Haramain. Translated by Hafiz Abdullah Saleem.

❖ Question:​

What are the situations that make ghusl (ritual bathing) obligatory?

❖ Answer:​

The situations that make ghusl (full-body ritual purification) obligatory are as follows:

① Emission of Semen (Mani) During Wakefulness or Sleep​

If semen is discharged with sexual desire, whether the person is awake or asleep, ghusl becomes obligatory.


✔ In the case of sleep, even if the person does not feel the sensation of ejaculation, but semen is seen after waking up, ghusl is required.
✔ This includes wet dreams (iḥtilām) that occur without the person being conscious of them.


Therefore, any emission of semen with desire—awake or asleep—necessitates ghusl.

② Sexual Intercourse (Jima')​

If a husband engages in sexual intercourse with his wife such that the head of the male organ (ḥashafah) enters the woman’s private part (farj), then ghusl becomes obligatory, even if there is no ejaculation.


This is based on the following two hadiths:


"الماء من الماء"
[Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, Ḥadīth No. 343]
"Ghusl is due to the discharge of semen."


And:

"إذا جلس بين شعبها الأربع ثم جهلها، فقد وجب الغسل"
[Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 287, Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 348]
"When a man sits between her four parts and penetrates her, ghusl becomes obligatory."


✔ This hadith shows that ghusl is obligatory even without ejaculation.


Many people are unaware of this and may go for weeks or months engaging in intercourse without ghusl simply because there was no ejaculation—this is a serious mistake.
It is essential to learn these rulings and understand that penetration alone obligates ghusl.

③ Menstruation (Ḥayḍ) and Postnatal Bleeding (Nifās)​

When a woman experiences menstruation or postnatal bleeding, ghusl becomes obligatory once the bleeding stops.


Qur’anic Evidence:


"فَاعْتَزِلُوا النِّسَاءَ فِي الْمَحِيضِ ۖ وَلَا تَقْرَبُوهُنَّ حَتَّىٰ يَطْهُرْنَ ۖ فَإِذَا تَطَهَّرْنَ فَأْتُوهُنَّ…"
[Al-Baqarah: 222]
“So keep away from women during menstruation and do not approach them until they are pure. Then, once they have purified themselves (through ghusl), approach them as Allah has commanded you…”


✔ The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم instructed women suffering from prolonged bleeding (istiḥāḍah) to perform ghusl after the menstrual period ends.


✔ The same ruling applies to postnatal bleeding (nifās)—ghusl is required after it ends.


Some scholars also recommend using sidr (lote leaves) during ghusl for menstruation, as it brings greater cleanliness.

④ Death (for the Deceased)​

Some scholars count death as a situation where ghusl becomes obligatory, meaning that it is obligatory upon the living to give ghusl to the deceased.


Evidence:


➤ The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said to the women washing his daughter:


"إغسلنها ثلاثا أو خمسا أو سبعا، أو أكثر من ذلك إن رأيتن ذلك"
[Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 1196, Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 939]
“Wash her three, five, or seven times—or more if you think it is necessary.”


➤ Regarding the man who died in iḥrām:


"إغسلوه بماء وسدر وكفنوه في ثوبيه"
[Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 1206, Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 1206]
“Wash him with water and lote leaves, and shroud him in his two garments.”


Though the deceased is no longer obligated to perform acts of worship, the living are obligated to wash the body, in accordance with the Prophet’s command.

❖ Summary:​

Ghusl becomes obligatory in the following cases:


① Ejaculation with desire, whether awake or asleep
② Sexual intercourse, even without ejaculation
③ End of menstruation or postnatal bleeding
④ Death, as a duty upon the living to perform ghusl for the deceased


(Fatwa by: Shaykh Muḥammad ibn Ṣāliḥ al-‘Uthaymīn رحمه الله)