- Method Of Bathing

The method of bathing is as follows;

(a) Perform the intention of bathing (Ghusl) then first of all wash the hands upto the wrists three times.
(b) Then wash the private parts, whether there is any impurity stuck on them or not.
(c) Then wash any part of the body which has impurity stuck on it.
(d) Then perform Wudhu as performed in Salaah but do not wash the feet. However, if you are sat on a stool or a stone etc. then wash the feet also.
(e) Then rub water into the body as you would rub oil.
(f) Then wash the right hand shoulder three times.
(g) Then wash the left hand shoulder three times.
(h) Then wash the head and all of the body three times.
(i) Then move away from the place of bathing and if you did not wash the feet when performing Wudhu, wash them now.

C7.2 Do not face the Qibla when bathing.

C7.3 Ensure that you rub your hands with water all over the body whilst scrubbing.

C7.4 Do not bathe where someone can see you. If this is not possible then it is necessary for you to cover the body from the navel to the knees (for men). If this is not possible then perform Tayammum (C22.0).

C7.4 Do not talk when bathing or pray any prayers. After bathing, to dry the body with a towel is perfectly allowed.

C7.5 To bath naked in a careful hidden place (where no one can see) is allowed. It is very important that women are very careful of this.

C7.6 After bathing wear clothes as soon as possible.

C7.7 Whatever aspects are Sunnah and Mustahhab in Wudhu are also the same in bathing except, if you are bathing naked then do not face Qibla and if you are wearing a cloth then there is no problem. There are three obligatory aspects in the method of bathing that has been shown, without which the bathing will not count and one will remain unclean and the rest are either Sunnah or Mustahhab and should not be left out, but if they are left out the bath will still count.

Three obligatory aspects of bathing
There are three obligatory aspects in bathing, and are as follows;
1. To perform mouthwash so that every single part of the inside of the mouth from the beginning of the lips upto the throat is cleaned with water. Water must reach the gaps between the teeth, the gums, all the sides of the tongue and the edge of the throat. If you are not fasting then you must gargle so that the water reaches clearly all parts. If there is anything stuck in the teeth (like strands of meat, the skin of a betel nut, the leaf of a paan etc.) then unless it is impossible to release or would cause serious pain it is necessary that they are removed, because without doing this the bath won't count and therefore the Salaah won't count.

2. To clean the nose out with water. Meaning to suck up water into both nostrils until it reaches the bone, so that not even a hair or it's equivalent size remains dry, otherwise the bath will not count. If the nose is pierced then the water must reach the hole as this is also necessary. If mucus has dried in the nose then to release it is necessary and to wash the nostril hair is also necessary.

3. To wash every single part of the body. Meaning to make sure water washes all the body upto and including the soles of the feet, ensuring that every hair and every pimple is washed, because even if only one hair or it's point's equivalent remains dry, the bath will not count.

C8.1 A lot of people bathe by wearing an unclean cloth and think by bathing they will become clean and at the same time wash the cloth that they are wearing. This is not the case because when they rub their hands on it they actually spread the impurity all over and therefore make the whole body, cloth and the container of water unclean. This is why before bathing it is important to wash the impurity stuck on the body or on the clothing, otherwise they won't clean the body but in fact make everything that they touch unclean. This is possible if they are bathing in a river or sea and the impurity is such that it will flow away without the need for rubbing or scrubbing, if this is not so then it will remain a problem.

 What aspects makes it obligatory to bathe
There are five aspects that make it obligatory for a person to have a bath, and they are as follows;
1. The ejaculation of sperm from it's place with lust.

2. To have a wet dream. Meaning nocturnal emission that is the releasing of sperm whilst sleeping.

3. The head of the penis to enter the vagina, whether it be with or without lust, with or without orgasm, the bathing would be obligatory on both.

4. To become clean from menstrual pause (period).

5. To become clean from blood after child birth. 

C9.1 If sperm was ejaculated from it's place but not due to lust, i.e. it was done by lifting a heavy load or falling from a height, then to bathe is not obligatory, however, the Wudhu is broken.

C9.2 If semen dropped but was very thin and it came out whilst urinating or on it's own accord without lust then the bath does not become necessary but the Wudhu will break.

C9.3 To bathe on Fridays, Eid days, on the day of Arafah (9th Zil Hajj) or when wearing the Ehraam is Sunnah.

Things that can and cannot be done when bathing is obligatory
C10.1 It is strictly forbidden to enter a mosque, to perform Tawaf (of Kabah), to touch the Qur'an, or any part of the Qur'an whether it is in sections or volumes [Hadiya, Alamgiri] , to pray the Qur'an whilst viewing it without touching it, to pray the Qur'an verbally, to wear or touch a ring with a word of the Qur'an written on it when it is obligatory for you to bathe.

