Alhassanain(p) Network for Heritage and Islamic Thought

Dialogue on Nifas

I’ll talk to you today about nifas.

* What is nifas?

- It is a type of bleeding which occurs after childbirth.

* How long does this bleeding last?

- A maximum of ten days.

* Is there a minimum period for it?

- There is no lower limit for it.

* Does it vary from one woman to another?

- A woman in a state of nifas could fall in one of three categories:

1. The first category is that of a woman whose bleeding does not go beyond ten days.

* What is the ruling in her case?

- The entire period of bleeding is treated as nifas.

The second category is that of women, who have regular monthly periods of a duration of, say, five days, and whose bleeding goes beyond ten days.

* What is the ruling in their case?

- They must treat the duration of nifas as equal to that of a monthly period, such as in the example I gave earlier on.

* What about the remaining days?

- They should be treated as istihadha.

The third category is that of women, with no regular monthly periods and no specified number of days, whose bleeding exceeds ten days.

* What is the ruling in their case?

- They must treat ten days only as the duration of nifas.

* Well, suppose a woman in a state of nifas has a fixed monthly period, and the bleeding exceeded the specified number of days she usually has her period for. She was unsure whether the bleeding would stop before or after the ten-day period. What should she do?

- She should abandon all acts of worship until after the lapse of the ten-day period. If the bleeding stopped, she has to treat the entire period as nifas. Should the bleeding continue after the tenth day, she must perform ghusl and uphold the rules applicable to a woman in a state of istihadha.

* What about the intervening period between the end of her monthly period and the duration that completes the ten days during which she abandoned the acts of worship?

- She must treat it as istihadha and perform those acts of worship, she missed, in lieu.

* If the bleeding was intermittent during the ten-day period, how should it be treated?

- The first bleeding and the second one are considered nifas.

* How do you, though, describe the intervening tahir period?

- [She should combine those acts of worship a tahir woman should perform and those she should abandon during nifas].

* If the total period of bleeding does not exceed ten days, but the bleeding is of an intermittent nature, how should the woman go about it?

- All the days that she had the blood should be treated as nifas. As for the intervening periods, when she had no blood, [she should combine the acts of worship as if she were tahir and refrain from those acts as if she were in a state of nifas].

* What is the ruling in the case of a woman who completed the ten-day period, only to start bleeding again?

- Any type of blood that appears after the ten-day period, be it that which satisfies the criteria of haydh or otherwise and whether it coincided with her monthly period, should be treated as istihadha.

* What are the rules that should be upheld in the case of a woman in a state of nifas?

- All that which a woman in a state of haydh can or cannot do is applicable to a woman in a state of nifas. There is no difference whether the acts of worship were obligatory or voluntary, makrouh or haraam [even non-permissibility of reciting the Ayas of Sajdah of Chapters of Azaa’im (The four verses, of Iqra’, an-Najm, as-Sajdah, and Fussilat, in the Holy Qur’an, as it is obligatory to perform prostration when they are read or heard), admission to The Holy Mosques in Mekkah and Medina - albeit by way of passing through them, entering and staying in other mosques and leaving anything inside. You may refer to the Dialogue on Haydh.

Dialogue on Istihadha

My father took his seat. He gave the title of istihadha to today’s session. No sooner had he finished uttering the word, it dawned on me that the word has a ring about it that reminded me of haydh. Thus, I concluded they might be related and that the subject could concern women. That is, a kind of bleeding is involved.

I asked my father:

* Is istihadah confined to women?

- Yes, but..

* But what?

- Yes, it is, provided that the bleeding is not that of haydh, nifas, wounds, ulcerations, and that resulting from ripping the virginal membrane.

* There are quite a number of different types of bleedings.

- Some of them indicate woman’s fertility and youth. Don’t you notice that when a woman reaches menopause, she cannot bear children.

* Since the nature of the blood of nifas, wounds and pimples is known, how could the woman differentiate between the blood of istihadha and haydh?

- Do you remember the characteristics of haydh blood?

