Purity: The Obligatory Ghusls

Practical Laws of Islam as per the teachings of Ayatullah Sistani

There are seven obligatory ghusls:

1. The ghusl for ritual impurity (janābah);

2. The ghusl for menstruation (ḥayḍ);

3. The ghusl for lochia[50] (nifās);

4. The ghusl for irregular blood discharge (istiḥāḍah);

5. The ghusl for touching a corpse (mass al‑mayyit);

6. The ghusl given to a corpse (mayyit);

7. A ghusl that becomes obligatory on account of a vow (nadhr), oath (qasam), or suchlike.

If there is a total solar eclipse or a total lunar eclipse and a mukallaf intentionally (ʿamdan) does not perform the prayer of signs (ṣalāt al‑āyāt) in its prescribed time, then based on obligatory precaution, he must perform ghusl before he makes it up [i.e. when he performs ṣalāt al‑āyāt belatedly (qaḍāʾ), he cannot do so with wuḍūʾ; rather, he must perform ghusl first and then perform the prayer with that ghusl].

-Ayatullah Sistani, Practical Laws of Islam, Purification (Taharah)