Wet Dreams and Ghusl

Question: I understand the general rule for wet dreams is that any wetness you see in the morning after waking up, regardless if you saw a dream or not, you should assume that you need to take a ghusl. I have a problem with excessive waswasa, I always understood that I should ignore any doubts, but sometimes I have days where I do ghusl almost every day. What is the ruling on this?

Answer:

In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate

You are correct in your understanding mentioned above that – if one wakes up and notices wetness of sexual fluid (i.e. not sweat, urine, or other), on their body or clothing they must perform a ritual bath, regardless of recalling a dream or not [Ala’ al-Din Abidin, al-Hadiyya al-`Ala’iyya].

The Basis: Never Act on Doubts

Wet dreams are not a common daily occurrence. The basis is that you did not experience a wet dream and you would need reasonable surety to act contrary to this basis. The reasonable surety cannot be established without some sort of proof distinguishing it from mere conjecture. An example of proof is finding visible sexual fluid in the vicinity of your private part.

Another important basis to keep in mind is that you do not have to check unless you have reasonable surety of wetness – not just a mere sensation of wetness. If you are not reasonably sure or certain that there is wetness don’t look, ignore.

Misgivings (Waswasa)

For the one who suffers from doubts and misgivings abandoning caution is 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 it any consideration. This is because it is the doing of Shaytan and we have been commanded to oppose him” [Ibn ‘Abidin, Radd al-Muhtar].

No Undue Hardship in Religion

You must know that Allah Most High informs us that He does not intend to burden us unduly.

He Most High says, “It is not Allah’s Will to burden you but to purify you and complete His favor upon you, so perhaps you will be grateful” [Qur’an; 05:06].

Burden (haraj) in the above verse refers to undue hardship. Thus if you are finding your religious duties unduly difficult and burdensome something is wrong.

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 that you find authentic scholars in your area and study with them a basic text in Islamic Jurisprudence.

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

Hope this helps.
Allah knows best
[Shaykh] Yusuf Weltch

Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Shaykh Yusuf Weltch is a graduate from Tarim; a student of Habib Umar and other luminaries; and authorized teachers of the Qur’an and the Islamic sciences