Unusually, My father preceded me to today's session. When I came, in the beginning, he did not notice my presence as he was quietly thinking while he was looking down to the ground, letting his feelings travel outside the room. As soon as he noticed my presence, the calm determination in his eyes came back as he said:
I will start this dialogue with an introduction that leads to the subject of Janabah.
He added:
We spoke in the dialogue on Najis things about the impurities that take away the state of natural purity from the human body and other things.
And then we discussed in the dialogue on purity the purifying agents that restore the stripped natural purity to our body and to other things.
If you were to recall these impurities, you shall notice that they are material things that intervene to the body whether they originate from the body itself or from an outside source.
There are, however, intangible incorporeal occurrences, when they occur, they take away the purity of the body and it would require what restores its lost purity.
Those occurrences are of two types: Major and minor.
Major occurrences include Janabah, Menstruation, Nifas, major and medium Istihadha, touching a dead human body, and death.
Minor occurrences are like urine, excrement, breaking wind, sleeping, minor Istihadha.. etc.
Major occurrences are purified by Ghusul or wiped off by Tayamum.
Minor occurrences can be purified with Ghusul or wiped off by Tayamum.
We will cover in our dialogues these conceps one by one, but for know we will start with Janabah.
I said to my father:
- What actualizes the Janabah?
It actualizes when one of the two following things occurs:
First: Seminal discharge whether it takes places as a result of sexual exercise, a dream or masturbation.
- What are the descriptions of the seminal fluid?
It is a dense sticky liquid, smells like a fermented dough, its color is milky, sometimes leans to either green or yellow. It is ejaculated when orgasm is reached and associated with effusion. The body feels tepidity and relaxed afterwards.
- If I was in doubt that a specific sticky ejaculated liquid is actually semen or other liquids?
I will tell you three characteristics when combined you can tell it is semen. They are: sexual desire, effusion and body relaxation or tepidity. For asleep person, sexual desire and effusion is sufficient and for sick people, sexual desire only is sufficient.
- What if one or two characteristics were actualized for awake person?
You do not consider the liquid as semen except for the sick people as I just mentioned.
Second: sexual intercourse even if it did not lead to the release of semen. It is sufficient to actualize the sexual intercourse when the end part of the penis, the part that contains the foreskin penetrates the female's vagina [or anus].
- What if the semen is released or a sexual intercourse takes place?
Janabah occurs to both parties regardless of age or state of mind.
- When it takes place, then what?
Ghusul becomes mandatory in order to pray – for example – or perform tawaf during pilgrimage as both of them can not be considered valid without the Ghusul. I will explain to you in the coming dialogue of Ghusul how to do it.
You should know that the following acts are prohibited while you are in the state of Janabah:
1. Touching the writing in the holy Qur'an [Also the verses in other books].
2. [Touching the Arabic name of the almighty, "Allah" and His other names and descriptions like "Al khaliq" – The Creator]. However, it is allowed to touch the Quranic verses and Allah's names if they were written on currencies.
3. Recitation of the four verses of Sajjdah - prostration: in Chapters "Al-Alaq, "An-Najm", "As-Sajdah", and "Fussilat" of the Holy Quran.
4. Entering Mosques to put something in them or to stay.
It is allowed for a person during the state of Janabah to pass through the mosque by entering from one door and exiting from another, except for the two holy Mosques, Al-Masjid Al-haram in Mekkah and the Prophet's mosques in Medina. [It is unlawful to stay at the shrine of the infallibles (peace be upon them)]
- Are the corridors covered by the same rule?
No, they are not.
- Before we conclude the dialogue of Janabah, I have a question but I am embarrassed to ask.
Ask whatever you like, as the maxin says: "There shell be no embarrassment in religious matters" and I always say that.
- Sometimes, when I am sexually aroused, I notice a drop of a sticky white transparent liquid comes out of my penis.
Yes, this liquid is Tahir, does not contaminate the body or the clothes and you do not need to perform Ghusul if you notice it. There is another liquid that follow urination sometimes, it is Tahir too and you are not required to perform Ghusul when you experience it.
- What about masturbation?
It is prohibited and must be avoided. Medical studies warn from its harm to the body and to the soul. Medical doctors guide people and encourage them to avoid it.
