The Possibility of Having to Make Ghusl

Question: If one thinks that one had a wet dream some days ago and is not sure, what should one do?

Answer:

Wa alaykum assalam wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh,

Dear questioner,

Thank you for your important question.

If one is not 100% sure whether or not one had a wet dream, one simply assumes that one did not, and there is no ghusl (ritual bath) needed.

If one knows that one did indeed have a wet dream, but one is not sure when it happened, then one assumes the latest possible time.

For example, Ahmad visits his parents’ house on the weekend, goes to university on Monday, and returns back on Friday evening. When he arrives in the room that he was staying in, he remembers that he had a wet dream and had to make ghusl but did not.

Now, he was there last Friday night, Saturday night, Sunday night, and left at 6 am in the morning. The first possible time that he could have had a wet dream was Friday night. But because he is not sure, he should assume that happened on Sunday morning before he woke up.

He must now make up the prayers that he prayed without making ghusl from Monday to the Friday that he returned to his parents’ house (Reliance of the Traveller, Ibn Naqib al Misri).

I pray this helps.

[Ustadh] Farid

Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Ustadh Farid Dingle has completed extensive years of study in the sciences of the Arabic language and the various Islamic Sciences. During his studies, he also earned a CIFE Certificate in Islamic Finance. Over the years he has developed a masterful ability to craft lessons that help non-Arabic speakers gain a deep understanding of the language. He currently teaches courses in the Arabic Language