The Book on Purification

‘Ā'ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) reported: “When the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) took a ritual bath to remove Janābah, he would start by washing his hands. Then he would pour water with his right hand over his left hand to wash his private parts. Then he would make ablution like that he would make for his prayer. Then he would take water with his fingers and run them through his hair. When making sure that his hair was thoroughly wet, he would pour three handfuls of water over his head. Then he would pour water over the rest of his body. Then he would wash his feet.

‘Abdullāh ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: ‘Umar ibn al-Khattāb (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "O Messenger of Allah, may anyone of us sleep while being ritually impure?" He said: "Yes, he may sleep if he makes ablution."

Umm Salamah (may Allah be pleased with her) reported: Umm Sulaym, the wife of Abu Talhah, came to the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) and said: "O Messenger of Allah, verily, Allah does not feel shy of the truth. If a woman had a wet dream, would it be obligatory on her to take a ritual bath?" He replied: "Yes, if she sees vaginal fluid."

Hamnah bint Jahsh (may Allah be pleased with her) reported: I used to experience a heavy prolonged flow of menstrual blood. So I came to the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) seeking a religious verdict and in order to tell him. I found him in the house of my sister, Zaynab bint Jahsh. I said: "O Messenger of Allah, I am a woman who experiences a heavy prolonged flow of menstrual blood, so what do you think about it? It has prevented me from praying and fasting." He said: "I suggest that you use cotton, for it eliminates (the traces of) blood." She replied: "It is too copious for that." He said: "Then you can use a cloth." She replied: "It is too copious for that, for my blood keeps pouring heavily." The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "I shall give you two commands; whichever of them you follow will be sufficient for you without the other, but you know best if you are strong enough to follow both of them." He added: "This is only a strike of the devil, so observe your menses for six or seven days, according to Allah's knowledge; then have a ritual bath. When you see that you are pure and clean, pray during twenty-three or twenty-four days and nights and fast, for that will be enough for you (for freeing your liability), and do so every month, just as women menstruate and are purified at the time of their menstruation and their purification. If you are able to delay the Zhuhr prayer and perform the ‘Asr prayer promptly, until you have a ritual bath, and then combine the two prayers and to delay the Maghrib prayer and perform the ‘Ishā' prayer, until you have a ritual bath, and then combine the two prayers, then do so: and to take a ritual bath at the Fajr prayer too, do so: and observe fast if you are able to." The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Out of the two commands, the latter is more preferable to me."

Ibn ‘Abbās (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) reported: The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said concerning a man who engages in sexual intercourse with his wife during her menses: "Let him give one dinar or half a dinar in charity."

‘Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to teach us the Qur’an in every state, except when he was in a state of Janābah (major ritual impurity).