365. If a person is certain that the time of prayer has set in, or obtains a proof authorized by the sharia to the same effect, and intends to perform an obligatory ghusl, but does not stipulate the intention of obligation, his ghusl will be valid, when he later finds out that he performed the ghusl prior to the time of prayer.

366. A ghusl be it an obligatory one or a recommended one, can be performed in two ways: sequentially or by immersion.

367. In a sequential ghusl, with the intention of performing ghusl, one should first wash his head and neck, and then his body. Based on obligatory precaution, he should first wash the right side of his body and then the left side. If a person washes his head after washing his body, either intentionally or out of forgetfulness, or due to his ignorance of the ruling, it will be sufficient for him to wash his body again. If he washes the right side of his body after the left side, based on obligatory precaution he should wash the left side again. To claim that a sequential ghusl can be materialized by moving each of the three parts under running water with the intention of ghusl, is problematic.

368. Based on obligatory precaution, half of the navel and half of the private parts should be washed with the right side of the body and the other half with the left side. Better still, the entire navel and private parts should be washed when washing each side.

369. In order to attain certainty that one has washed all the three parts—the head and the neck, the right side and the left side—completely, he should wash a portion of the other parts along with the part that he is washing; rather, the recommended precaution is that he should wash the entire right area of the neck along with the right side of the body, and the entire left area of the neck along with the left side of the body.

370. Having performed ghusl, if a person realizes that he has not washed a part of his body, but does not know if it was a part of the head, the right side or the left side, he does not have to wash the head again. He should wash the area on the left side of his body which he speculates was not washed, and based on obligatory precaution, he should wash the area on the right side of his body which he speculates was not washed, prior to washing the left side.

371. If a person realizes after performing ghusl that he has not washed a part of his body, and it is located on the left side of his body, washing the unwashed area will be sufficient. If however, it is located on the right side of his body, he should first wash the unwashed area, and then based on obligatory precaution he should wash the entire left side of his body. If the unwashed area is located on the head or the neck, having washed the area, he should wash his entire body, and based on obligatory precaution, he should wash the right side before the left.

372. If someone doubts about having washed a part of the left side prior to completing his ghusl, then washing that very area will suffice. If however, having washed a part of the left side, he doubts about having washed a part of the right side, based on obligatory precaution, he should wash the area in doubt and then wash the entire left side. If he doubts about having washed a part of the head or neck, and is engaged in washing another part of his body, his doubt will not be credible and his ghusl will be valid.

373. Ghusl by immersion is realized by immersing the entire body underwater, and to claim that it can also be realized when a part of the body is already in water, and the remainder is then immersed in it, is problematic. Based on obligatory precaution, the immersion should occur in a manner that the common understanding of an instantaneous immersion should hold true of it.

374. In a ghusl by immersion, based on obligatory precaution one should maintain the intention of performing ghusl from the time the first part of the body is immersed in water, to the immersion of the last part.

375. If one realizes after performing ghusl that water has not reached a part of his body, whether he knows the exact area or not, he has to perform ghusl all over again.

376. If one does not possess time to perform a sequential ghusl, but possesses time to perform ghusl by immersion, he should perform ghusl by immersion.

377. One who has put on iÎrÁm for Îajj or Þumrah cannot perform ghusl by immersion. As for the one who is fasting, the ruling for his case has been mentioned in article 1625.

378. It is not necessary for the body to be ÔÁhir prior to performing a sequential ghusl, or one by immersion; rather, if immersing oneself in water or pouring water over one’s body—provided the water is muÞtaÒim—with the intention of performing ghusl, causes the body to become ÔÁhir, the ghusl will be valid. Mu‘taÒim water is water which does not become najis upon coming in contact with a najis thing, like rain water, kurr and flowing water.

379. If a person who enters the state of janÁbah by committing a forbidden act, performs ghusl with warm water, it will be valid even if he perspires. The recommended precaution though, is that he performs ghusl with cold water.

380. If a part of the body remains unwashed during ghusl, the ghusl will be invalid if it was performed by immersion. However, if it was a sequential ghusl, its ruling has been covered in article 371. It is also not necessary to wash parts of the body—like the inner areas of the ears and the nose—which are deemed to be the inner areas of the body in the common understanding.

381. If a person doubts whether a part of the body is an internal part of it or an external part, he should wash it if it was previously considered an external part. If it was not previously considered so, he does not have to wash it. In the event that the previous state is unknown, based on obligatory precaution, he should wash it.

382. If the hole pierced for an earring or a similar purpose is so wide that its inner surface is counted as an external part of the body, it too has to be washed. However, if it is not counted as an external part, it does not have to be washed, unless one doubts whether it counts as an external part or not, in which case it should be washed based on precaution.

383. Anything which prevents water from reaching the body should be removed. If a person performs ghusl by immersion before attaining certainty that the obstacle has been removed, he will have to repeat his ghusl. If he performed sequential ghusl, then he will be subject to the ruling elaborated in article 372.

384. If a person doubts while performing ghusl if a thing which prevents water from reaching the body is present on his body, or not, he should investigate until he attains satisfaction that such an obstacle is not present.