How to perform ghusl

Ghusl (غُسْل) is the full ritual bath that removes major impurity (hadath akbar). Where wudu removes minor impurity, ghusl is required for the states that wudu alone does not lift: janabah , the end of menstruation, and the end of postpartum bleeding.

After ghusl is completed correctly, the wudu it included counts for the next prayer — you do not need to make wudu again unless a wudu-nullifier occurs afterwards.

When ghusl is required (fard)

Janabah — sexual relations (whether or not ejaculation occurs), and any discharge of seminal fluid (including after a wet dream, if traces are found on waking).
End of menstruation — see Menstruation and prayer.
End of postpartum bleeding (nifas).
Embracing Islam — when a non-Muslim accepts Islam, ghusl is required (per the hadith of Qays ibn ‘Asim, who was instructed to do ghusl when he embraced Islam — Abu Dawud, al-Tirmidhi).

When ghusl is recommended (sunnah)

These are not obligatory but were practised by the Prophet ﷺ:

Before Jumu’ah — the Friday congregational prayer. The Prophet ﷺ said: “Ghusl on Friday is obligatory upon every adult.” (Bukhari, Muslim). Most scholars read obligatory here as a strong recommendation, not a strict fard, since another hadith allows that wudu suffices: “Whoever makes wudu on Friday it is good, but whoever makes ghusl it is better.” (Abu Dawud, al-Tirmidhi).

Ibn Taymiyyah reconciled the two: ghusl on Friday is wajib (obligatory) upon the one who needs it — whose body has sweat or an odor that would offend the people praying alongside him in the congregation — and a strong recommendation for everyone else (Majmu’ al-Fatawa). The obligation, on this view, is tied to its underlying purpose: that one not arrive at the masjid in a state that harms the worship of others.
Before the two Eid prayers.
Before entering ihram for Hajj or Umrah.
Before entering Makkah.
On the day of Arafah (for those at Hajj).
After washing a deceased person — recommended, not strictly obligatory.

The fard parts of ghusl

For ghusl to count, two things must happen:

Niyyah (intention) in the heart — that this washing is for purification from janabah (or whatever state it is removing).
Water must reach every part of the body — every hair, every fold of skin, including the inside of the mouth and nose.

The Hanbali madhab includes rinsing the mouth (madmadah) and rinsing the nose (istinshaq) as part of what counts as “water reaching every part of the body.” If they are missed deliberately, the ghusl is incomplete.

The Sunnah method, step by step

This is how the Prophet ﷺ performed ghusl, narrated by Aisha and Maymunah (may Allah be pleased with them):

“When the Prophet ﷺ would bathe from janabah, he would start by washing his hands. Then he would pour water with his right hand into his left and wash his private parts. Then he would perform wudu as he would for the prayer. Then he would dip his fingers in water and pass them through the roots of his hair, then pour water on his head three times, then pour water over the rest of his body, and finally wash his feet.”

Bukhari, Muslim — the wording of Aisha

1. Make niyyah

The intention is in the heart, not on the tongue: this washing is to remove janabah (or menstruation, or nifas). Do not speak the intention — that is a bidʿah .

2. Say bismillah

Quietly:

Bismillah — In the name of Allah.

3. Wash both hands three times

The same as at the start of wudu.

4. Wash the private parts

Using the left hand. Remove any traces of impurity from the body.

5. Perform a full wudu

Exactly as you would before a prayer — see How to make wudu. The wudu is part of the ghusl and counts as the wudu for your next prayer. You may delay washing the feet until the end (following Maymunah’s narration, where the Prophet ﷺ washed his feet last, after stepping away from the spot he had bathed in).

6. Pour water on the head three times

Work the water into the roots of the hair so that the scalp is wet. For thick hair, run wet fingers through the hair until you are sure the water has reached every part.

For sisters with braided hair, the braids do not need to be undone for ghusl from menstruation, so long as water reaches the roots. Umm Salama (RA) asked the Prophet ﷺ about this and he said: “It is enough that you pour three handfuls of water on your head, then pour water over yourself, and you are purified.” (Muslim)

For ghusl from janabah, the same principle holds — water must reach the roots, but the braids do not need to be undone.

7. Pour water over the right side of the body, then the left

Starting with the right is Sunnah throughout. Ensure water flows over every part — under the arms, between the fingers and toes, behind the ears, the navel, the back, the legs.

8. Wash the feet (if delayed from wudu)

If you delayed washing the feet during wudu (step 5), wash them now — right then left.

The ghusl is complete. You are pure.

Practical notes

Rings, watches, nail polish — anything that prevents water from reaching the skin or nails must be removed before ghusl. For nail polish in particular, the ghusl is not valid with it on.
Casts and bandages — if removing them would cause harm, wipe over them with wet hands. This is the substitute for that area.
Showers — pouring water from a shower head is perfectly fine and counts as ghusl, provided you make niyyah at the start, rinse the mouth and nose, and ensure water reaches every part of the body.
Public bathrooms — the same Sunnah method applies; just be mindful of awrah around others.

After ghusl

You are now in full ritual purity. You may pray, recite the Qur’an, touch the mushaf, and enter the masjid freely. The wudu performed as part of the ghusl counts for the next prayer — you only need to make a fresh wudu if a wudu-nullifier occurs afterwards.

Tayammum as a substitute

When water is genuinely unavailable, or using it would cause harm (illness, severe cold without means to warm up, etc.), tayammum substitutes for ghusl just as it substitutes for wudu. A single tayammum lifts both minor and major impurity in that case.