QUESTION:

As Salaamu Alaikum, 

I had a recent experience where I was admitted to hospital unexpectedly and stayed for a few days in a shared bay with other patients. We all shared the same bathroom, which had no shower facilities. I suffer from a lot of wet dreams, thankfully it didn’t happen during this stay. However, if I were to have a wet dream and ghusl became obligatory, how could I practically perform it? Even when I did wudu using the sink, water splashed onto the floor and could inconvenience other patients. I could fill one hand with water under the sink and gradually pour water over my body bit by bit, but this would be messy and take a long time, as I would need to ensure the water reaches all of my skin, and that it actually flows over the body rather than just wiping (for example, pouring water on my wrist and rubbing it along my arm would not suffice).

It would also be helpful to know how to perform ghusl if I am connected to an IV drip. I understand that if I am bedbound, tayammum is allowed, but if I am allowed to move around while dragging the IV trolley, I again fall in the aforementioned scenario of needing to do ghusl using just a sink, only this time with greater difficulty.

Any advice as well you could offer on how to prepare for a hospital stay that is planned would be greatly appreciated. The best idea I have thought of is to bring a bucket and a bottle of water, stand in the bucket, and pour water over myself so that most of it lands in the bucket and not the floor. However, even this seems difficult.

P.S. For consistency, I try to follow the Hanafi fiqh. I’m not sure if this will affect your answer.

JazakAllah Khayrun for considering my ask.

 

ANSWER:

Wa Alaikum As Salaam,

In all the situations you have mentioned, it is quite clear that they are all filled with difficulties. Doing ghusl by a sink with one hand when you have an IV (on you) is very difficult. The water splashing on the floor and creating messiness are also difficulties you have to encounter, especially if you are in a hospital where you are required to share a room with others.

In the given situation, you will be allowed to do Tayamum, since this is allowed when one does not have the ability of using water to do Wudhu or Ghusl. In your situation, though you have access to water, you are not able to do a ghusl because of constraints and difficulties. As such, you will have no choice except to do Tayamum in order to be in a state of Taharah (purity) when you are performing Salah.

The Fuqaha (Jurist experts) of the Hanafi Mazhab have written, ‘(In a similar manner), a person will be allowed to do Tayamum if he cannot reach to the water except with difficulties’. At another place, it is written, ‘An incapable person who cannot find someone to help him make Wudhu, would do Tayamum according to all scholars’. (Tahtawi Ala Maraqi Al Falah pg. 177). The same law is applicable for Ghusl. That is, if a person is incapable of using water for Ghusl, and finds no one to help him make Ghusl, then he can do Tayamum.

In your case, you are in a situation where it is extremely difficult for you to do Ghusl on your own (if you need it), and there is no one to help you do it. As such, if you are in a state where you need to do a ghusl to perform Salah, it would be permissible for you to do Tayamum.

And Allah Knows best

Mufti Waseem Khan

30/4/26