I Suffer under Hair Loss. What Is the Minimum Requirement for Ghusl?
Shafi'i Fiqh
Answered by Shaykh Irshaad Sedick
Question
I suffer from Male pattern baldness. Washing my hair frequently leads to hair loss. Is it ok to wipe my head to fulfill my Ghusl, or is it required to wash my hair if I suffer from hair loss?
Answer
In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate. May Allah guide us to that which pleases Him and forgive us for our shortcomings, Amin.
You only need to pour water over your head so that the water reaches the skin beneath your hair on your scalp. You do not need to wash your hair per se, and Allah knows best
How to Perform the Purificatory Bath (Ghusl)
Only two things are obligatory for the validity of the purificatory bath:
(a) having the intention when water is first applied to the parts that must be washed;
(b) that water reaches all the hair and skin. However, unlike ablution, the sequence of washing the parts is not obligatory. Water should reach even under the foreskin of the uncircumcised man and the nonvirgin woman’s private parts, which usually are disclosed when she squats to relieve herself. [Misri, ʿUmda Al-Salik]
The Prophetic Purificatory Bath
Abu Salama (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that: ‘Aisha’s brother and I went to ‘Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) and he asked her about the bath of the Prophet (may Allah bless him and give him peace). She brought a pot containing about a Sa‘ (approximately three liters) of water, took a bath, and poured it over her head, and at that time, there was a screen between her and us.
Note: In the Hanafi school, rinsing out the mouth and nostrils is obligatory for the validity of the purificatory bath [Maydani, al-Lubab]
It is religiously more prudent for a Muslim never to omit it, and Allah knows best.
I pray this is of benefit.
[Shaykh] Irshaad Sedick
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
Shaykh Irshaad Sedick was raised in South Africa in a traditional Muslim family. He graduated from Dar al-Ulum al-Arabiyyah al-Islamiyyah in Strand, Western Cape, under the guidance of the late world-renowned scholar, Shaykh Taha Karaan.
Shaykh Irshaad received Ijaza from many luminaries of the Islamic world, including Shaykh Taha Karaan, Mawlana Yusuf Karaan, and Mawlana Abdul Hafeez Makki, among others.
He is the author of the text “The Musnad of Ahmad ibn Hanbal: A Hujjah or not?” He has served as the Director of the Discover Islam Centre and Al Jeem Foundation. For the last five years till present, he has served as the Khatib of Masjid Ar-Rashideen, Mowbray, Cape Town.
Shaykh Irshaad has thirteen years of teaching experience at some of the leading Islamic institutes in Cape Town). He is currently building an Islamic online learning and media platform called ‘Isnad Academy’ and pursuing his Master’s degree in the study of Islam at the University of Johannesburg. He has a keen interest in healthy living and fitness.
