Was My Ghusl Valid If I Didn’t Make an Intention (Niyya)?

Answered by Ustadha Shazia Ahmad

Question

Today I performed ghusl. I was just thinking a few days ago that when I perform ghusl, I’d make the niyya that I’d be performing it for all reasons that require ghusl, not knowing which ones. But when I was performing the ghusl, I was so focused on doing it correctly (due to some real problems with waswasa and discharge/urine problems) that nothing came to mind about why I was performing the ghusl.

I knew why I had to do the ghusl a few days before. So I did wudu first (without washing my feet), then ghusl, then washed my feet, and then recited dua. Then I realized I had forgotten to make niyya. I’d like to know if my ghusl is still valid.

Answer

Thank you for your question.  May Allah guide you in making your worship easy and simple.

If you didn’t make an intention when you started your ritual bath (ghusl), then your bath is not valid. Intention is one of the two conditions of a valid ghusl. Please don’t take more baths (ghusl) than necessary. If your ghusl is not obligatory or sunna in nature, then you don’t need to take it at all. A shower will suffice for hygiene.

In sha Allah, you can assume that your prayers are valid in the past by applying the Hanafi school to your ghusl.

May Allah give you tawfiq and give you a tremendous reward for trying to learn what is correct in your fiqh.
[Ustadha] Shazia Ahmad
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Ustadha Shazia Ahmad lived in Damascus, Syria for two years where she studied aqidah, fiqh, tajweed, tafsir, and Arabic. She then attended the University of Texas at Austin, where she completed her Masters in Arabic. Afterward, she moved to Amman, Jordan where she studied fiqh, Arabic, and other sciences. She later moved back to Mississauga, Canada, where she lives with her family.