Taharah means purity. In Islam, keeping clean is part of worship, not just good manners. The Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) said that cleanliness is half of faith.
This guide covers the daily habits he taught: washing, the toilet, teeth, hair, nails, clothes and hands.
“For Allah loves those who turn to Him constantly and He loves those who keep themselves pure and clean.”
Duty or recommended
A few of these acts are duties. Most are recommended: a Muslim is rewarded for doing them, and there is no sin in leaving them.
The schools of Islamic law agree on these rulings in the main. They differ on circumcision.
| What | Ruling |
|---|---|
| Wudu before prayer | A duty Qur’an 5:6 |
| Ghusl after sexual intercourse or a wet dream with a discharge, and when a period or bleeding after childbirth ends | A duty Sahih al-Bukhari 291Sahih al-Bukhari 282Sahih al-Bukhari 228 |
| A clean body, clothes and place for prayer | A duty Qur’an 74:4Sahih al-Bukhari 216 |
| Cleaning the teeth with a siwak | Recommended Sahih al-Bukhari 887 |
| Trimming the moustache, cutting the nails, removing armpit and pubic hair | Recommended, at least every forty nights Sahih Muslim 258 |
| Circumcision of boys and men | A duty in two schools, strongly recommended in the other two Sahih al-Bukhari 5891 |
“Allah doth not wish to place you in a difficulty, but to make you clean, and to complete his favour to you, that ye may be grateful.”
Wudu
Wudu is the washing of the face, arms, head and feet before prayer. The Qur’an itself sets it out.
The Wudu guide shows it step by step. It also says what breaks wudu, and what to do without water.
Ghusl, the full bath
Ghusl is a bath that washes the whole body. It is a duty after sexual intercourse, for both husband and wife. It is also a duty after a wet dream, when there is a discharge.
A woman also takes ghusl when her period ends, and when bleeding after childbirth ends. Then she returns to prayer. She does not make up the prayers missed during her period.
“If ye are in a state of ceremonial impurity, bathe your whole body.”
Every school agrees on the core: water must reach the whole body, hair and skin. The Hanafi school also requires rinsing the mouth and nose. The Prophet (ﷺ) bathed in the fuller way shown below. The marked step is the core.
Wet the hair
Run wet fingers through the roots of the hair. Then pour three handfuls of water over the head.
Wash the whole body
Pour water over all of the body, so that it reaches every part.
A woman with braided hair need not undo it. The Prophet (ﷺ) said three handfuls of water over the head are enough.
Needing ghusl does not make a person dirty. Abu Hurayra, a companion, once kept away from the Prophet (ﷺ) until he had bathed. The Prophet (ﷺ) told him that a believer is never impure.
Nor does a period. The Prophet (ﷺ) rested in Aisha’s lap and recited the Qur’an while she had hers.
The Prophet (ﷺ) told those coming to Friday prayer to bathe. He also told a man who came to accept Islam to bathe. A new Muslim’s shahada counts at once, before any bath.
After the toilet
Someone once said to Salman, a companion, that their Prophet (ﷺ) taught them everything, even about the toilet. Salman said yes, and listed what he had taught.
Seek Allah’s protection
Going in, the Prophet (ﷺ) said: “Allahumma inni a‘udhu bika minal-khubuthi wal-khaba’ith.” It asks Allah (﷾) for refuge from all that is foul and evil.
Clean yourself
Use water, or tissue. The Prophet (ﷺ) washed with water, and at times used stones, the tissue of his day.
Use the left hand
He told his followers not to clean themselves with the right hand.
Wash your hands
After cleaning himself, he rubbed his hand on the earth and washed it. Today, soap does the job.
Ask for forgiveness
Coming out, he said: “Ghufranaka”, which means “I ask Your forgiveness.”
Before prayer, the body must be clean of urine and stool. The Prophet (ﷺ) warned that carelessness with urine is a serious sin.
