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What is the ruling on rinsing the mouth and nose during ghusl without the well-known gargling (madmadah) and sniffing (istinshaq), and is placing a wet hand without passing it over considered wiping (masah)?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

The Hanbalis define the limit of rinsing the mouth (madmadah) as the slightest swirling of water inside the mouth. The limit of sniffing water into the nose (istanshaq) is drawing water into the nose with a breath; merely wiping is not sufficient. So, if a person puts water into his mouth and swirls it, and draws water into his nose, then his ablution (ghusl) is valid; otherwise, it is not. As for wiping the head, whoever stipulates wiping the entire head does not consider merely placing the hand sufficient; rather, it is necessary to pass the hand over the entire head. As for those who deem wiping only part of the head sufficient, such as the Shafi'is, their madhhab permits placing the hand without extending it.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

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