How Do I Determine if Discharge Was With or Without Desire?

Answered by Mawlana Ilyas Patel

Question

I read an article from your website that said, “If one has sexual thoughts and sees a discharge of sexual fluids, the discharge can be taken as pre-seminal fluid (madhi), not sexual ejaculate (mani).
[‘Ala al-Din ‘Abidin, al-Hadiyya al-‘Ala’iyya]
If one is fully or greatly aroused sexually due to sexual activity or foreplay, then one can assume that any discharge is sexual ejaculate (mani). [Ibid.]”
The thing is, I was greatly aroused, but when I saw my underwear, there was madhi and there was a little part of me that thought it was mani. I’m sure it was madhi but since I was greatly aroused and mani was supposed to come out but madhi came out, must I do ghusl, or since there was no mani even though I was greatly aroused, no ghusl?

Answer

In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate

I pray you are in good faith and health. Thank you for your question.

It is advised that you look at the timing, possible reasoning of the discharge, and the texture, with the guidelines below, and then determine which discharge it is.

Comparison of Different Vaginal Discharges

Normal Vaginal Discharge is  Completely white or clear, like cloudy lotion, egg whites, pasty, or tacky or clear. There is a difference of opinion. However, it is akin to sweat and pure and clean.

Discharge from vaginal infections is white, gray, or green. It is clumpy, fish stench, the vagina itches or burns, the vulva gets swollen, or the sex hurts. Wudu is required, and it’s filthy.

Arousal Fluid is clear, the quality of it is wet, sticky, and slippery, only exits upon arousal, and wudu is required.

Orgasmic Fluid is yellow, and the quality is thin and watery at the time of orgasm, a ghusl is required, and it is filthy.

[Ackbarali, A Muslim Woman’s Guide to Menstruation Rulings]

You can search for more related answers on SeekersGuidance.com.

I would like you to go through the valuable answers and links below. You will receive guidance and direction in sha Allah.

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• Does the Fluid Exiting from Skene Glands and Bartholin Glands Invalidate Wudu? – SeekersGuidance
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• Wet Dreams and Ritual Purity: A Reader – A Muslim Woman’s Guide To Menstruation Rulings: Amazon.co.uk: Ackbarali, Naielah
  (Recommended book to buy)

Wassalam,
[Mawlana] Ilyas Patel
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Mawlana Ilyas Patel is a traditionally-trained scholar who has studied in the UK, India, Pakistan, Syria, Jordan, and Turkey. He started his early education in the UK. He went on to complete the hifz of the Quran in India, then enrolled in an Islamic seminary in the UK, where he studied the secular and ‘Aalimiyya sciences. He then traveled to Karachi, Pakistan. He has been an Imam in Rep of Ireland for several years. He has taught hifz of the Quran, Tajwid, Fiqh, and many other Islamic sciences to children and adults onsite and online extensively in the UK and Ireland. He taught at a local Islamic seminary for 12 years in the UK, where he was a librarian and a teacher of Islamic sciences. He currently resides in the UK with his wife. His interest is a love of books and gardening.