* Yes, I do. It is red or blackish in colour and warm.

- It is often the case that istihadha blood differs from that of haydh. It is yellowish in colour, thin in property, and seeps out without a sting or burning.

* How could a woman identify that istihadha blood is not that resulting from bursting open the virginal membrane, especially at the time of her wedding?

- The blood resulting from puncturing the virginal membrane is little, in that if the woman places a piece of cotton inside, the blood will form a circle round the cotton. The blood of istihidha, on the other hand, could soak the piece of cotton, and sometimes exceeds it.

That said, istihadha is of three types: A major one that I have just talked about, a medium one in which the piece of cotton could be soaked, but not more, and a minor one where the blood may soil the piece of cotton, but not to the saturation point, because it is little.

* What is the ruling on each one of these types of istihadha?

- For a major istihadha, the woman must perform three ghusl. One for Subh (Dawn prayer), one for Dhuhr (Noon or lunch-time prayer) and Asr (Afternoon prayer), if performed concurrently, and one for Maghrib (Sunset prayer) and Isha (Evening prayer), if she decides to perform them consecutively.

* And If she was to perform each one of them separately?

- She must do ghusl for each prayer.

* Is this a universal rule?

- Well, this is the ruling, if the bleeding was continuous. If, however, it was intermittent, so much so that she could perform ghusl and say one or more prayers before the bleeding resumes, [she must renew ghusl after bleeding recurs. If, for example, she had a ghusl for Dhuhr prayer and bleeding resumed before or during Asr prayer, she must have another ghusl for it]. However, if the interval between any two appearances of blood was long enough to perform two or more prayers, it is permissible without the need for a new ghusl.

This applies to major istihadha. In a medium istihadha, she must do wudhu for each prayer [and ghusl once a day before the first wudhu].

* Could you give me an example?

- Before Subh prayer, a woman discovered that she had istihadha. Upon checking, she ascertained that it was a medium one, she must [do ghusl] and perform wudhu for Subh. The ghusl that she carried out should suffice for the whole of that day, provided she does wudhu for every prayer. Come a second or a third day, she must do the whole procedure again. That is, if no change has occurred as to the type of istihadha.

* Does the istihadha change from one type to another?

- Yes, it may change. A major istihadha could turn into a minor one, and vice versa.

* How would a woman know that her istihadha has changed?

- [She must check for the blood before every prayer] and act according to the degree of istihadha, be it minor, medium, or major.

* Should she change the towels she uses during the istihadha?

- Yes, if they were of the disposable type. If not, they should be washed, for every prayer when the istihadha is minor or medium. Should it be a major one [she must change them, if it was possible] and take extra precaution against blood coming out for the period from the ghusl to the end of prayer, provided that such a precaution does not entail any harm to her wellbeing.

* Should she embark on prayer as soon as she becomes tahir?

- [Yes.].

* What is the ruling on istihadha?

1. A woman in a state of istihadha must become tahir, for prayer, as soon as the bleeding stops by way of wudhu, if istihadha was minor or medium, and through ghusl, if it was major.

2. It is not permissible for a woman in a state of istihadha to touch the writing of the Holy Qur’an. It is permissible, however, to do so after she becomes tahir.

3. In the case of divorce, it is permissible to pronounce a woman, in a state of istihadha, divorced.

4. Certain prohibitions, such as sexual intercourse, entering, staying in, and leaving something inside mosques, and reciting the ayas of sajdah, that are imposed on a woman in haydh do not apply to a woman in istihadha.

5. Fasting of a woman in a state of minor or medium istihadha is acceptable, even though she may not be able to observe wudhu or ghusl for prayer. As for a woman with a major istihadha, a number of jurists maintain that the acceptability of her fasting is dependent on her doing ghusl the night before and the ghusls during the day of fasting. However, it is most evident that this should not invalidate her fasting.

6. Wudhu is not obligatory on a woman with major istihadha, for ghusl would make up for wudhu. As for her who is with a medium istihadh, she must do wudhu after ghusl [that is obligatory on her].

Dialogue on death related matters

I was tense, apprehensive, and agitated when my father started the discussion on the topic of death. He approached the subject with due care and serenity that was expressed in his look and the intonation of his voice.

This seemingly unusual way of starting the discussion and the somewhat death charged atmosphere scared me, causing my heartbeat to go faster with a shiver down my spine. Finally, the drops of sweat that gathered on my forehead gave my true feeling away.

When my father noticed the signs of fear in my eyes and on my face, he asked me:

- Are you afraid?

* Why should I not be afraid?

- Are you afraid of death or the dead?

* Although I am afraid of death more than the dead, yet I said, “the dead”.

It was a terrifying fear that I admitted to today, for I have never witnessed a person dying. I did not know how I would face the experience of someone dying before my eyes. Before today, when I witnessed a funeral procession, a state of melancholy would force me to turn away.

* Yes, I am scared of the dead.

I said it for a second time to reinforce my state of mind.

- Are you scared of the dead more than death? What is there after death to be afraid of? My father explained.

He added: Are you scared of a person who just moments before death was like you; he used to eat, drink, laugh, cry, go for a stroll, have dreams, sleep etc. Then surrendered to death which does not spare anyone.

Why not be more realistic and admit that you are afraid of death more than you are of the dead?

Haven’t you asked yourself where all those bygone nations and their generations have gone.

“The day when their abodes became graveyards and their wealth inherited; the day they could no longer respond to a call nor hear anyone who bemoaned them”. ”How many of the gardens and fountains they have left! And cornfields and noble places! And goodly things wherein they rejoiced; thus (it was), and We gave them as a heritage to another people.” (44/25-28).

And where have those you know gone when they passed away?

Where are your ancestors? “They exchanged the face of the earth for its depth, vastness for a very limited space, light for darkness, and parting with their loved ones to solitude”.

He then reminded me of the words of Imam Ali (a.s.) at the hour of his death, “Yesterday, I was your companion. Today, I am an example to be pondered. Tomorrow, I shall leave you. Take your lesson from the state I am in - my quietness, pacifity, my eyes can hardly turn in their sockets, and my limbs can hardly move. This is clearer to you than words of advice”.

My father also talked of the Imam’s words when he warned of the fire of hell, “Let it be known, this delicate flesh cannot stand the hell fire. So, have mercy on yourselves as you have experienced the trials and tribulations of this life. Have you experienced agony of a prick of a thorn, a stumble that bleeds the foot, and the unbearable sweltering heat? Just imagine how much worse it will be, if one is thrown into two layers of fire, lying on stone and taking Satan for a companion!”.

It is time you should fear the aftermath of death, not merely death itself,

”On the day when you shall see it, every nursing woman shall quit in confusion what she suckled, and every pregnant woman shall lay down her burden, and you shall see men intoxicated, and they shall not be intoxicated but the chastisement of Allah will be severe.” (22/2).

”On the day that every soul shall find present what it has done of good and what it has done of evil, it shall wish that between it and that (evil) there was a long duration of time; and Allah makes you to be cautious of (retribution from) Himself and Allah is Compassionate to the servants.” (3/28)

Let it be that the person who is in their last throws or who has just died serve as a reminder for you that your turn shall come. It should not be a terrifying experience.

A momentary silence prevailed that gave me the chance to reconsider my position. However, it did not last long, for my father cut short my contemplation, saying:

- Should it happen that you see a Muslim dying, leave your apprehensions aside and [turn him towards the Qiblah (the direction, of Ka’ba, one must face while praying)].

* How should one do that?

- Make him lie on his back with the soles of his feet pointing to the qiblah.

* Does this mean that I should stretch his legs in the direction of the qiblah?

- Precisely, irrespective of whether the dying person is a man or a woman, old or young. It is advisable too that you whisper into his ears to instil in him how to bear witness to the unity of Allah and the prophethood of Mohammad (s.a.w.), to acknowledge the imamate of the twelve Imams, and to recite the Chapter of as-Saffat unto him to ease the agony of the last throws of death. It is makrouh for a person who is in a state of either janabah or haydh to be present while a person is dying, or to touch their body at the point of their giving up the soul.

* And if he dies?

- It is mustahab to close their eyes, shut their mouth, stretch their arms beside their body, straighten their legs, cover them, recite verses from the Holy Qur’an, light the place where they used to dwell, and inform the faithful to attend their funeral; it is also mustahab to prepare the body for burial quickly, unless you suspect the person is not really dead.

* What if you are not sure the person is dead?

- You may delay burial preparations until you have made sure that they were dead. Then, it will become obligatory that you wash the body and take other necessary steps.

* What about foetal miscarriage or abortion?

- Even the foetus, of four months [or even less than that, but well-proportioned in creation] should be accorded the same treatment. Prayer for its soul, however, is not obligatory and not mustahab.

* Who takes the responsibility of washing the body of a dead person?

- A male can wash a body of a male. Likewise, A female can wash a body of a female, except in the case of husband and wife. They can wash one another’s body. The same goes for a discerning youngster, male or female; they can wash each other’s body. The same ruling applies to a mahram (One’s immediate relatives - according to a certain classification detailed in Shari’a law), who can wash the body of his mahram from the opposite sex [if a mahram from the same sex was not available].

* How is the corpse washed?

- Three types of ghusl should be carried out.

1. Once using lotus leaves (sidr) added to water.

2. The second ghusl using water with camphor added to it.

3. The third ghusl using pure water.

[Provided ghusl be sequential], i.e. washing the head and neck first, then the right part of the body, then the left part. Furthermore, the water used should be tahir, not najis, ownerless (mubah), not maghsoub (usurped), free from impurities (mutlaq), not mixed; the lotus leaves and camphor should also be ownerless.

* Do you have to remove the clothes of the dead person while washing?

- It can be washed with the clothes on; it might even be better.

* How can you guarantee the purity of the water when you add lotus and camphor to it?

- Care must be taken to add the quantity that would not turn it into a mixed type of water, i.e. without losing its properties as water free from impurities.

* The body of a dead person might become najis through contact with an external source or from within the body during ghusl. What should one do?

- Removing the source of najasah and rendering the body tahir from it is obligatory. Renewing ghusl, however, is not mandatory.

* What should be done after ghusl?

- It is obligatory to embalm the corpse and shroud it.

* What does embalming involve?

- Wiping the seven points of the body that are usually placed on the floor during prayer (mawadhi’ as-sujoud) with pounded camphor that still has its smell. The camphor used should also be ownerless, not usurped, tahir, and not najis, [even though it will not necessary lead to rendering the dead body najis]. It is preferable that the wiping is done with the palm of the hand, starting from the forehead.

* What about the order of the rest of the seven points?

- No particular order is necessary.

* How should you go about shrouding the body?

- It is obligatory that the dead body be shrouded with three pieces:

1. The loin cloth [that should cover the area of the body between the umbilicus and the knees]

2. The shirt [which should cover the area of the body between the shoulders and the middle of legs].

3. The covering cloth, that should cover the whole body [and should be long enough so that you can tie it at both ends].

* And widthwise?

- It should be wide enough [to wrap the entire body and overlap].

* Are there any other conditions regarding these pieces of cloth that should be met?

- Yes, in total they should be sufficient to cover the entirety of the corpse. It should not be maghsoub, not made of pure silk, [not gilded, and not made of furs of animals whose meat is not fit for human consumption], and not najis; in an emergency, however, apart from cloth that is maghsoub, shrouding with the rest becomes permissible.

* If, for any reason, shrouding with three pieces becomes impossible?

- Shrouding the body with any piece available would suffice.

* Once ghusl, embalming, and shrouding is done, what next?

- Performing the special prayer for the dead is obligatory, even if the dead person is a child, who could not understand what prayer is, e.g. a six-year old.

* How is prayer conducted?

