Is it obligatory for a woman, if she experiences a nocturnal emission (ihtilam) at night, to search for traces of semen in her private parts by inserting a piece of cotton, or is that considered excessive meticulousness (tanattuʿ), and is it sufficient to check her clothes for the presence of semen or its traces, based on the hadith of Umm Salamah that whoever experiences a nocturnal emission and sees water must perform ghusl?
A woman is not required to perform ghusl if she has a wet dream but does not see any semen. However, if she knows there is semen on her clothes or body, having seen or touched it, then ghusl is obligatory for her. She is not required to inspect her clothes or private parts if she doubts whether anything has been discharged, as the default assumption is that nothing has been discharged.
Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026
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