Is It Necessary to Completely Remove the Dried Discharge for My Ghusl to Be Valid?

Answered by Ustadha Shazia Ahmad

Question

In your previous answer you said that one “may” perform ghusl for janaba while she’s in a state of menstruation, so in this case, during menstruation, that dried-up discharge, when dried up, is clearly visible because it becomes somewhat brown due to blood. Do I have to remove this using my finger? If I have to remove it using a finger, then what if some of the spots are still left, I think it’s impossible to remove each spot.

Can I just remove most of it, using my finger, because it takes time since I’m always worried about removing every single spot? If I don’t remove it using my finger, just wash the private parts, while these spots are “visible or not visible”, then will my wudu for prayer and ghusl be acceptable?

Answer

Thank you for your question.  May Allah guide you in making your worship easy and simple.

If you have normal discharge that might be mixed with arousal fluid and then your menstruation starts, you have no need to wash any of it until you take your ritual bath (ghusl) when your period ends. You can use your hand to remove it, do your best. You don’t need to spend a long time on this, a couple of minutes maximum. Any dried discharge does not crust to the point of being difficult to remove.

May Allah give you tawfiq and give you a tremendous reward for trying to learn what is correct in your fiqh.
[Ustadha] Shazia Ahmad
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Ustadha Shazia Ahmad lived in Damascus, Syria for two years where she studied aqidah, fiqh, tajweed, tafsir, and Arabic. She then attended the University of Texas at Austin, where she completed her Masters in Arabic. Afterward, she moved to Amman, Jordan where she studied fiqh, Arabic, and other sciences. She later moved back to Mississauga, Canada, where she lives with her family.