- Prayer for the soul of the dead is different from the daily prayer that is usually done, both in form and content. It consists of five takbirat (the utterance of “Allahu Akbar”, Allah is Great); it involves no recitation from the Holy Qur’an, no bowing, no prostration, no tashahhud (the middle of a prayer, said sitting, where testament of the unity of God and the prophethood of Mohammad is uttered), and no tasleem (the concluding part, of a prayer, said sitting, where saluting the Prophet, oneself and the good servants of the Creator, and the two angels takes place). Basically, the person who leads the prayer and those taking part in it invoke mercy for the dead person after the first takbirah. As for the rest four takbirat, you could offer a number of supplications, praying for peace to be with the Prophet and his Pure Progeny, praying for the well-being of the faithful, and praising God Almighty.

* Could you give me a brief account of it?

- After uttering the inaugural takbira, you should bear witness to the unity of Allah and the prophethood of Mohammad. On reciting the second takbira, you may say, “Allahumma Salli Ala Mohammadin Wa Aali Mohammad”, meaning, May Allah’s peace be with Mohammad and his Pure Progeny. After the utterance of the third takbira, you may invoke forgiveness for the believers. After the fourth takbira, you may pray for mercy and forgiveness for the dead person. Upon uttering the fifth takbira, this special prayer ends.

* Are there any other important matters one should take account of when performing this special prayer?

- Yes, the following are the salient points:

1. There must be niyyah (intention - to designate the prayer one is performing, or any other act of worship, and that the sole purpose of the act is to seek nearness to Allah). In this case, the name of the deceased must be specified.

2. Performing the prayer in a standing position so long as one possibly can.

3. The prayer must be performed after the dead body has been washed, embalmed, and shrouded.

4. On performing the prayer, one should face the qibla, if one is free to do so.

5. The dead body should be lying in front of the person who is conducting the prayer.

6. The head of the dead person should be on the right hand side of the person conducting the prayer and his legs to his left.

7. The dead body should rest on its back.

8. There must be no barrier between the dead body and the person conducting the prayer, such as a screen or a wall. There is no harm, however, if the body is in a coffin, or shielded by another dead body.

9. There must not be a great distance between the station of the person conducting the prayer and the dead body; the same goes for the height, i.e. one must not be much higher than the other. However, there is no harm in separation, if the rows of those saying the prayer were solid, or if there was one prayer for more than one soul.

10. Permission must be obtained from the next of kin of the deceased to say the prayer.

11. There should be no break between the takbirat, the supplications and remembrance.

* I have noticed that you did not mention that those who offer the prayer should be in wudhu, ghusl, or tayamum. Is there any reason for that?

- Tahara is not obligatory on the people who are conducting the prayer.

* After the prayer has been performed, what next?

- The corpse must be buried, provided that:

1. The burial be so secured that carnivorous animals, should they be present, would not encroach upon the sanctity of the body.

2. The burial ensures no spread of bad smell, from the body, that might be a source of discomfort to other people.

Upon entombing the corpse, it should be placed on its right hand side, ensuring that the face should be set in the direction of the qibla.

* Are there any conditions that should be taken into consideration insofar as the place of burial is concerned?

- Yes,

1. The plot of land must be ownerless, not maghsoub; not reserved by way of endowment to any private quarter, such as schools and Hussainyyas. Due care should be accorded to the upkeep of the place or adjacent buildings, [even if it does not pose any damage or hindrance to the place].

2. Extra care must be accorded to the sanctity of the corpse, in that, places, such as rubbish tips should be avoided as places for burial.

3. The corpse of a Muslim must not be buried in the graveyards of the infidels.

* And after burial?

- It has been related from the Messenger (s.a.w.) that, “Nothing more difficult shall befall the dead than the first night. So have mercy over your dead by way of almsgiving. Should you not afford it, you may perform a two-raka’a (the bowing act) prayer for their souls. In the first raka’a, you may read after the Chapter of al-Fatiha, the verse of al-Kursi (The Throne). In the second, after al-Fatiha, you may recite the Chapter of al-Qadr ten times. On concluding the prayer, you may say, “Allahumma Salli Ala Mohammadin Wa Aal Mohammad”, and, “Oh Allah, please accept this on behalf of the dead person, i.e be naming them.

