Okay, so this one is for all of us married girls out there... You and your hubby had *fun* last night and now it is time for Fajr prayer... So, you get up, take a shower, make wudu and make salat. Cool... all is well right? You have done your duties for your husband and your Lord... now you can go on about your day. Well, not so fast there, sister! Did you take a shower or did you make a ghusl? A ghusl is the purification that is obligatory after intercourse.
How Ghusl Is Performed:
According to the practice of the Prophet, upon whom be peace, the correct manner of performing ghusl is:
1. wash both hands three times,
2. wash the private parts,
3. make a complete wudu (ablution) like the one made for prayer.
4. rub water through one's hair three times, letting the water reach down to the roots of the hair, (yes, girls...this means ruining that perfect hairdo!)
5. pour water over the entire body, begining with the right side, then the left, washing under the armpits, inside the ears, inside the navel, inside the toes and whatever part of the body can be easily rubbed. This account is based on the following report from 'Aishah:
"When the Prophet, upon whom be peace, took his bath after
sexual intercourse, he would begin by washing his hands. Then he would
pour water from his right hand to his left and wash his sexual organs,
make the ablution for prayer, take some water and put his fingers to the
roots of his hair to the extent that he sees that the skin is wet, then
pour water over his head three times and then over the rest of his
body." -Related by al-Bukhari and Muslim.
Ghusl For Women:
A woman performs ghusl just as a man does, except that if she has plaited hair she does not have to undo it, provided that the water can reach the roots of her hair. Umm Salamah said,
"O Messenger of Allah, I am a woman who has closely plaited hair on my head. Do
I have to undo them for ghusl after sexual intercourse?" He said, "No, it is
enough for you to throw three handfuls of water on your head and then pour water
over yourself. After doing this, you shall be cleansed." Related by Ahmad,
Muslim and at-Tirmidhi
So, considering the fact that we all have to wash our hair COMPLETELY with water on "the early morning after", what should we, as Muslimahs do with our hair? Should we blow hundreds of dollars on our hair like many of us may have done during our single days just to ruin it the same night? Do we always have a low-maintenance (and less sexy) ponytail? Do we shave our heads? Anyhow, that is OUR rant for the day... What is YOUR ghusl rant?
Najwa & Nadira
Muslimah2Muslimah
JazakAllah for the reminder sisters. Brava for raising the issue of complacency and providing the hadith... =]
ReplyDeleteThanks for this post! Pre-fajr ghusl is such a struggle for the lazy girls like me lol. Braids are the best style for me because of this. After I shower/ghusl/washmyhair I apply a moisturizer and then seal it with an oil like coconut. I straighten my hair only when I'm not praying.
ReplyDeleteAssalaamualaikum-
ReplyDeleteI think natural hair is beautiful. Whether your hair is naturally staight, wavy, curly, tightly coiled-whatever. So whatever your hair naturally does when being touched with water-is a-ok. As long as it is healthy : )
Anyway "fun" with the hubby beats a high maintenance style anyday.
Hey ASSalam its your biggest fan Khareem Moqada. AS usual, very informative piece. But I wanted to double check something pertaining to wudu before fajr. I read a hadith by Abu Dawud which specifically instructed that wudu is not necessary after one takes a bath: Aishah reported: The apostle of Allah(may peace be upon him) took a bath and offered two rakahs of prayer and said the dawn prayer. I do not think he performed abultion after taking a bath. Abu Dawud comments that "The tradition indicates that it is not necessary to perform ablution after taking a bath if nothing happens during or after the bath that makes the abultion void. The reason is that one already performs ablution in the beginning of the bath."
ReplyDeleteSo it is not consequentially mandatory to do wudu after taking a bath. However in another hadith, also by Dawud, where you get extra deeds for performing wudu when not necessary "Abu Ghutaif al-Hudhall reported: I was in the company of Ibn 'Umar. When the call for the noon(zuhr) prayer, he performed ablution and said the prayer. When the call for the afternoon(asr) prayer was made, he again performed ablution. thus I asked him(about the reason of performing ablution). He repied: The Apostle of Allah( may peace be upon him)said: For a man who performs ablution in a state of purity, ten virtuous deeds will be recorded(in his favour). (Abu Dawud specified that this is the tradition narrated by Musaddad, and it is more perfect.)
So this is good news for lazy people like me who strive hard to wake up in morning. But you guys were not necessarily wrong anyways, encouragng extra deeds is good.
Yes... that is a hadith that I read as well, Anonymous... however, the SUNNAH is to make wudu. Shukran for that!
ReplyDeleteLove this post (and the blog as a whole which I just recently found). I do have a couple of questions as a newer Muslimah:
ReplyDeleteI can't wet my hair without washing it with shampoo or it will be a big grease ball. When making ghusl, should I do a regular shower with soap and shampoo first then do ghusl, or do ghusl first then continue to wash or does it not matter?
If you have to make ghusl, is it necessary to also make wudu before praying as well (if nothing occurs between ghusl and prayer time)? I know some people who believe you have to do wudu even after ghusl, but I've also heard it's not necessary.
What does it mean when you say "one already performs ablution at the beginning of the bath"? Are we supposed to do ablution at the start of a bath or shower??? Sorry, I've never heard or been taught that if it's what you mean. Or, maybe it just means wudu is performed by the acts of cleaning oneself fully with soap and water however one normally does? If you just take a regular bath or shower, you don't have to make wudu before prayer...I never new this. Help a sister clarify these Q's please, jazak Allah.
As Salamu Alaikum sisters,
ReplyDeleteI love love love this post and topic. i dont think its something we really think about UNTIL we get married, lol. as far as hair goes, i think natural is the way to go. u no longer have to fret about getting it wet, becuase natural hair loves and needs water.
As far as some of the questions above go, from what i've learned when u make "ghusul" u should use water that is "pure and purifying", i.e. no soap, shower/bath gels, shampoos etc. just water. so when u get in the shower, u can make ur intention for the ghusul, perform the steps outlined above, completing ur ghusul, and then, if u so desire (as i do) wash w/ shower gel, shampoo hair, etc..... OR vice versa, meaning u can use soap products first, and then end w/ the actual "ghusul".
As far as wudu within the ghusul goes, u wouldn't have to make it again as long as you don't invalidate it after having made it in the first place. For example, if u follow the steps above, in order. and then get out the shower, u still have wudu. however if u do the ghusul, then wash again w/ soap products (and in doing so touch ur private parts... which invalidate ur wudu), u would have to perform wudu again.
So in closing, wudu is valid as long as u dont invalidate it. and both ghusul and wudu should be done w/ pure water free of soap, shampoo, dirt, etc. And Allah know's best.
(i'll try to search my old notes for some proofs, and post later, iA.)
Salam alaykoum
ReplyDeleteAs a new Muslimah I often take a shower to take off the janabah before sleeping, then make my normal wudu in the morning.
Salam Alaikum,
ReplyDeleteI had to comment on this, recently I was going through fatawa books to figure out if I had to wash my hair during ghusul after Janabah (for future :P) and I came across several fatawa that say that any part of ghusul is exempted if it is harmful for a person's health.
I wash my hair every other day and I put olive and coconut oil before every wash to ensure it remains luscious and YUMMY! I have the silky straight hair. If I were to wash my hair everyday or sometimes more than once a day my hair WILL dry out and then fall out. FACT. And thus in such cases the scholars have said that wiping it will be sufficient.
The scholars have also said that it is better that a woman wash her hair after menstruation.
And Allah (s.w.t.) knows best.
(: