Intercourse Twice without Ghusl

Question of Fatwa Dear Scholar! I have been told that I am not allowed to have intercourse twice with my wife unless I perform ghusl (ritual bathing of the body) in between. Is this true? Am I obliged to perform ghusl if I want to make intercourse again?

Name of Mufti Sheikh Muhammad Saleh Al-Munajjid

Content of Reply In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.

All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.

Dear questioner! Thank you for your question and the confidence you place in our service and we pray to Allah to enable us render this service purely for His Sake.

What you have heard is incorrect and has no basis in Islam. A Muslim is permitted to have intercourse more than once with his wife without having to perform ghusl between them. It is only recommended that the person has either wudu’ (ablution) or ghusl (complete bath), which is better.

In this context, Sheikh Muhammad Saleh Al-Munajjid, a Saudi Muslim scholar and lecturer, issues the following fatwa:

"If a man has intercourse with his wife and wants to come back to her a second time, he should do wudu’, because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “If any one of you has intercourse with his wife then wants to repeat it, let him do wudu’ between the two (actions), for it is more energizing for the second time.” (Narrated by Muslim). This is recommended, not obligatory; if he is able to do ghusl between the two actions, this is better, because of the hadith of Abu Rafi` who said that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) went around his wives one day (visited them in their houses and had intercourse with each) and did ghusl in this one’s house and in this one’s house. He (Abu Rafi`) said: I said to him, “Messenger of Allah, why do you not do one ghusl?” He said, “This is cleaner and better and purer.” (Narrated by Abu Dawud and An-Nasa’i)"

Excerpted, with slight modifications, from: www.islam-qa.com

Allah Almighty knows best.