How Deep Should I Wash My Ear During the Ritual Bath (Ghusl)?

Answered by Ustadh Tabraze Azam

Question: Assalam alaykum

1. How deep should I wash my ear in ghusl?

2. I often think that sperm has exited my private parts after perforing a ghusl despite knowing that, in fact, it didn’t happen. Are my prayers valid?

Answer: Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullah,

1. During the ritual bath (ghusl), you are expected to wash the outer ear, including the opening of the ear canal- namely, the same place you reach during the ritual washing (wudu) by inserting the tip of your little finger. You do not wash inside the ear canal as this is obviously harmful.

2. No, your prayer is unaffected. These misgivings are to be fought with, by supplication and correct application of the Sacred Law, and removed from your psyche altogether, by reading: The OCD Workbook by Bruce Hyman.

[Shurunbulali, Maraqi al-Falah]

Please also see: A Reader on Waswasa (Baseless Misgivings) and: The Ritual Bath (ghusl): Obligatory, Recommended, and Disliked Acts

[Ustadh] Tabraze Azam

Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Ustadh Tabraze Azam holds a BSc in Computer Science from the University of Leicester, where he also served as the President of the Islamic Society. He memorised the entire Qur’an in his hometown of Ipswich at the tender age of sixteen, and has since studied the Islamic Sciences in traditional settings in the UK, Jordan and Turkey. He is currently pursuing advanced studies in Jordan, where he is presently based with his family.