* In a previous dialogue, you mentioned a special ghusl you called, “ghusl of touching a dead body”. Could you tell me more about it?

- Yes, ghusl is obligatory on anyone who comes into contact with a dead body, which has lost its heat and before it is washed, irrespective of whether it belongs to a Muslim or an unbeliever.

* Is ghusl called for, if the body is wet?

- Irrespective of whether it is wet or dry, and no matter whether touching the corpse is done at will or accidental.

* What should the person who came into contact with a corpse do?

- They should do the following:

1. Perform ghusl before embarking on prayer, for example.

2. It is haraam for a person in a state of uncleanness to touch the writing of the Holy Qur’an, or do other things that are forbidden to a person in a state of janabah.

There are also other matters that follow on from a death of a person that you need to know about.

- When a husband dies, his wife should observe a waiting period, irrespective of the age of the wife, and whether or not the marriage was consummated. A non-pregnant wife should wait four months and ten days. If she is adult and sane, she should, during the waiting period, abandon wearing make-up, perfume, and glamorous clothes, for it is haraam. However, she has the right to bathing, putting on clean clothes, and going out, especially, if she has something to attend to or an act of worship to perform, and, of course, in an emergency.

* You mentioned a woman who is pregnant. Is this a special case?

- The ruling on a widowed pregnant woman is that she must observe a waiting period for the rest of her pregnancy. If after she has given birth, the total period that has elapsed since her husband died was four months and ten days, her waiting period should end. If not, she should wait for the remaining period that completes the four months and ten days.

Dialogue on Wudhu

Today, I’ll talk to you about wudhu, ghusl and tayamum”, said my father. I murmured, “We are, therefore, at the threshold of the first purifying agent which renders the body tahir, after it has been stripped of its purity by an occurance of some kind”. I soon started recalling some examples of what happens to the body to render it unclean. I then started asking myself why I should cleanse my body with wudhu. However, since my father was present, I said I would rather ask him.

* Why do we perform wudhu?

- We perform wudhu to be in a state of tahara to, for example, say prayer, do tawaf around the Ka’ba during hajj or umrah, touch the writing of the Holy Qur’an [and His names and attributes, such as ar-Rahman, al-Khaliq].

* Of course, wudhu is performed with water. However, are there any conditions attached to the water?

- Yes.

1. The water must be tahir to cleanse the parts of your body that are normally washed and wiped during wudhu. It is sufficient for the water to be abundant for it to render them tahir as a result of performing wudhu, if the water was abundant (mu’tasim).

2. The water and the place where you perform the wudhu, must be ownerless and not usurped.

The reason why the place must be free is that if the water was confined to the usurped place, wudhu would not become obligatory. You must perform tayamum instead. However, should you choose not to comply, you shall be deemed sinful. Your wudhu, though, will be in order.

3. The water must be pure not mixed, such as the running tap water in our homes and places of work, not, for example, orange juice.

* How should I conduct wudhu?

- After you have made your intention, to perform this act of worship to seek proximity to Allah, you should start thus:

1. Wash your face from the forehead, i.e. from the hairline to the chin vertically and that which falls within the expanse of your hand between the thumb and the small finger horizontally. [Noting that, you should do the washing from the top to the bottom of the face, without the need to soak thick (beard) hair].

2. Wash your arms from the elbow to the finger tips, starting with the right arm. The manner of washing should be from the elbow down to the finger tips.

3. Wipe with your right hand (while it is still wet) the front of your hair, preferably with the palm of the hand, starting from the top to the hairline excluding the forehead.

4. Wipe your feet with your hands from the toes to the ankle. Use your right hand to stroke the right foot and the left hand to stroke the left foot, while both hands are still wet with the original water of wudhu. That is, you are not allowed to use new water. [It is not allowed to start with your left foot before your right foot].

You must also observe the following when performing your wudhu:

1. Wudhu must be sequential, i.e. washing of the face should come before that of the arms; your right arm has to be washed before the left one; and wiping the head should be done before that of the feet.

