Is My Ghusl Valid If I’m Unsure Whether My Ears Were Washed?
Hanafi Fiqh
Answered by Mawlana Ilyas Patel
Question
Do I need to make up past prayers if I was unaware that water must reach the holes in my earlobes during Ghusl, and I am unsure whether it did?
Answer
In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate.
I pray this finds you in the best of states.
During the ritual bath (ghusl), you are expected to wash the outer ear, including the opening of the ear canal- namely, the same place you reach during the ritual washing (wudu) by inserting the tip of your little finger. You do not wash inside the ear canal as this is obviously harmful. [Shurunbulali, Maraqi al-Falah]
The Principle of Assumption in Uncertainty
Due to the flowing nature of water, and given your uncertainty about whether it reached your ear canal, you can assume that your ears were properly washed.
This is based on the following principle:
“The basis when it comes to the affair of the believers is validity and soundness as long as the contrary is not established.” [Sarakhsi, al-Mabsut]
Allah, Most High, says: “O believers! Avoid many suspicions, ˹for˺ indeed, some suspicions are sinful.” [Quran, 49:12]
And Allah knows best.
Wassalam
[Ustadh] Sufyan Qufi
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
Ustadh Sufyan Qufi is an advanced seeker of knowledge, originally from Algeria, who grew up in France. He began searching for ways to learn Islam reliably and was disappointed at the answers he found locally.
Then he connected with various traditional teachers and gradually connected with SeekersGuidance. He embarked on his journey of learning through the various teachers at SeekersGuidance, including his mentor Shaykh Faraz Rabbani.
He studied numerous texts in Islamic Law, Theology, Hadith, and other areas with Shaykh Faraz Rabbani and other teachers, including Shaykh Abdurrahman al-Sha‘ar, Shaykh Ali Hani, and others.
He is an active instructor at SeekersGuidance and answers questions through the SeekersGuidance Answers Service.
