Question
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Why is it necessary to take a bath after indulging in sexual intercourse?
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Is it necessary to take a shower if orgasm has been acheived but there has been no intercourse?
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After sexual intercourse if the affected parts are thoroughly washed then,
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is there still a need for a bath?
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if a person wears clean clothes without taking a bath, do these clothes become napaak (unclean)? That is can these clothes be worn after a bath to say the prayers?
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If the answer to (2) is in the affirmative, then is it correct to assume that anything a person touches before taking a bath also becomes unclean and has to be washed?
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If only a small part of one’s clothes get dirty due to body secretions as a result of sexual activity (with and/or without orgasm being acheived), can only this portion be washed to make the clothes paak (clean)?
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Is it correct to assume that body secretions as a result of sexual activity require a person to take a bath, normal activities of defecation only require the concerned parts to be washed and secretions like sweat as a result of heat/exercise do not require any special cleaning? If so, why?
Answer
Answers to your questions follow:
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In my opinion, your statement needs a little modification. According to the directives of the Shari`ah, it is not necessary to take a bath “after indulging in sexual intercourse”, what is necessary is that to say one’s prayers or to go to a mosque after sexual intercourse, one must first take a bath. This, obviously, means that after sexual intercourse, if a person wants to visit a house built for God’s worship or wants to participate in the act of His worship, the Shari`ah directs him to take a bath before doing so. The Prophet (pbuh) told his followers that because the Qur’an is the revered book of God, it would be better that a person should not touch it, after he has indulged in sexual intercourse, without taking a bath. Thus, these are three activities before which it is necessary to take a bath after indulging in sexual intercourse1.
As far as your question, i.e. “why is it necessary to take a bath”, is concerned, I think that its answer is quite simple. God has directed us to visit a house of His worship, or to participate in the very act of His worship with a clean heart and body. God does not accept any worship, which is without these two essential requirements. A clean heart means that the intention of the person should be nothing else but to earn the goodwill of God; while a clean body means that the person, under normal conditions should have performed ablution and after indulging in sexual intercourse should have taken a bath. This is how God wants us to worship Him. This is how He wants us to visit a house of His worship. This, in essence, is the decorum that the Ruler of the worlds has prescribed for us for times when we want to make ourselves present in His Court.
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The Shari`ah has prescribed a bath whether a person reaches orgasm without sexual intercourse or has indulged in sexual intercourse without reaching orgasm.
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a) For the three activities mentioned in the answer of question 1, it is necessary to take a bath2. Washing the affected parts shall not suffice for performing these three activities. b) Yes. These clothes may be worn after taking a bath to offer prayers or to perform any of the other three activities mentioned in answer 1. c) No. Nothing becomes unclean merely by the touch of a person who has not taken a bath after sexual intercourse.
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Whatever part of the clothes the sexual secretions affect may be washed. This shall, insha’Allah, suffice. One does not necessarily need to change one’s affected clothes.
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The answer to this question has already been given in number 1, above.
31st August 1998
- In fact, touching or recitation of the Qur’an is not included in those activities which a person cannot undertake without taking a bath. It may be considered highly desirable to do so, yet it cannot be termed as necessary. For more details refer to a previous question titled “Can a Woman Recite the Qur’an During Menstruation?“. [↩]
- Refer to previous footnote. [↩]