What is the ruling on someone who forgot to wash under their armpits or behind their ears during ghusl? And what is meant by renewing the intention?
Source: FtawySummary from Ftawy's records · added here Sep 2, 2026
Among the conditions for the validity of (ritual bath) is the complete coverage of the entire body with water. So, whoever neglects washing a part of his body, such as his armpits or a part of his head, his ghusl is considered incomplete, and his prayers are invalid.
If a Muslim forgets to wash a limb and a long time passes, he should wash that limb with a new intention to remove the ritual impurity, and his ghusl will be valid. However, he must repeat the prayers he performed before washing the forgotten limb.
Summary from Ftawy's records · added here
Reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
Read the full answer on Ftawyhttps://ftawy.com/en/questions/116167
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- Ftawy
- Original fatwa ID
- 116167
- Added here
- . This is when the answer was added to El Fatwa, not the fatwa's date.
- Text
- Summary from Ftawy's records, reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
- Read the full ruling
- Read the full answer on Ftawy