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What is the ruling on intentionally omitting the Basmalah when performing Wudu' and Ghusl for a follower of the Hanbali school, which obligates saying Bismillah, taking into consideration the suffering from obsessive doubts (waswas) and the long time it takes when saying Bismillah?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

Saying "Bismillah" (Basmala) is a Sunnah (recommended act) in ghusl (ritual bath) and wudu (ablution) according to the majority of scholars and some Hanbalis. However, the established narration from Ahmad ibn Hanbal is that there is no harm in omitting it. Meanwhile, other Hanbalis consider it obligatory in wudu and ghusl.

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

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