Q. Could you please explain how a woman should conduct her grand ablution, or ghusl? Is taking a shower sufficient? May I also ask whether it is permissible to perform one’s ablution or wudhu when one is totally undressed?
Shukraan
A. The ghusl or grand ablution requires washing all one’s body with water. But Islam always makes things easy, so that we could comply with God’s order without having too much trouble. Since some women have long hair that they make in plaits or a time-consuming style, they are not required to undo their hair.
What a woman needs to do is to take a handful of water and rub her head with her hand. She does this three times before pouring water over the rest of her body. It is also recommended to start by doing the normal ablution, or wudhu. It is important to wash all one’s body.
Therefore, a shower is a very good way of performing the ghusl. It is also good enough to have a dip in a swimming pool, a river or the sea, if one is able to do so without exposing her body to strangers. If a person is taking a bath it is appropriate to perform the ordinary ablution, or wudhu, without having any clothes on. This is true in our modern houses where one is completely alone in one’s bathroom.
