1/100. Chapter:
Sunan Abi Dawud 249 — Not Leaving Any Spot in Ghusl
Regarding The Ghusl For Janabah
Hadith About Not Leaving Any Spot Unwashed in Ghusl
Sunan Abi Dawud : 249
Sunan Abi DawudHadith Number 249
حَدَّثَنَا مُوسَى بْنُ إِسْمَاعِيلَ، حَدَّثَنَا حَمَّادٌ، أَخْبَرَنَا عَطَاءُ بْنُ السَّائِبِ، عَنْ زَاذَانَ، عَنْ عَلِيٍّ، - رضى الله عنه - أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ " مَنْ تَرَكَ مَوْضِعَ شَعْرَةٍ مِنْ جَنَابَةٍ لَمْ يَغْسِلْهَا فُعِلَ بِهِ كَذَا وَكَذَا مِنَ النَّارِ " . قَالَ عَلِيٌّ فَمِنْ ثَمَّ عَادَيْتُ رَأْسِي فَمِنْ ثَمَّ عَادَيْتُ رَأْسِي ثَلاَثًا . وَكَانَ يَجِزُّ شَعْرَهُ .
Ali ibn AbuTalib Narrated from:
The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: If anyone who is sexual defiled leaves a spot equal to the breadth of a hair without washing, such and such an amount of Hell-fire will have to be suffered for it. Ali said: On that account I treated my head (hair) as an enemy, meaning I cut my hair. He used to cut the hair (of his head). May Allah be pleased with him.
Reference : Sunan Abi Dawud 249In-book reference : Book 1, Hadith 249English translation : Book 1, Hadith 249
Summary of Sunan Abi Dawud Hadith 249
This hadith gives a serious warning about ghusl after janabah. Ali ibn Abi Talib narrated that the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم said that if someone in a state of sexual defilement leaves a spot equal to the breadth of a hair without washing, punishment will follow. Ali then said that because of this he treated his head as an enemy, meaning he cut his hair, and he used to cut it. The core topic is complete ghusl and careful washing. The explanation should not go beyond the report or invent extra rulings. The hadith simply stresses not leaving an unwashed place when purification is required, especially when hair can make washing more difficult.
What we learn from this hadith
- Ghusl should be done carefully, without leaving unwashed spots.
- The report uses the width of a hair to stress attention to detail.
- Ali took the warning seriously in how he dealt with his hair.
- The hadith focuses on washing after janabah, not on unrelated matters.
