How do I do ghusl?
Yes, it's simple. Here's the short version. Ghusl is the full ritual bath. Make the intention to purify yourself, then get water over your entire body, including your hair and scalp. That's the minimum. The sunnah way adds a few steps the Prophet ﷺ followed, like washing your hands and making wudu first, and it takes only a few minutes in a normal shower.
The minimum that makes ghusl valid
All four schools agree on two essentials: the intention (in your heart, no words needed) and water reaching every part of the body, including the roots of your hair. A few extras are required in some schools:
- Hanafi and Hanbali: rinsing the mouth and nose is also required.
- Maliki: rubbing the body with your hand while washing (dalk) is required, and you shouldn't take a long break in the middle.
- Shafi'i: intention and washing the whole body are enough.
If you include all of these, your ghusl is valid by every school. A regular shower can count as ghusl when you do it this way. See Does a shower count as wudu?
The sunnah way, step by step
Aisha described how the Prophet ﷺ bathed after janabah: he washed his hands, made wudu as for prayer, ran his wet fingers through the roots of his hair, poured three handfuls of water over his head, then poured water over his whole body (Sahih al-Bukhari 248). Maymuna added that he washed his private parts and washed his feet at the end, after stepping aside (Sahih al-Bukhari 249). Put together:
- Make the intention to purify yourself and say "Bismillah."
- Wash your hands.
- Wash your private parts and any impurity on your body.
- Make wudu as you do for prayer (you can leave your feet for the end).
- Run wet fingers through your hair to the scalp, then pour water over your head three times.
- Wash your whole body, starting with the right side, then the left.
- Wash your feet if you left them.
Shampoo and soap are fine before, during or after. Check easy-to-miss spots: behind the ears, the belly button, under the arms and between the toes.
Long hair and braids
Umm Salama asked the Prophet ﷺ whether she had to undo her tight braids for ghusl after intercourse. He said no: three handfuls of water on her head and then washing her body were enough (Sahih Muslim 330). So for women, water has to reach the scalp, but you don't have to unbraid. Many scholars apply this to ghusl after a period too, while some Hanbali scholars recommend undoing braids then. Men with long hair should wet it fully.
After ghusl
Ghusl also counts as wudu, so you can pray straight away, as long as you didn't do anything that breaks wudu during or after it. See What breaks wudu? If you keep wondering whether a spot got wet, trust that a normal shower covers it. See What is waswas and how do I deal with it?
- Minimum ghusl: intention plus water over the whole body.
- Rinse mouth and nose and rub as you wash to cover every school.
- The sunnah way starts with wudu and three pours over the head.
- Women don't need to undo braids if water reaches the scalp.
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