What Is the Ruling regarding Wet Dreams?

Answered by Shaykh Yusuf Weltch

Question

My question is regarding wet dreams. I heard when one dreamed of having sexual intercourse and, after waking up, finds some wetness. Is ghusl compulsory in such a situation? And whenever I had a dream maybe seeing people kissing or cuddling, if I woke up, I would find myself wet but the wetness doesn’t look like maniy, as the discharge is slippery and white. I want to know what discharge is this? And is ghusl mandatory on me?

Answer

In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate

If one wakes up and finds wetness on their body or clothing, the ritual bath (ghusl) is required whether they recall a dream or not.

Recalling a Dream

If one recalls a dream and doubts whether it is semen or not, ghusl is required in such a situation.

Not Recalling a Dream

Exceptions to this are if one does not recall having a dream and knows that that which came out is not semen (maniy). [Ibn ‘Abidin, Radd al-Muhtar]

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.