When Should I Perform a Ghusl After Having a Wet Dream?

Answered by Ustadh Tabraze Azam

Question: Assalam alaykum

Should I perform a ghusl after having a wet dream and finding pre-seminal fluid in my undergarments?

Answer: Wa alaikum assalam wa rahmatullah,

Yes, you would need to perform a ritual bath (ghusl) if you awoke to find pre-sexual fluid (madhi) in your undergarments. But this is on condition that you remember having a wet dream. Otherwise, you would not need to perform the ritual bath.

[Ibn ‘Abidin, Radd al-Muhtar ‘ala al-Durr al-Mukhtar]

Please also see: Wet Dreams and Ritual Purity: A Reader

And Allah Most High alone knows best.

wassalam,
[Ustadh] Tabraze Azam

Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Ustadh Tabraze Azam holds a BSc in Computer Science from the University of Leicester, where he also served as the President of the Islamic Society. He memorised the entire Qur’an in his hometown of Ipswich at the tender age of sixteen, and has since studied the Islamic Sciences in traditional settings in the UK, Jordan and Turkey. He is currently pursuing advanced studies in Jordan, where he is presently based with his family.