Explanation of the author's statement: "And if he intends a recommended ghusl, it suffices for the obligatory one, and vice versa."

The Shaykh : The author (may Allah have mercy on him) said: "And if he intends a recommended ghusl, it suffices for the obligatory one". If he intends a recommended ghusl, it suffices for the obligatory one. What is an example of a recommended ghusl? For instance, taking a ghusl for washing a dead body is a recommended ghusl. Similarly, taking a ghusl for entering the state of ihram, or taking a ghusl for standing at 'Arafah; all of these are recommended ghusls, and they will be mentioned later. Also, the ghusl for Friday prayer is considered a recommended ghusl by the majority of scholars, although the correct view is that it is obligatory. The author states that if one intends a recommended ghusl, it suffices for the obligatory one. The apparent meaning of the author's words is that this applies even if he remembers that he has an obligation upon him. However, some of the companions of the school restricted this to the case where he is forgetting his state of ritual impurity, meaning he is forgetting that he is in a state of major ritual impurity (janabah). In that case, the recommended ghusl suffices for him regarding the obligatory one. If he is not forgetting, then the state of impurity is not lifted, because the recommended ghusl is not performed to remove a state of ritual impurity. And if it is not performed to remove a state of ritual impurity, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: This man did not intend anything but the recommended ghusl, while he knows that he is in a state of major ritual impurity and remembers it. So how is the state of impurity lifted? This view, which restricts the ruling to the case of forgetting, has a point of view. As for those who do not restrict it, they say that since the recommended ghusl is a legal purification, it lifts the state of impurity. However, there is something questionable about this reasoning. Yes, because while we do not doubt that it is a prescribed ghusl, it is a prescribed ghusl that is lower in rank than the obligatory ghusl for major ritual impurity. So how can the recommended one be strong enough to suffice for the obligatory one? If the situation were reversed, it would be possible. But for him to intend the recommended ghusl and for us to say that this suffices for the obligatory one is questionable. However, if he is forgetting, he is excused. For example, if someone takes a ghusl on Friday, based on the view that the Friday ghusl is a recommended practice (sunnah), and he is in a state of major ritual impurity but does not remember or know about it—such as not knowing about the major ritual impurity until after the Friday prayer, as if he had a wet dream but did not know about it until after Friday—then the Friday prayer would be valid because the major ritual impurity is lifted. But if he knows and intends this recommended ghusl, then the view that it suffices is somewhat questionable. "And vice versa" means that if he intends an obligatory ghusl, it suffices for the recommended one, because the recommended one is included in it. This is because the obligatory ghusl is higher in rank than the recommended one, so it is dropped by it. It is like if a person enters the mosque and finds people praying, and he joins them; then the greeting of the mosque (Tahiyyat al-Masjid) is dropped for him, because the obligatory is stronger than the recommended. Now, if he intends both, it suffices. It suffices a fortiori, due to the generality of the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): And if he takes a ghusl for this and a ghusl for that, it is better, as chosen by the companions (may Allah have mercy on them). Based on this, the obligatory ghusl combined with the recommended one has four states: either he intends the recommended one without the obligatory one, or the obligatory one without the recommended one, or both together, or he takes a ghusl for both together, or he does not.

The questioner : Or he takes a ghusl.

The Shaykh : For both together means two ghusls, each having its own separate ghusl. If he takes a separate ghusl for each of them, this is the highest state. And if he intends both together, it is lower than that, but it suffices due to the generality of the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): And if he intends the obligatory one, the recommended one is dropped by it. And if he intends the recommended one, according to the school's position, it suffices for the obligatory one; it is dropped by the obligatory one, but there is something questionable about it. Yes, if he is forgetting, it can be said that this suffices because it is a prescribed ghusl and the person did not remember. He says: "It suffices for the obligatory one, and vice versa". "Vice versa" is a news clause with the predicate preceding, and "the reverse" is the subject following. What is the reverse of this situation? It is that he intends the obligatory one, and it suffices for the recommended one.