94 – Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “When he sits between her four limbs and then exerts himself, the ghusl (ritual bath) becomes obligatory.” Agreed upon. Muslim adds: “even if he does not ejaculate.” (1)

Vocabulary of the ḥadīth
• If he sits: idhā is a conditional particle; its verb is jalasa (“he sits”).
• Her four limbs: with a ḍamma on the shīn. Ibn al-Athīr explains that al-shuʿab means “sides” or “parts.” Scholars have differed over what the four limbs are, and the stronger view is that they are the woman’s two arms and two legs—a euphemism for intercourse.
• Exerts himself (jahadahā): One says jahada fī al-amr yajhadu jahdan, following the pattern of nafaʿa. The noun jahd denotes effort and hardship. It has two pronunciations: with ḍamma or fatḥa on the jīm—the ḍamma being the Hijāzī dialect, the fatḥa that of others. Some hold that the form with ḍamma means “strength,” while the form with fatḥa means “hardship.” Here it refers to the man reaching the limit of his strength through movement.
• Then (fa-qad): The particle fāʾ links the protasis to the apodosis; the two clauses “he sits” and “then exerts himself” together constitute the condition. Qad is an emphatic particle; when it precedes a past-tense verb it conveys certitude, as in this ḥadīth.
• The ghusl: The definite article is that of mental familiarity, meaning the listener automatically thinks of the well-known ritual bath upon hearing the word, just as in the phrase, “The trustworthy one arrived.” Ghusl, with a ḍamma on the ghayn, here refers to the act itself.