2. The ablution act should be carried out uninterrupted. In an emergency, however, such as running out of water or due to forgetfulness, you should continue the process while the previous parts washed or wiped are still wet. Otherwise, the wudhu shall not be in order. It is worth mentioning, though, that wudhu can be deemed valid even though all the parts of the body, that were washed, become dry as a result of wind, hot weather, or drying up, provided that in the process of wudhu uninterrupted washing was observed.

3. You must do it yourself as long as you are able to do so.

* What about if I become unable to perform wudhu myself?

- Someone else can do wudhu for you. It could be done by aiding you to do it. That is, by lifting your hand and washing your face with it; then washing both your arms in the same way; and finally, do the wiping of the head and the feet, using your own hands.

4. There must not be any barrier masking the body skin from wudhu water, such as paint, glue, or nail polish.

5. There must be a reason that could make using water detrimental to one’s health. In such a case, you should perform tayamum instead of wudhu.

* If I performed wudhu for an earlier prayer, can I still say another one later with the same wudhu?

- You do not need to renew your wudhu, unless your wudhu was invalidated.

* How and when would a wudhu be invalidated?

- Things that invalidate wudhu are seven: Urination, passing stool, breaking wind, sleep, anything that render the faculty of reasoning idle, such as passing out and drunkenness, medium and minor istihadha (see Dialogue on Istihadha), and janabah.

My father added that it was worth discussing some general rules to wrap up the topic of wudhu.

1. If after wudhu some doubt lingers in your mind as to whether or not your wudhu was in order, you should assume that it still be in order.

* Could you give me an example?

- Suppose you performed wudhu in the morning and after few hours, you wanted to say Dhuhr prayer. There and then, you harboured some doubt that you might have used the toilet in between. In this case, you should ignore your doubt and assume you are still tahir and say your prayer.

2. If you did not perform wudhu or did perform one, that was later rendered invalid, and afterwards became unsure whether you renewed your wudhu, you should treat such case as if you did not perform wudhu.

* Such as?

- Suppose you woke up in the morning. Then the time for Dhuhr prayer was due. You could not remember whether you performed wudhu in between. You should treat the matter as if you did not perform wudhu. You have to start afresh.

3. If you have just completed wudhu, and doubt crept in as to whether it was properly carried out, your wudhu is in order, i.e. you should not renew it.

* For example?

- Suppose you performed wudhu and immediately became doubtful whether you washed your face, or the washing of your face was properly carried out, you should assume it was correct.

* If I became doubtful whether I carried out the wiping of the left foot, what should I do?

- If the doubt crept up on the spot, you should perform the wiping afresh. Otherwise, you need not worry. That is, if you have already moved on to another act, such as you are in the process of saying prayer.

Dialogue on Ghusl

I do not divulge a secret if I said that I love water. It is a subject close to my heart for it reminds me of happy memories. When I was a child, I used to play with my mother, spraying her with water. I did the same thing with my play mates. And since I know that water is a source for personal hygiene as well as for physical cleaning, this particular dialogue earned added importance.

My father said to me that ghusl is of two kinds: the first is by submerging the whole body in water, and the second is done sequentially.

* How do you go about the first type?

- It is done by submerging the whole body in water at one go, i.e. from the summit of the head to the tips of the toes.

* And the sequential one?

- You should first wash your head, ears and neck. The second in the order of washing must be the right hand side including the part of the neck that is connected to it and the adjoining area of the left hand side. The third in the order of washing must be the left hand side, in exactly the same manner.

However, it is permissible to wash the whole of the body at one go, i.e. without dividing it into two parts, after you have washed your head and neck.

* Are there any conditions that should be observed when ghusl is carried out?

- All the conditions that are required for wudhu apply to ghusl, such as niyyah, the cleanliness and abundance of water, the order of parts of the body to be washed, etc. (please refer to Dialogue on Wudhu).

However, ghusl is different from wudhu in two ways.

* What are they?

