notifications_active Weekly Meshkat-e Noor Session: Thursdays at 20:30 at Haj Reza Mosque
A question from a friend
What is the difference between ghusl and bathing? If someone washes themselves thoroughly, why do they need to form an intention and follow that particular order?
َّهِ الرَّحْمنِ الرَّحيمِ
Ghusl is different from bathing: it is performed to attain ritual purity before God and requires an intention and a specific order prescribed by Him. Just as provision and healing come by God’s permission, purity too is attained only by following His laws and with His permission. The intention and order in ghusl are essential elements; without them, ritual purity is not achieved.
Just as God is the Provider and the Healer, so too is He the only One who purifies. If He does not will it, no one can be purified. God, the All-Knowing and All-Wise, has established laws for the provision, healing and purification He grants; these laws are the conditions for receiving His provision, healing and purification.
For example, receiving God’s provision requires reasonable effort and action in accordance with His specific commands. Similarly, receiving divine healing requires observing Islam’s health guidelines and the particular considerations surrounding them. In every case, it is God who grants permission for provision, healing and purification.
Ritual washing and purification, too, have their own specific laws and commands. Unless these are observed, God—the Good, the Pure, the Purifier—will not grant permission for purification.
The intention and prescribed order of ritual washing are special codes; without them, purification cannot be attained. It is like entering a password on a computer: unless we enter the code its owner has assigned to us, we will not gain access to the computer’s contents.