Will you give information about semen, mazi, wadi and the conditions that necessitate ghusl?

- Sometimes when I urinate in the toilet and wait for the remaining urine to come out, sometimes semen also comes out; do I have to make ghusl then?
- Does a few drops of transparent liquid coming due to touching and contact necessitate ghusl?

Dear Brother / Sister,

This liquid is not semen but wadi.

A person who has reached the age of puberty has four kinds of water:

1. Urine,
2. Semen,
3. Mazi,
4. Wadi.

Of these, only semen necessitates ghusl. Semen has three characteristics:

1. It comes out with ejaculation.
2. It gives pleasure.
3. It gives the smell of dough when it is wet and the smell of the white part of the egg when it is dry.

Wadi is a solid, white water that comes out after urine. Mazi is a white and thin water that comes out when the feeling of lust overcomes a person. Therefore, ghusl is not required for wadi and mazi.

The wetness that comes from a woman due to lust is called “qadhi”. Only wudu is invalidated because of it; it does not invalidate fasting and does not necessitate ghusl.

States that necessitate ghusl:

1. Having sexual intercourse: Even if no semen comes out, ghusl becomes necessary if the sexual organs of a man and a woman come together. The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) states the following:

“If the genitals of a man and a woman touch each other and the notch disappears, ghusl becomes necessary.” (1)

2. Having a wet dream: If semen comes out of a man or a woman in a state of sleep or wakefulness with lust, ghusl becomes necessary. The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) was asked:

“If a person finds wetness on his clothes, but does not remember that he has had a wet dream, does he have to make ghusl?” The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) answered as follows:

“Yes, he does.” Then he was asked about the one who saw that had had a wet dream but could not see any wetness. The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said,

“He does not have to make ghusl.” (2)

If the liquid coming from a person is semen, he has to make ghusl, but if it is mazi or wadi, he does not have to make ghusl but his wudu is invalidated.

Depending on whether the discharge (dirt) that gets on one’s clothes is dry or wet, the amount that prevents the prayer from being valid varies: If the dirt (najasah ghalizah) is a dry substance, it must be less than one dirham, that is, less than three grams. More than three grams will prevent the prayer from being valid.

If it is a wet substance, it must not spread over an area larger than the palm of the hand. The dirt that has wetted a place more than the palm of the hand prevents prayer. It is fard to clean from this amount of dirt in order to perform prayers. The dirt that is less than this amount does not prevent the prayer. However, it is sunnah to remove this amount of dirt, if possible.

The dried semen of humans can be removed by rubbing. Even if the clothes it has touched are lined, rubbing is still sufficient. However, wet semen must be washed with water. Nevertheless, if the semen has dried on the clothes and has been rubbed off, it is permissible to pray with it, but if it becomes wet afterwards, the state of uncleanness will return according to the view that is regarded as sound, and it is necessary to dry it again and rub it off or wash it.

In terms of smearing the clothes, mazi and wadi are regarded like semen.

Footnotes:

(1) Bukhari, Gusl 28; Muslim, Hayd 87; Abu Dawud, Taharah 84; Nasai, Taharah 129; Ibn Majah, Taharah 111; Muwatta, Taharah 71.
(2) Abu Dawud, Taharah 95; Tirmidhi, Taharah 82.

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