MORE ABOUT BATH

MORE ABOUT BATH

Q.   How many kinds of bath are there?

  There are three kinds of bath:

1.      Commanded (Fard);

2.      Prophet’s Precept (Masnun);

3.      Desirable (Mustahab).

Q.   How many categories of Bath are Fard?

  They are six in number. These will be discussed elsewhere in the book.

Q.   Which baths are Masnun? Name them.

  There are four of them, namely:

1.      Bath for Friday prayers;

2.      Bath for the prayers of the two ‘Ids;

3.      Bath before putting on Ihram (cloth specially worn by Hajj pilgrims); and

4.      Bath before staying at ‘Arafat.

Q.   Which baths are Mustahab?

  Quite a few baths are Mustahab. Some of them are as follows:

1.      Bath on the fifteenth of the month of Sha’ban;

2.      Bath in the night of ‘arafa i.e., in the night following the evening of the 8^th of zulhijjah;

3.      Bath for the Salat of the solar and lunar eclipse;

4.      Bath for the Salat-ul-Istisqa (prayers for the rains);

5.      Bath before entry into the holy cities of Makka and Madina;

6.      Bath by a person who has given bath to a dead body;

7.      Bath by an unbeliever after he has embraced Islam.

Q.   A person from whom bath is due dives into the river or stands in the rain so that water flows down his whole body, will the bath be deemed to have been performed by him?

  Yes, provided he also rinses his mouth and passes water into his nostrils.

Q.   Is it permissible to face Qiblah during bath?

  Facing the Qiblah when one id naked is forbidden. If, however, the parts of the body commanded to be covered are duly covered, there is no harm in it.

Q.   How is it to bathe with the Satr uncovered?

  Bathing in the bathroom or at any other secluded place with no one to see one’s Satr is permissible.

Q.   What are the undesirable acts (Makruhat) in bath?

  These are the following:

1.      Wasteful use of water in bath;

2.      Talking during the bath with the Satr uncovered;

3.      Facing Qiblah;

4.      Bathing against the Precepts of the holy Prophet.

Q.   Is ablution necessary for Salat in addition to bath if ablution was not done before bathing?

  Bath embarrasses ablution as well. As such no ablution is necessary after bath.