and it occurs in both the Qur’an and the hadith. The Exalted One said, “If you are in a state of major impurity, then purify yourselves” (Q 5:6), and one of the Mothers of the Believers likewise said, “I was junub.”
4 – “la yanjusu” (“does not become impure”): the letter jīm may be pronounced with either ḍamma or fatḥa.
5 – “Subḥān Allāh”: an expression of amazement at Abū Hurayrah’s thinking that janābah causes ritual impurity.
Overall meaning
Abū Hurayrah met the Prophet ﷺ on one of the roads of Medina while he happened to be junub. Out of reverence and honor for the Prophet, he disliked to sit and converse with him in that state. He therefore slipped away quietly, performed a full ritual bath, and then returned. When the Prophet ﷺ asked where he had gone, he explained that he had been junub and had not wished to remain in his presence without purification. The Prophet ﷺ expressed surprise that Abū Hurayrah had assumed a person in janābah to be impure, and informed him that a believer is never rendered impure under any circumstance.
Lessons derived from the hadith
1 – Janābah itself is not a filth that clings to the body.
2 – A human being is not intrinsically impure, whether alive or dead. This does not mean that his body can never carry impurity; his very skin can become impure if something impure contacts it.
3 – It is permissible to delay the ritual bath after janābah.
4 – People of virtue, knowledge, and righteousness should be honored and met in the best possible manner.
5 – A follower should seek permission from the one he follows before leaving; the Prophet ﷺ reproved Abū Hurayrah for going off without informing him, for seeking leave is part of good etiquette.
Hadith Two
ʿĀʾishah (may Allah be pleased with her) said: When the Messenger of Allah ﷺ performed ghusl after janābah, he would first wash his hands, then make ablution just as he would for prayer. He would then run his fingers through his hair, and when he thought the water had reached the scalp he would pour water over his head three times, after which he would wash the rest of his body.
She added: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ and I used to bathe together from a single vessel, each of us scooping water from it in turn.