Question 734: Is the Friday ghusl (ritual bath) also obligatory for women?
Answer
✅ Please pay attention to the following narrations:
1 علی بن یقطین قَالَ: سَأَلْتُ أَبَا الْحَسَنِ عَنِ النِّسَاءِ أَ عَلَيْهِنَّ غُسْلُ الْجُمُعَةِ قَالَ نَعَمْ
📚 Al-Tahdhib, Vol. 1, p. 111
Ali ibn Yaqtin said: I asked Imam Kazim, peace be upon him, about women, whether the Friday ghusl is obligatory for them. He said: Yes.
2 عَنِ الْعَبْدِ الصَّالِحِ أَنَّهُ قَالَ: يَجِبُ غُسْلُ الْجُمُعَةِ عَلَى كُلِّ ذَكَرٍ وَ أُنْثَى مِنْ حُرٍّ أَوْ عَبْدٍ.
📚 Al-Muqni'ah, p. 26
Imam Kazim, peace be upon him, said: The Friday ghusl is obligatory on every man and woman, whether free or a slave.
3 منصور بن حازم عَنْ أَبِي عَبْداللَّه قَالَ: الْغُسْلُ يَوْمَ الْجُمُعَةِ عَلَى الرِّجَالِ وَ النِّسَاءِ فِي الْحَضَرِ وَ عَلَى الرِّجَالِ فِي السَّفَرِ وَ لَيْسَ عَلَى النِّسَاءِ فِي السَّفَرِ.
قَالَ وَ فِي رِوَايَةٍ أُخْرَى أَنَّهُ رُخِّصَ لِلنِّسَاءِ فِي السَّفَرِ لِقِلَّةِ الْمَاءِ.
📚 Al-Kafi, Vol. 3, p. 42
Imam Sadiq, peace be upon him, said: The ghusl on Friday is for men and women in their place of residence, and for men on a journey, but it is not obligatory on women on a journey.
Al-Kulayni said: And in another hadith, it is narrated that in travel, it is a dispensation for women due to the scarcity of water.
4 عن عبداللَّهِ بْنِ المغیره عَنْ أَبِي الْحَسَنِ الرِّضَا قال: سَأَلْتُهُ عَنِ الْغُسْلِ يَوْمَ الْجُمُعَةِ فَقَالَ وَاجِبٌ عَلَى كُلِّ ذَكَرٍ أَوْ أُنْثَى عَبْدٍ أَوْ حُرٍّ
📚 Al-Kafi, Vol. 3, p. 41
Abdullah ibn Mughirah said: I asked Imam Reza, peace be upon him, about the Friday ghusl. He said: It is obligatory on every man or woman, slave or free!
5 محمد بن عبدالله قال: سَأَلْتُ الرِّضَا عَنْ غُسْلِ يَوْمِ الْجُمُعَةِ فَقَالَ وَاجِبٌ عَلَى كُلِّ ذَكَرٍ وَ أُنْثَى عَبْدٍ أَوْ حَرٍّ
📚 Al-Kafi, Vol. 3, p. 42
Muhammad ibn Abdullah said: I asked Imam Reza, peace be upon him, about the Friday ghusl. The Imam said: It is obligatory on every man and woman, whether a servant or free.
6 فقد رَوَی الْحَسَنُ بْنُ مُوسَی بنِ جَعْفَر علیه السلام عَنْ أُمِّهِ وَ أُمِّ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ مُوسَی علیه السلام قَالَتَا کُنَّا مَعَ أَبِی الْحَسَنِ مُوسَی بْنِ جَعْفَرٍ علیه السلام فِی الْبَادِیَةِ وَ نَحْنُ نُرِیدُ بَغْدَادَ فَقَالَ لَنَا یَوْمَ الْخَمِیسِ اغْتَسِلَا الْیَوْمَ لِغَدٍ یَوْمِ الْجُمُعَةِ فَإِنَّ الْمَاءَ غَداً بِهَا قَلِیلٌ قَالَتَا فَاغْتَسَلْنَا یَوْمَ الْخَمِیسِ لِلْجُمُعَة
📚 Al-Faqih, Vol. 1, p. 111
Hasan ibn Musa ibn Ja'far narrated from his mother and the mother of Ahmad ibn Musa that we were with Musa ibn Ja'far, peace be upon him, in the desert and we intended to go to Baghdad.
So the Imam said to us on Thursday: Perform ghusl today for tomorrow, which is Friday, because tomorrow the water will be scarce there!
The two women said: So we performed ghusl on Thursday for Friday!
✅ It should be noted that these two were women and were on a journey!
7 عن جابر الجعفی قَال سَمِعْتُ أَبَا جَعْفَرٍ يَقُولُ لَيْسَ عَلَى المَرْأَةِ غُسْلُ الْجُمُعَةِ فِي السَّفَرِ وَ لا يَجُوزُ لَهَا تَرْكُهُ في الْحَضَر
📚 Khisal, p. 585
Jabir al-Ju'fi said: I heard Imam Baqir, peace be upon him, say: On a journey, the Friday ghusl is not obligatory for a woman, and it is not permissible for her to leave it in her place of residence.
8 قال الصَّادِقُ غُسْلُ يَوْمِ الْجُمُعَةِ سُنَّةٌ وَاجِبَةٌ عَلَى الرِّجَالِ وَ النِّسَاءِ فِي السَّفَرِ وَ الْحَضَر
📚 Al-Hidaya li al-Saduq, p. 22
Imam Sadiq, peace be upon him, said: The Friday ghusl is a wajib sunnah for women and men, in travel and in residence.
9 عن محمد بن يحيى عن مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ يَحْيَى رَفَعَهُ قال: غُسْلُ الْجُمُعَةِ وَاجِبٌ عَلَى الرِّجَالِ وَ النِّسَاءِ فِي السَّفَرِ وَ الْحَضَرِ إِلَّا أَنَّهُ رُخِّصَ لِلنِّسَاءِ فِي السَّفَرِ لِقِلَّةِ الْمَاءِ
📚 Ilal al-Shara'i, p. 286
Muhammad ibn Ahmad ibn Yahya raised the hadith that (the Imam, peace be upon him) said: The Friday ghusl is obligatory on men and women in travel and in residence, except that on a journey, there is a dispensation (to leave it) for women due to the scarcity of water.
✅ From the totality of the above narrations, it is clear that the Friday ghusl is also for women, in residence and in travel, but a dispensation to leave it on a journey has been granted due to the scarcity of water.
However, it should be noted that this dispensation that has been granted to women in the state of travel does not mean its complete waiver, meaning they can also perform ghusl in travel, but its obligation has been removed from them, even though according to narrations 6 , 8 , and 9 , the precaution is that if there is no water scarcity or other excuses, they should also perform their Friday ghusl on a journey, because in these three hadiths, the Friday ghusl in travel and residence has been placed on women, and the dispensation to leave it can be specific to the state of water scarcity that has been mentioned in other narrations.
The obligation of Friday ghusl on men and women