Do I Need To Wash Inside and Corners of Eyes for Ablution and Ghusl?
Shafi'i Fiqh
Answered by Shaykh Irshaad Sedick
Question
Is it obligatory to wash the inside of the eyes if there is some crust? And is it obligatory to wash the inner and outer lines of the eyes during ablution (wudu) and purificatory bathing (ghusl) according to the Shafi’i School? I forgot to wash my eyelids. Is my ghusl valid without specifically washing them?
Answer
In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate. May Allah alleviate our difficulties and guide us to what pleases Him. Amin.
It is not recommended to wash inside one’s eyelids; in fact, some of our scholars deemed it disliked due to the potential harm you may cause. The corners of one’s eyes should be washed, and concerning this there are no differing views.
If a substance in the corner of one’s eyes prevents the water from reaching the skin of the face beneath it, this must be removed before washing the face. [Shirbini, Mughni al-Muhtaj]
Most usual forms of eye crust/mucus are permeable (allows water through) and a mere passing over with wet hands would usually be sufficient to clean this. Therefore, your ghusl would be valid if you washed your face this way unless you knew there was an impermeable preventative substance, and Allah knows best.
Limits of the Face
Allah says: “O believers! When you rise up for prayer, wash your faces and your hands up to the elbows, wipe your heads, and wash your feet to the ankles…” [Quran, 5:6]
From the above verse, Shafi‘i Scholars deduce that what is apparent of the face, meaning from the point where the hairline usually begins to the chin in height and from ear to ear in width, must be washed obligatorily. [Nawawi, Minhaj al-Talibin]
“What is apparent” excludes the inside of the mouth, nose, and eyes, which are not obligatory to wash, nor is it recommended to wash inside one’s eyelids; in fact, some of our scholars deemed it disliked due to the potential harm you may cause. [Hammadi, Fath al-Wahhab al-Malik]
Check this link:
Do Eye and Nose Mucus Affect the Validity of Wudu or Ghusl?
I pray this is of benefit and that Allah guides us all.
[Shaykh] Irshaad Sedick
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
Shaykh Irshaad Sedick was raised in South Africa in a traditional Muslim family. He graduated from Dar al-Ulum al-Arabiyyah al-Islamiyyah in Strand, Western Cape, under the guidance of the late world-renowned scholar Shaykh Taha Karaan (Allah have mercy on him), where he taught.
Shaykh Irshaad received Ijaza from many luminaries of the Islamic world, including Shaykh Taha Karaan, Shaykh Muhammad Awama, Shaykh Muhammad Hasan Hitu, and Mawlana Abdul Hafeez Makki, among others.
He is the author of the text “The Musnad of Ahmad ibn Hanbal: A Hujjah or not?” He has been the Director of the Discover Islam Centre, and for six years, he has been the Khatib of Masjid Ar-Rashideen, Mowbray, Cape Town.
Shaykh Irshaad has fifteen years of teaching experience at some of the leading Islamic institutes in Cape Town). He is currently building an Islamic podcast, education, and media platform called ‘Isnad Academy’ and has completed his Master’s degree in the study of Islam at the University of Johannesburg. He has a keen interest in healthy Prophetic living and fitness.
