What Kind of Wetness Found upon Waking Up Entail a Ritual Bath?
Hanafi Fiqh
Answered by Ustadh Sufyan Qufi
Question
- If you see wetness on your underwear or if your panty liner is damp, Is ghusl required even if you are certain you did not have a wet dream or thought?
- What if it’s sweat because on hot days you sweat and feel sweaty, and when you wake up, you have wetness in your underwear or liner?
- How can we tell the difference between the wetness of a wet dream and sweat?
- If this happens every time you wake up or even wake up from a nap, how can you take a couple of baths a day, especially when visiting relatives and having visitors at home? Please explain.
Answer
In the name of Allah, Most Compassionate, Most Merciful,
I pray this finds you in the best of states.
1. And 2.
When you can’t remember a wet dream, a ghusl (ritual bath) is obligatory to be allowed to pray only if the wetness that you have found is ejaculate (“mani” in Arabic, sperm for when it comes to a man).
When you can’t remember a wet dream, and no wetness is found, or you are sure that the wetness you have found is not ejaculate (mani), but is rather sweat or pre-ejaculate (“madhi” in Arabic), then no ghusl (ritual bath) is needed to be allowed to pray.
“Madhi” when it comes to women is the wetness found while being aroused before reaching an orgasm. After an orgasm, the wetness is called “Mani”. [Ibn ‘Abidin, Radd al-Muhtar]
3.
In order to distinguish between these liquids you simply use your personal judgment, act upon it, and avoid to second guess yourself afterward. One important legal principle to apply in this situation is: “The basis for incidental matters is absence.” [Majalla]
Sweating while sleeping is something almost unavoidable. Ejaculation while sleeping is incidental and rare. Thus, applying the principle above, as long as you are not sure that the wetness you have found is ejaculate you can safely assume that it is sweat and move on. If on the other hand, you are sure that what you have found is ejaculate then you act accordingly.
4.
You can see because of the answers above that a ritual bath upon waking up is rarely needed.
And Allah knows best.
Wassalam
[Ustadh] Sufyan Qufi
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
Ustadh Sufyan Qufi is an advanced seeker of knowledge, originally from Algeria, who grew up in France. He began searching far and wide for answers to the fundamental questions of life and was disappointed at the answers he found.
Then he connected with various traditional teachers and gradually connected with SeekersGuidance. He embarked on his journey of learning through the various teachers at SeekersGuidance, including his mentor Shaykh Faraz Rabbani.
He studied numerous texts in Islamic Law, Theology, Hadith, and other areas with Shaykh Faraz Rabbani and other teachers, including Shaykh Abdurrahman al-Sha‘ar, Shaykh Ali Hani, and others.
He is an active instructor at SeekersGuidance and answers questions through the SeekersGuidance Answers Service.
