Ghusl & Tayammum
Ghusl
Ghusl is a full body purifying wash required after certain acts like sex, menstruation or post partum bleeding. You always have to do ghusl after your period has ended or when you think it has ended if you are having istihaadah bleeding. But, you don’t need to do ghusl after your istihaadah bleeding has stopped.
How to perform the ghusl:
- Intention – it is the basis of all action. Before ghusl, make your intention inside your heart, there is no need to verbalise.
- Say bismillahi rahmani raheem.
- Begin by washing your hands. Wash both of your hands 3 times, starting with the right hand, up to and including the wrists. Make sure you do not miss any part and rub between your fingers.
- Wash off the impurities (off the private parts and any other part of the body where there may be impurities). Now wash your hands.
- Rinse and gargle your mouth thoroughly, 3 times. Then take some water with your right hand, gently sniff it into your nostrils making sure it reaches the nasal passage, blow the water out using your left hand – removing the water from your nose. Do this three times.
- Thoroughly wash your entire face three times, from the hairline to the jawbone and bottom of your chin and from one earlobe to the other.
- Wash the right arm up to and including your elbow, 3 times. The arm extends from the fingertips, including the nails, to the lower part of the upper arm. It is essential to remove anything stuck to the hands before washing them, such as dough, mud, paint, nail polish etc, that could prevent the water from reaching the skin. Do the same with the LEFT ARM, 3 times.
- Pour water over your head 3 times, down to the roots, rubbing the roots of your hair with wet fingers.
- Pour water freely over your entire body, beginning with the right side, then the left side and then the entire body. Ensuring that no part of the body is untouched by water by rubbing your body with your hands.
- Move away from area were you did ghusl and Wash the right feet up to and including the ankles, 3 times. You should enter the water between the toes with your little finger and then wash the feet (note not wipe feet but wash them) and make sure you wash the sole of the foot and the heals. Make sure no parts of the foot is left dry. Wash the LEFT foot in the same way, 3 times.
If you have braids: you don’t have to undo your braids unless they are tied so tightly that the water will not reach the roots. Instead of pouring water directly on your head i.e. using a shower head, you can also pour three handfuls of water on your head (it still needs to reach your roots).
If you become pure during prayer time, you must hurry to do ghusl so that you can pray on time. If you are travelling and don’t have any water, the water is harmful, or you are sick and the water will harm you, then you should perform tayammum instead of ghusl. Complete your ghusl once there is no other reason stopping you from doing so.
Tayammum
Tayammum is a dry ablution, using purified sand or dust. This can be performed in place of wudhu or ghusl if no clean water is readily available or if you are sick and water will harm you. Tayammum is done by:
- Intention.
- Say bismillahi rahmani raheem.
- Strike the ground once with the palms of both of your hands.
- Wipe the back of your right hand with the palm of your left, and the back of your left hand with the palm of your right.
- Wipe your face with both hands.
- Recite the dua for completing wudhu:
أَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَا إِلَهَ إلَّا اللهُ وَحْدَهُ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ، وَأَشْهَدُ أَنَّ مُحَمَّداً عَبْدُهُ وَرَسُولُهُ
’Ash-hadu ‘an laa ‘ilaaha ‘illallaahu wahdahu laa shareeka lahu wa ‘ash-hadu ‘anna Muhammadan ‘abduhu wa Rasooluhu’
I bear witness that none has the right to be worshipped but Allah alone, Who has no partner; and I bear witness that Muhammad is His slave and His Messenger.
