Chapter: Nullifiers of Wudhoo - The Waajib Ghusl Replaces Wudhoo (Part 8)

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8 – Everything that obligates Ghusl nullifies the Wudhoo. Uthaymeen explains that this in fact is not a nullifier but a principle.

That which obligates Ghusl are (major impurities) as follows:

                -Ejaculation

-Meeting of private parts

-Menses/Nifaas (postmortem bleeding)

-Uthaymeen adds that if a person makes Ghusl from any one of these major impurities, then it suffices as lifting the minor impurity as well and he doesn’t need to make a specific Wudhoo thereafter. This is because Allaah, the Most High, Says:

“If you are in a state of Janaba (i.e. major impurity), purify yourself (bathe your whole body)” [al-Maa’idah 5:6]

Allaah has Commanded that we take a bath and didn’t command us to make Wudhoo from afresh, despite it being in the same Aayah. The command to make Wudhoo was accompanied with minor forms of impurity.

So the correct opinion is that if a person is under major impurity and he has the intention to purify himself then this suffices for major and minor forms of impurity and he doesn’t need to make a separate Wudhoo.

-The Hanbalees say this rule only applies to the deceased. So if a person dies and then we have been commanded to make Ghusl for him and making Wudhoo is not essential, rather it is recommended. This is because Ghusl is to clean and Wudhoo is to lift spiritual impurity.

Uthaymeen objects to this opinion with the following:

-It is Waajib to make Wudhoo upon the deceased before giving him Ghusl for burial because the Prophet said, “Start washing him from his right side and the places of Wudhoo.” [Reported by al-Bukhaaree (1254) and Muslim (939)]. So there both are obligatory in this case.

-To make a distinction between Ghusl as a cleanser and Wudhoo as a purifier is incorrect because making Ghusl in the Aayah is described as being a cleanser and a purifier. Thus there is no difference.

-Even if we were to opine that making Wudhoo for the deceased is not Waajib, then making Ghusl which is stronger than making Wudhoo also covers the body parts for Wudhoo, thus taking its ruling.