الغسل
‘Ā’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) reported: The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) used to take a ritual bath in four occasions: when he was in the state of Janābah, on Fridays, after cupping, and after washing a dead person’s body.
عن عائشة -رضي الله عنها- قالت: كان النبي -صلى الله عليه- وسلم يغتسل من أربَع: من الجَنَابة، ويوم الجمعة، ومن الحِجَامة، ومن غُسْل الميِّت.
شرح الحديث :
‘Ā’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) informed that the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) used to take a ritual bath in four situations. Then she started giving a detailed account for each. She said: “When he was in the state of Janābah”: Although the Hadīth is graded as weak, yet, taking a ritual bath from Janābah is an obligation that is proven by the Qur'an, the Sunnah, and the scholars' consensus. Among such proofs is Allah’s saying: {And if you are in a state of Janābah, then purify yourselves.} [Sūrat al-Mā'idah] “On Fridays”: The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) used to take a ritual bath for the Friday prayer, not for the day itself. The time of taking a ritual bath on Fridays starts from the daybreak until before going out to offer the Friday prayer. It is better, however, to delay it till the time of going to the prayer. The Hadīth is weak, but the ritual bath of Friday is recommended. This is supported by evidence from the Sunnah. It is also reported that there is a scholarly consensus upon this issue. Example of such evidence is the Hadīth, where the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: “The Friday ritual bath is obligatory for every Muslim who has attained puberty.” The meaning here is that the Friday ritual bath is a confirmed act of Sunnah, not an obligation in the technical sense of the term. “After cupping”: The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) used to perform ritual bath after undergoing cupping. This is not authentically proven, because this Hadīth is weak. According to Anas (may Allah be pleased with him): “The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) underwent cupping, then he offered the prayer without performing (a new) ablution.” Then, ‘Ā’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) concluded the four situations that require ritual bath by saying: “and after washing a dead person’s body.” The statement refers to the one washing a dead person’s body. It is because he might catch some impurity when he turns over the body and rubs it, even by using something as a separator to avoid direct contact. He may catch some impurity from the water sprinkle. So, performing ritual bath after washing the dead body removes such things and clears the person of the impurity he might have caught during the process. This Hadīth, however, is weak and the correct view is that taking a ritual bath after washing a dead body is recommended, not obligatory.