- They are:

1. It is not necessary to start washing the parts of the body from top to bottom, as is the case in wudhu.

2. In ghusl, you do not need to observe the unbroken chain of washing, i.e. from start to finish without stopping. For example, you may wash your head and neck, then the rest of your body after a while, so much so that this may result in the parts that were washed becoming dry. You cannot do this when performing wudhu. There is an added bonus for ghusl of janabah, in that it makes up for wudhu.

* And what else can it compensate for?

- It can also make up for ghusl of Juma. That is you either make one niyyah, exclusive for ghusl of janabah, or you make niyyah for both. [Indeed, as far as ghusl of Juma is concerned, you should make niyyah for it, albeit in general terms, as no other ghusl can make up for it].

* Should a woman require to perform the three types of ghusl: Janabah, haydh, and Juma, how should she go about them?

- She can do one ghusl with the niyyah of all of them. She may, however, make niyyah for ghusl of janabah which would suffice, [except for ghusl of Juma as discussed earlier].

However, here are some more tips:

1. Make sure you have removed every trace of semen from your body before you embark on performing ghusl.

2. You should urinate to extract any traces that were left inside the tract of the penis before you do the ghusl.

3. You should remove all barriers, sticking to the body, that may hinder the immediate contact of water with the parts of the body, such as paint or glue. If the barriers prove difficult to remove, you should perform tayamum. And if they happen to be present in the parts of the body that you usually wash (or wipe) for wudhu, [you should carry out both the ghusl and tayamum].

4. If, after washing any part of your body, you become doubtful as to whether you washed it, you need not worry, i.e. there shall be no need for you to start afresh.

However, if, while you were washing the rest of your body, you grew doubtful whether you washed your head and neck properly, [you have to start again by washing the suspected unwashed part].

* You talked to me about quite a number of ghusls - haydh, nifas, istihadha, the dead, and touching a dead body. These are all compulsory types of ghusl. In the course of this discussion, you also mentioned another ghusl, i.e. that of Juma. Are there any other kinds of ghusl?

- Yes, there are other ghusls. They are, however, mustahab not wajib. Here are some of them:

a. Ghusl of Juma. It is a strongly recommended mustahab type of ghusl. Its span of time starts from sunrise till sunset. It is advisable, though, to do it before zawal.

b. Ghusl of Ihraam.

c. Ghusl of the first two days of the two big feasts (eids). The time during which these ghusls should be done is from sunrise till sunset. Yet, it is advisable that they are done before the prayer of Eid.

d. Ghusl of the eighth and ninth of Thil Hajja. It is advisable that the ghusl on the ninth should be carried out at zawal time.

e. Ghusl recommended during the month of Ramadhan nights: The first, the seventeenth, the nineteenth, the twenty first, and the twenty third.

f. Ghusl of Istikhara (The process of asking Allah for proper guidance in certain matters you are unable to decide on, through, for example, consulting the verses of the Holy Qur’an).

g. Ghusl of the prayer for rainfall (Istisqa’).

h. Ghusl of entering Mekkah.

i. Ghusl of paying respect to the Holy Ka’ba.

j. Ghusl of entering the Mosque of the Prophet.

If carried out, these kinds of ghusl can make up for wudhu. There are more. Some of these ghusls can compensate for wudhu, and some cannot. The yardstick of which ghusls can make up for wudhu and which cannot lies in the fact that since the first group of ghusls have strongly been recommended, through evidence handed down by tradition, they became mustahab. The second group of ghusls contains those ones that are not unequivocally proven to be strongly recommended to be part of the tradition, and they are carried out only with the aim of doing good deeds and earning reward (thawab).

* My last question on the subject of ghusl is: Suppose, after janabah, I did not urinate to clear my penis from the remnants of semen, then I did ghusl of janabah. Afterwards, I noticed traces of semen that were secreted. Would the ghusl still be valid?

- No, you must do the ghusl again. This is irrespective of whether the semen was discharged without sexual desire or caressing.

You must also do the ghusl again, even if the semen was discharged in a situation different from the one just described.