How Do I Ignore Misgivings in My Ritual Bath?

Answered by Shaykh Yusuf Weltch

Question

How do I ignore misgivings in my ritual bath?

Answer

In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate

You are correct that every hair must be washed in order for the ritual bath to be valid. However, know that water, by its nature, flows and reaches the smallest of places [Tahtawi/Shurunbulali, Hashiyat Maraqi al-Falah].

Therefore any doubts that water did not reach are to be ignored.

It is only due to giving into baseless doubts that you put yourself through so much difficulty. Whereas Allah Most High says, “…and laid upon you no hardship in the religion…” [Quran, 22:78].

This false sense of caution is one of the ways Shaytan plots against the Believers, thus making the religion hard on them. This is not a praiseworthy caution.

What is True Caution?

True caution is to follow the Sunna of the Prophet (may Allah bless him and give him peace).

Misgivings (Waswasa)

For the one who is constantly in doubt, abandoning caution is often the best cure.

“As for the one who is often inflicted with misgivings, it is necessary for them to sever the cause of the misgivings and not to give them any consideration. This is because it is the doing of Shaytan, and we have been commanded to oppose him” [Ibn ‘Abidin, Radd al-Muhtar].

Knowledge

The long-term cure for these constant doubts is to seek a deeper understanding of Islamic Knowledge. With knowledge, Shaytan can not deceive you with his whispers and plots. I would advise you to find authentic scholars in your area and study a basic text in Islamic Jurisprudence with them.

Please note that SeekersGuidance.org also has classes available in Islamic Jurisprudence and many other subjects.

Moving Forward

You should be able to accomplish a full ritual bath within or less than 5-10 mins. When you make the ritual bath, allow yourself this timeframe and do not exceed it. Any doubts that you have thereafter, ignore them. After a while, the doubts should subside.

May Allah Most High ease your affairs and grant you success.

Hope this helps, and Allah knows best.

[Shaykh] Yusuf Weltch
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Shaykh Yusuf Weltch is a teacher of Arabic, Islamic law, and spirituality. After accepting Islam in 2008, he then completed four years at the Darul Uloom seminary in New York where he studied Arabic and the traditional sciences. He then traveled to Tarim, Yemen, where he stayed for three years studying in Dar Al-Mustafa under some of the greatest scholars of our time, including Habib Umar Bin Hafiz, Habib Kadhim al-Saqqaf, and Shaykh Umar al-Khatib. In Tarim, Shaykh Yusuf completed the memorization of the Qur’an and studied beliefs, legal methodology, hadith methodology, Qur’anic exegesis, Islamic history, and a number of texts on spirituality. He joined the SeekersGuidance faculty in the summer of 2019.