What is ghusl?

Ghusl is the major purification with water, washing the whole body after major impurity, sexual intercourse, menstruation and postpartum bleeding. It is a condition for valid prayer for someone in a state of major impurity.

The Qur'an made ghusl obligatory after major impurity in Surat al-Ma'ida ¹. The entry on ghusl sets out its manner and what requires it, and it is linked to ablution in the chapters on purification.