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The Ritual-Bath (ghusl) on Friday: What is it a Sunna for?

Answered as per Hanafi Fiqh by Seekersguidance.org

Answered by Sidi Salman Younas

Question: What is the the ritual-bath (ghusl) on Friday a sunna for?

Answer: assalamu `alaykum wa rahmatullah

I pray you are well.

There are two opinions in the Hanafi school regarding the ritual-bath (ghusl) of Friday:

1. That it is a sunna for the Friday prayer itself,
2. That it is a sunna for the day of Friday.

The relied-upon position within the school is that the ritual bath is a sunna for the Friday prayer itself. The sunna is only fulfilled if one goes to the Friday prayer in a state of ritual-purity that was due to the the ritual-bath. Therefore, if one, for example, lost his or her state of ritual-purity attained through the ritual-bath, performed only the ablution (wudu), and then prayed the Friday prayer, the sunna would not be considered fulfilled because the state of purity here is from a subsequent ablution and not the ritual-bath itself. [Ibn `Abidin, Hashiya]

However, in cases of need it would be permitted to follow the position that the ritual-bath is a sunna for the day of Friday, such as for those who work on Fridays. According to this opinion, even if one does not pray the Friday prayer in a state of ritual-purity attained through ritual-bath the sunna is still fulfilled by merely doing ghusl for the day.

wassalam
Salman

Checked & Approved by Faraz Rabbani

و في الدر المختار : ( وسن لصلاة جمعة و ) لصلاة ( عيد ) هو الصحيح كما في غرر الأذكار وغيره .

و قال سيدي ابن عابدين في رد المحتار : ( قوله : هو الصحيح ) أي كونه للصلاة هو الصحيح ، وهو ظاهر الرواية . ابن كمال : وهو قول أبي يوسف . وقال الحسن بن زياد : إنه لليوم ، ونسب إلى محمد والخلاف المذكور جار في غسل العيد أيضا كما في القهستاني عن التحفة ، وأثر الخلاف فيمن لا جمعة عليه لو اغتسل وفيمن أحدث بعد الغسل وصلى بالوضوء نال الفضل عند الحسن لا عند الثاني قال في الكافي : وكذا فيمن اغتسل قبل الفجر وصلى به ينال عند الثاني لا عند الحسن ؛ لأنه اشتراط إيقاعه فيه إظهارا لشرفه ومزيد اختصاصه عن غيره كما في النهر

This answer was collected from Seekersguidance.org. It’s an online learning platform overseen by Sheikh Faraz Rabbani. All courses are free. They also have in-person classes in Canada.

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