Do I Need To Remember Washing Every Part Of My Body During Ghusl?
JazakAllah Mr. Umer Qureshi, 1.a) And I should keep the same point in mind for wudu too, right? Even if I get lost in thought (although this doesn’t typically happen for wudu)? 1.b) Sometimes I know I’ll have washed the hand, but then I start doubting whether water reached the entire hand. But still, I should be certain that the entire hand has not been washed, right? 2.) Let’s say I read a scholar’s opinion on what to do when one is unsure of washing a body part during wudu/ghusl. In this case, I’m not obligated to follow what they’re saying because it wouldn’t be a shariae ruling, correct? Because shariah doesn’t give rulings on such matters? Am I right? JazakAllah.
Asalamualaikum Mr. Umer Qureshi, I just want to go back to a discussion we had here. I asked you: “ Sometimes when I am performing ghusl, I get lost in thought and then I start questioning myself if I washed a part of my body. In this case, should I continue to adopt the approach that unless I am certain of missing this body part, I should not wash it again?” And you replied, “ Yes, follow the same approch and maintain consistency in implementing it in every situation. In case of repeated tasks, which we are attuned to in our daily life, we are ought to do them properly even if our attention is diverted somewhere else. So unless you have a certain reason to believe that you skipped some part, you shouldn’t bother about attention deficit in such tasks.” Logically, what you told me makes a lot of sense, and has also made life a lot easier for me, Alhamdullilah. However, a question came to mind. When it comes to “repeated tasks, which are attuned to in our daily life”, should I still ignore doubts even if there is a variation in how I perform these tasks? For example, if I wash my face differently during wudu one day. Or, if I perform istinja a bit differently one day after relieving myself, where – in addition to normal washing – I wash beyond that area that normal washing covers as a result of detecting impurity somewhere which I believe normal washing will not be able to clean. In these cases, should a person still ignore doubts about not having washed themselves properly? And if yes, is it because in spite of the variation in how I am washing, the act of washing in of itself is still something that I encounter on a regular basis? Similarly washing with an objective, whether that be washing an entire arm or washing away impurity – these are things that I am innately aware of how to perform and will do properly in a general sense. So, I should ignore doubts in this case too even if the ‘variation’ I adopt is something different and not regularly part of my life? And I’m asking if this is a principle that everyone should follow, and not just someone like me who has lots of doubts.