He also cared for other people. He warned against relieving oneself on paths, or in the shade where people rest. He forbade urinating in still water that people may later wash in.
Teeth and the siwak
The siwak is a small stick, often cut from the arak tree, used to clean the teeth. The Prophet (ﷺ) said it cleans the mouth and pleases the Lord.
He said that if it were not hard on his people, he would have ordered the siwak before every prayer. So it is recommended, not a duty.
Times for the siwak
- Before each prayer Sahih al-Bukhari 887
- On waking at night Sahih al-Bukhari 245
- On coming home Sahih Muslim 253
- Before Friday prayer, with a bath and perfume Sahih al-Bukhari 880
The aim of the siwak is a clean mouth, and a toothbrush serves that aim too. Many Muslims use both.
The fitrah: hair, nails and circumcision
Fitrah means the natural state in which Allah (﷾) creates people. The Prophet (ﷺ) named five acts of the fitrah.
They are circumcision, removing the pubic hair, trimming the moustache, cutting the nails and removing the armpit hair.
| Act | What it means | How often |
|---|---|---|
| Circumcision | Removing the foreskin of a boy or man | Once |
| Pubic hair | Removing it, for men and women | At least every forty nights |
| Armpit hair | Removing it, for men and women | At least every forty nights |
| Moustache | Trimming it short | At least every forty nights |
| Nails | Cutting them | At least every forty nights |
Anas, a companion, said a time limit was set for the last four. They were not to be left for more than forty nights.
The hadith speak of shaving the pubic hair and plucking the armpit hair. Scholars accept other ways too, since the aim is to remove the hair.
Another hadith lists ten acts, with four of the five. It also names letting the beard grow and the siwak. Then come rinsing the nose, washing the finger joints and washing after the toilet. The narrator thought the tenth was rinsing the mouth.
Circumcision means removing the foreskin of a boy or man. Every school counts it as part of the fitrah. The Hanafi and Maliki schools hold it strongly recommended. The Shafi’i and Hanbali schools hold it a duty.
It goes back to Abraham. The Prophet (ﷺ) said that Abraham circumcised himself. The Bible also makes it the sign of God’s (﷾) covenant with Abraham. It says Jesus was circumcised when he was eight days old.
It is not a condition of becoming Muslim. A man who accepts Islam as an adult is a full Muslim, circumcised or not. All four schools excuse a man who fears serious harm from it.
This guide speaks of boys and men. FGM, female genital mutilation, is an old custom that no verse of the Qur’an calls for. Egypt’s official body for religious rulings has said it is forbidden in Islam.
Clean clothes and places
“And thy garments keep free from stain!”
Before prayer, three things must be clean: the body, the clothes and the place. That means free of impurities such as urine and stool.
Prayer
Three things are clean before a Muslim prays.
The body
In wudu, and clean of urine and stool. Qur’an 5:6
The clothes
Free of impurities. Qur’an 74:4
The place
Clean ground, a clean floor or a prayer mat. Sahih al-Bukhari 335
Almost anywhere will do. The Prophet (ﷺ) said the earth had been made a place of prayer for his followers. A prayer mat is simply a clean place to pray on.
“O Children of Adam! wear your beautiful apparel at every time and place of prayer”
Looking good is welcome too. A man asked about liking fine clothes and shoes. The Prophet (ﷺ) said that Allah (﷾) is beautiful and loves beauty.
He encouraged perfume before Friday prayer, for those who have it. He told anyone who had eaten garlic or onion to keep away from the mosque.
Washing hands
Washing the hands comes up again and again in the Prophet’s (ﷺ) teaching.
When to wash your hands
- On waking, three times, before putting them into a bowl of water Sahih Muslim 278Sahih al-Bukhari 162
- After the toilet Sahih al-Bukhari 266
- At the start of wudu and of ghusl Sahih al-Bukhari 159Sahih al-Bukhari 248
- After eating, so that no grease is left on them overnight Sunan Abi Dawud 3852
He also told his followers not to breathe into a cup while drinking.