C10.2 If the Qur'an is wrapped in it's cloth (Juzdaan) or has a napkin wrapped around it, then there is no problem touching it without bathing [Hadiya, Hindiya]. If a verse of the Qur'an is prayed but the intention was not to pray as part of the Qur'an, then there is problem. For example, to say 'Bismilla Hirrahma Nirrahim' for auspiciousness, or to say 'Alhamdu Lillahe Rabbil Aalameen' for thankfulness or to pray when in trouble or worried 'Inna Lillahe Wa Inna Ilahi Raji'oon' or for praise the Surah Fatiha was prayed or Aayatul Qursi was prayed or another verse was prayed, however, the intention was not to pray a verse of the Qur'an, then there is no problem [Hindiya etc.].

C10.3 To touch the Qur'an or any verse of the Qur'an without ablution (but not in need to bathe) is forbidden, however to pray it verbally is no problem.

C10.4 To see the Qur'an, whether the words are seen and then prayed in the heart is allowed in any situation.

C10.5 To touch the Fiqha, Hadith or Tafseer books is Makrooh.

Which water is allowed to bathe or perform ablution and which is not
C11.1 Rainwater, sea water, ocean water, river water, stream water, canal water, well water, large pool or large lake or flowing water, snow and hailstone water is all allowed to be used to bathe or perform ablution or to clean impurities.

The rules and clarification of flowing water
C12.1 The clarification of flowing water is the water that flows a piece of straw, this water is clean and can clean other things. The water will not become impure if some impurity is added in it, so as long as the water's colour, smell and taste does not change.

C12.2 If the colour, smell or taste is changed by the impurity then the water has become impure (napak). This water will now only become clean when the impurity reaches the bottom of the waterbed and all three aspects are reverted back to it's normal situation. Otherwise, there is more water added in which would flow the impurity away and/or change the colour, smell and taste back to normal.

C12.3 If the clean addition has changed the colour, smell and taste then you can perform Wudhu or Ghusl (ablution or bath) until the clean addition changes to impurity. 

The rule and clarification of a large pool
C13.1 Ten arms in length and ten arms in width where water is held in known as a 'Dadarda' or large pool. It is still counted if the length is twenty arms in length and five arms in width, or it is twenty five arms in length and four arms in width, meaning it is at least twenty arms square in total. If the pool is circular then it must be approximately thirty five arms in diameter and it does not have any part of the ground above water in that diameter, this is also counted as a large pool. It will not become impure by having impurities added in, until the colour, smell or taste does not change due to the impurity.

C13.2 If an impurity falls in a large pool that cannot be seen, e.g. alcohol, urine, etc. then you can perform ablution from wherever you want. If an impurity falls in that can be seen, e.g. stools, dead animal etc. then it is better to perform ablution away from where the impurity is.

C13.3 Many people can perform ablution together in a large pool, even though the used water is falling back in. However, mucus, phlegm, spittle should not be added back in the water as it is against purity. 

Rule of used water
C14.1 The water that has fallen from performing ablution or bath is clean but is not allowed to be used to perform ablution or bath.

C14.2 If a person who has not performed ablution, dips his hand or finger or fingernail or any part of the body which is washed in ablution, whether purposely or by mistake, in a tub of water which is less then a large pool (Dadarda) then that water cannot be used to perform ablution or bath. In the same way, if a person is in need of having a bath and any part of his body touches the water purposely or by mistake, then that water cannot be used to perform a bath or ablution. If the part of the body or hand has been washed, then there is no problem. 

Advice on making use of the used water
C15.1 If a hand is put into the water or you want to use the used water then the way of re-using it again is to add fresh clean water more than the amount of water that is held in the container or to add clean water at one side so that the used water is flowed away, then you can use the new water to have a bath or perform ablution. If water is held in small pots and you are unaware of any impurities added in them, then ablution is allowed.

C15.2 If an infidel informs you that this water is clean or unclean, the water will remain clean as this was it's original situation.

C15.3 Ablution cannot be performed with water squeezed from a branch of a tree or fruit water, such as water from a melon or mango or sugarcane.

C15.4 If a small amount of a clean item is added to water, such as a rose, jasmine, saffron, soil or sand then it is allowed to use the water to have a bath.

C15.5 If such colour or saffron is added to water so much that the due to the colour the clothes would change to that colour, then it is not allowed to perform ablution or have a bath with this water.

C15.6 If milk is added to water and the colour of the water changes to the colour of the milk, then it is not allowed to perform ablution or have a bath with this water.