How to Deal with Waswasa regarding Ghusl? [Shafi’i]

Answered by Shaykh Qasim Hatem

Question

I require an answer according to the Shafi‘i school.

1. After taking a ghusl, when I rub myself dry with a towel, body hair and hair from my beard and head fall out. I also get very itchy, so I usually scratch myself, and this obviously results in some skin coming off even though it can’t really be seen. After this if I remember that I forgot to wet a certain part on my body in the ghusl, then will only washing that place suffice or must I wash the areas from where hair has fallen out and also where I’ve scratched myself?

I do suffer from waswasa, and it badly affects my life. Would you say that the above are also waswasa? And, in such situations, should I simply wash the area that was left out, ignoring the places where hair has fallen out, etc., that I understand need re-washing?

2. Even during ghusl and wudu, if I ever get an itch somewhere, then I either don’t scratch it until I’ve finished, or if I do scratch the place, I’ll repeat the washing of that place.

According to the rules of the book, this understanding would probably be correct, but I wanted to ask if I should ignore this because it seems like waswasa and delving into fine details.

Should I ignore these things?

Answer

I pray all is well with you. I’m sorry for the late reply. May Allah give you success in this life and the next. Amin.

1. Once you’ve made the intention for fard ghusl and washed the skin and hair on the body, then you don’t have to re-wash the parts you already washed, even if some of the skin or hair comes off before you wash the whole body. You just have to wash the part that you left out of the ghusl.

Yes, it does sound like a case of waswasa, and you should just ignore the places where skin and hair had fallen out in this situation.

2. Once you wash the limbs of wudu in wudu, then you don’t have to return to them, even if you scratch them before you finish your wudu. This also sounds like it could be waswasa and would be better to ignore.

Related answers are to be found in the following reader:
A Reader on OCD and Waswasa (Baseless Misgivings)

I hope this helps.

Wassalam,

[Shaykh] Qasim Hatem