Question:

Sometimes I forget if some parts of my body got wet or not in shower and other times I forget whether I washed or not. I can’t always take shower on account of doubt. Please help.

I also have a doubt if my chest and stomach got wet or not. What do I do? I’ve already worn new clothes.

a. If my ghusl is not valid?
b. will my clothes (the top and bottom) become impure?

Answer:

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
As-salāmu ‘alaykum wa-rahmatullāhi wa-barakātuh.

Ghusl (bathing) is done for two different reasons.

i. It may be done without a shar’i need to acquire casual cleanliness and not ritual purity.
ii. It may be done due to a shar’i need to acquire cleanliness from ritual impurity (janabah)

If it is the former, then one does not need to worry about whether the ghusl was completed or not. However, one should make wudhu’ before carrying out any worship which requires ablution.

If the reason for taking the ghusl is the latter one, then:

a. One should always complete the fara’idh of ghusl before taking the rest of the shower or bath. Since these obligatory acts are essential to gain ritual purity, leaving out any of them will require another proper ghusl to be taken.

This is a very pertinent prescription for those who may at any time have had doubts of certain portions of their body remaining dry. Once you enter the ghusl, make sure your fara’idh are completed; thereafter carry your casual cleaning routine with shampooing or soap etc.

Reverting to your question, since your ghusl was mandatory (due to janaba) then it is understood that you took the ghusl to rid yourself from janabah; you would have only completed the ghusl once you had the surety that your bathing had been completed. Thereafter, even if the doubt that a certain part was left dry comes, the base default remains that ghusl was done, and a mere doubt does not render your ghusl invalid.

However, if this doubt increases to a level of reasonable certainty then you may wash that particular part of the body. You will not need to repeat the ghusl. It is at this juncture, the prophetic method of ghusl shows its blessing. It is sunnah to wipe every limb thrice. When one does so, the doubt of any place being left dry is minimal, and hence such doubts will not cause difficulty.

Nonetheless, in all cases you should follow the instructions and make sure to have the obligatory aspects of ghusl completed as soon as you take a bath. This will rid you of any doubts in future insha’ Allah.

b. Your clothes will not be affected in their purity/impurity due to your ghusl being valid or not. As long as there is no najasah (impurity) on the clothes, they are suitable to be worn and prayed in.

And Allah Ta’āla Knows Best
Mufti Faisal bin Abdul Hameed al-Mahmudi

[i]
حاشية الطحطاوي على مراقي الفلاح شرح نور الإيضاح (ص: 88)
فإن الشك والإحتمال في كونه ناقضا لا يوجب الحكم بالنقض إذ اليقين لا يزول بالشك

الدر المختار وحاشية ابن عابدين (رد المحتار) (1/ 328)
أن الطهارة كانت ثابتة يقينا لمحل معلوم وهو جميع الثوب مثلا ثم ثبت ضدها وهو النجاسة يقينا لمحل مجهول، فإذا غسل بعضه وقع الشك في بقاء ذلك المجهول وعدمه لتساوي احتمالي البقاء وعدمه، فوجب العمل بما كان ثابتا يقينا للمحل المعلوم؛ لأن اليقين في محل معلوم لا يزول بالشك، بخلاف اليقين لمحل مجهول