Islamic education
Purification (Taharah)
Wudu, ghusl, tayammum, and what keeps or breaks ritual purity.
Ṭahārah is a condition for prayer and touching the Qur’an. The four madhhabs agree on the essentials while differing in some details (e.g. wiping socks, nullifiers of wudu). This guide summarizes mainstream rulings — ask a local scholar for your situation.
Types of purification
Purification is either removing ritual impurity (ḥadath) or physical filth (najāsah).
- Minor impurity (ḥadath asghar) — removed by wudu
- Major impurity (ḥadath akbar) — removed by ghusl
- Physical najāsah — removed by washing until trace is gone
Wudu — pillars & Sunnahs
All schools require washing face, arms to elbows, wiping head, and feet to ankles with intention. Sunnahs include miswāk, saying Bismillah, and the shahādah duʿāʾ after wudu.
- Nullifiers: anything exiting from front/back passages, deep sleep, loss of consciousness, touching private parts (details differ)
- Wiping over socks: permitted with conditions — time limits differ by madhhab
Ghusl
Obligatory after janābah, menstruation, and post-natal bleeding. Minimum: intention, rinse mouth/nose, wash entire body without leaving a dry spot.
- Recommended: begin with wudu, wash head three times, then body
- See Prayer guide → Wudu for step-by-step demonstration
Practical tips
- Learn nullifiers of wudu before advanced topics.
- When water is harmful or unavailable, tayammum replaces wudu/ghusl per Qur’an 5:6.