White Vaginal Discharge: Is Ghusl Required?

Question

Does daily white vaginal discharge require ghusl, or is wudu sufficient?

Bottom Line

Normal white vaginal discharge type does not require ghusl. It is pure, so clothes do not become impure, but it breaks wudu. A woman must renew ablution before each prayer if it occurs after wudu.

Quick Answer

Vaginal discharge that comes from the uterus is tahir (pure). It does not make garments najis and does not require ghusl. However, because it exits from the private parts, it breaks wudu according to the majority of scholars, and renewal of wudu before each salah is required. Ghusl is only required if the fluid is maniy (sexual fluid after orgasm).

Key Points

• White vaginal discharge is pure and does not make clothes impure.
• It breaks wudu even though it is pure.
• No ghusl is required unless it is sexual fluid from orgasm.
• If the discharge is continuous, wudu should be done at the start of each prayer time, and the prayer remains valid even if discharge continues.
• Women do not need to wash or change their clothing because of this discharge.

Detailed Answer

The view of Abu Hanifah and Ahmad, and one of the two views narrated from Ash-Shafi`i, which An-Nawawi classed as correct, is that it is pure. This view was also favoured by Shaykh Ibn `Uthaymin, who said in Ash-Sharh Al-Mumti` (1/392):

“If these discharges come as the result of intimacy, then they are pure, because they are not the waste products of eating and drinking, thus they are not urine.

The basic principle is that there is no impurity unless there is evidence that something is impure. Because a man is not obliged to wash his penis if he has intercourse with his wife, nor to wash his garment if anything gets onto it; if it were impure, then the pure semen would become impure (through contamination with these discharges). Al-Majmu`, 1/406 and Al-Mughni, 2/88

Purity of Discharge

• • Scholars differed on whether vaginal discharge is tahir or najis.

  • The stronger opinion, held by al-Shafi’i, Ahmad, and supported by Ibn Qudāmah in al-Mughnī, is that it is tahir (pure).

  • ‘Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) would scrape semen from the garment of the Prophet ﷺ, and semen mixes with vaginal moisture. If the fluid were najis, this practice would not have been allowed.

Effect on Wudu

• • The majority of scholars (including Ibn Taymiyyah in Majmūʿ al-Fatāwā) held that discharge breaks wudu, even though it is pure.

  • Shaykh Ibn ʿUthaymīn explained: “It is tahir, but it invalidates wudu because what exits the private parts breaks wudu, even if not impure, like passing wind.” (Majmūʿ Fatāwā Ibn ʿUthaymīn 1/284–286).

When Ghusl is Required

• • Ghusl is only obligatory if the fluid is maniy, released with pleasure and climax.

The Prophet ﷺ said:

“Water (ghusl) is for water (semen).” Muslim, 343

Continuous Discharge

• • If discharge is frequent and continuous, the woman should do wudu after the time for each prayer begins and then pray. Her prayer remains valid even if discharge continues during it, just like the ruling for one with urinary incontinence.

What That Means for You

If you experience daily white discharge, you do not need to perform ghusl or wash your clothes. Simply renew your wudu before each prayer if it occurs after ablution. Ghusl is only necessary if the discharge is sexual fluid after orgasm.

And Allah knows best.

References

Primary Sources

Qur’an

1. Al-Ma’idah 5:6: The Book of Menstruation

Hadith

2. Sahih Muslim, Hadith no. 343: The Book of Menstruation
3. Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith no. 228: The washing out of blood

Secondary Sources

4. Ibn Qudāmah, al-Mughnī (1/763), affirms that discharge is pure and does not soil clothing
5. al-Nawawī, al-Majmūʿ (2/160): explains the ruling of purity and wudu
6. Ibn Taymiyyah, Majmūʿ al-Fatāwā (21/219): supports the majority view that it breaks wudu
7. Ibn ʿUthaymīn, Majmūʿ Fatāwā (1/284–286): clarifies it is pure but invalidates wudu, with rulings for continuous discharge