In Islam, cleaning yourself or familiarly known as ghusl in Arab word is the act of purifying all part of our bodies in order to become pure. Ghusl is an obligation to all Muslim as told in the Qur’an:
“O you who believe! Approach not As-Salat (the prayer) when you are in a drunken state until you know (the meaning) of what you utter, nor when you are in a state of Janaba, (i.e. in a state of sexual impurity and have not yet taken a bath) except when travelling on the road (without enough water, or just passing through a mosque), till you wash your whole body. And if you are ill, or on a journey, or one of you comes after answering the call of nature, or you have been in contact with women (by sexual relations) and you find no water, perform Tayammum with clean earth and rub therewith your faces and hands (Tayammum) . Truly, Allah is Ever Oft-Pardoning, Oft-Forgiving.” (Quran 4:43)
Ghusl becomes obligated upon the occasion below:
- after having sexual intercourse
- after having wet dreams
- after the post-child bleeding
- after washing a corpse
- after having period
- etc.
Besides that, ghusl is highly recommended to do upon the occasion below:
- before going to eid prayers
- after unbeliever converted to islam
- before having umrah or hajj
- etc
For muslim women, ghusl becomes a routine every month in order to purify themselves after having period. Menstruation is a natural process in women’s body and reflects the puberty. The menstruation period is a reproductive stage of women and named Hayz in Islam.
Although menstruation period is something natural that happens to the body, muslim women still need to purify themselves from the blood that foul their purity. Blood is one of unclean substance. Therefore, as muslim women, you need to know how to clean yourself after period in Islam as told in the hadith below:
“When Allah’s Messenger (peace and blessing of Allah be upon him) would perform ghusl due to Janaabah (sexual impurity), he would begin by washing his hands. Then he would pour water from his right hand to his left and wash his private parts with it (i.e. the left hand). Then he would perform wudoo (ablution). Then he would take water and place his (wet) fingers on the roots off his hair. Then he would pour three handfuls of water over his head. Then he would pour water all over the rest of his body. Then he would wash his feet.” (Al-Bukhari and Muslim)
Another hadith narrated by Aisha, the mother of believer also told the same thing:
“An Ansari woman asked the Prophet how to take a bath after finishing from the menses. He replied, “Take a piece a cloth perfumed with musk and clean the private parts with it thrice.” The Prophet felt shy and turned his face. So pulled her to me and told her what the Prophet meant.” (Al-Bukhari)
Cleaning yourself after having period can be done by following 10 steps below, here they are:
- Do it while you are taking a bath
You need to perform ghusl to clean yourself after having period while you are taking a bath because it needs to do in private way. You need to purify all part of your body and pour water to all the part including your private parts. That’s why you need to do it while taking a bath.
2. Set the intention in your heart to purify yourself
You need to set intention to purify yourself only for the sake of Allah. It shouldn’t be said verbally. Read more about Law of Women entering Mosque while Menstruating in Islam. [AdSense-B]
3. Mention BismillahirRahmanirRahim
Bismillahirrahmanirrahim means “In the name of Allah, the most gracious, the most merciful”. It can bless your ritual till the end with mercy. read also laws of gold trading in Islam
4. Find clean water
Find clean water such as water from rain, well, spring, sea, river snowmelt or pond water. It’s important due to your purity. You can’t clean yourself with used water, and avoid discolored water.
5. Wash the private parts
It is important to wash your private parts before making a wudhu. Read more about How to Help Someone Learn About Islam.
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6. Make a wudhu
It is actually a sunnah but better when done. Then you may want to read about Reasons Why Good Deeds Rejected by Allah SWT
7. Make sure you already take off your earrings, rings, or other accessories
It is done to make sure that all body part are covered with water and cleaned because a little space left dry will make your purification undone.
8. Pour water over the head 3 times
Make sure the water has reached the roots of your hair. If a single hair left, the ghusl will not be valid. Rub the hair to the roots with your wet hands. It should be done after you perform wudhu.
9. Wash your arms to your elbow 3 times
Wash and rub your arms from your fingertips, the nails, to the lower part of the upper arm. It is important to remove anything that glues in your hand, such as mud, nail polish, dough, paint, etc.
You should remove that because it could prevent the water from reaching the skin, and when the water don’t reach the skin, the ghusl is not valid. Do wash both your right and left arms to your elbow 3 times. read also law of sleeping without cloths in islam
10. Wash your feet and ankles 3 times
Make sure you wash your feet and ankles and not only wipe them entirely. Washing your feet and ankle should include all the space between your toes with your finger. There should not be any space left. Otherwise the ghusl will be invalid. Repeat doing it 3 times.
11. Dry yourself with towel
As long as you finish the steps, you can dry yourself with towel. Read more about Reasons Your Duas are Not Answered.
12. Don’t forget to recite this prayer:
You should recite this prayer outside the bathroom.
Ashhadu an laa ilaaha ill-Allaah wahdahu laa shareeka lah, wa ashhadu anna Muhammadan abduhu wa rasooluhu.
( I bear witness that there is no god except Allaah alone, with no partner or associate, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger.)
Allaahumm aj alni min al-tawwaabeena waj alni min al-mutatahhireena
( O Allah, make me one of those who repent and make me one of those who purify themselves)
Finally, there are 12 effective ways on how to clean yourself after your period. If you do each step properly, In shaa Allah you will be purified again and can perform Salah. Anyway, if you find this article beneficial and interesting, you can like or share this article. May peace and mercy of Allah be with us always! you may read also importance of reciting quran in ramadan