Is It Obligatory to Rinse One’s Mouth and Nose in Ghusl and Wudu?

Answered by Ustadha Shazia Ahmad

Question

I just learned that ghusl is invalid if one doesn’t rinse the mouth and nose, whether done intentionally or not. I never knew this.  I rinse my mouth and nose during the wudu before the ghusl. Then I just perform the ghusl. Water just flows over the body. And I’m pretty sure that it reaches all the parts of the body. Should I rinse the mouth and nose even during ghusl? What about all the baths (ghusl) that I performed in the past? Will they be invalid?

Also, when rinsing, I don’t pull it, rather I just push it outwards. Will my wudu be valid?

Answer

Thank you for your question.  May Allah guide you in making your worship easy and simple.

It is not obligatory in the Shafi’i school that one rinse the mouth and nose during the ritual bath (ghusl). However, because it is obligatory in the Hanafi school, It is religiously more precautionary for a Muslim never to omit it, and Allah knows best. [Keller, The Reliance of the Traveller]

May Allah give you tawfiq and give you a tremendous reward for trying to learn what is correct in your fiqh.
[Ustadha] Shazia Ahmad
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Ustadha Shazia Ahmad lived in Damascus, Syria for two years where she studied aqidah, fiqh, tajweed, tafsir, and Arabic. She then attended the University of Texas at Austin, where she completed her Masters in Arabic. Afterward, she moved to Amman, Jordan where she studied fiqh, Arabic, and other sciences. She later moved back to Mississauga, Canada, where she lives with her family.