What is the ruling of the intention in the ritual bath (ghusl)? When should one make the intention? Can one remove unwanted hair during the ghusl?

Question Summary

What is the ruling of the intention in the ritual bath (ghusl)? When should one make the intention? For example, can one remove unwanted hair during the ghusl?

Answer

In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate

Intention in Ghusl

The intention in the ritual bath (ghusl) is an emphasized Sunna; even though the ghusl is valid without an intention, intending the ghusl is a prerequisite for reward – not for validity. [Shurunbulali, Maraqi al-Falah]

The Place of the Intention

The place of the intention is in the heart and not necessary to say aloud. [Shurunbulali, Maraqi al-Falah]

However, if saying the intention aloud helps one focus their heart on the intention, it is allowed. [Tahtawi,Shurunbulali; Hashiyat Maraqi al-Falah]

In this case, one should make the intention before entering the washroom and/or uncovering.

Grooming During Ghusl

It is permissible to groom one’s self during the ghusl.

Hope this helps
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 several texts on spirituality. He joined the SeekersGuidance faculty in the summer of 2019.