Is It Sunnah to Bathe with Your Wife? Find Out Here!

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Is It Sunnah to Bathe with Your Wife? ~ Hi, dear readers! In this article, I will explain something that married Muslims should know. Generally, all married people desire a happy marriage, and there are many ways to achieve this. One effective approach is by engaging in romantic activities. Specifically, one thing that can enhance the romantic bond between a husband and wife is taking a bath together.

However, there are some important aspects of bathing with a husband or wife that Muslims should understand. Does Islam permit this? Is bathing with your spouse considered Sunnah? If you want to know the answers to these two questions, then be sure to read this article to the end!

Read Also: Differences Between Sunnah and Hadith

Dear readers, before I delve into the answers to these questions, I want to emphasize that Islam encourages all married Muslims to engage in actions that foster romance within their marriage. In fact, Islam strictly prohibits causing harm to a spouse, whether it be a husband hurting his wife, a wife hurting her husband, a parent hurting a child, or a child hurting a parent. Islam prohibits such behavior unequivocally.

We can find an explanation of the obligation to promote romance in Muslim lives in the following verse of the Quran:

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لَا يَحِلُّ لَكُمْ أَن تَرِثُوا النِّسَاءَ كَرْهًا ۖ وَلَا تَعْضُلُوهُنَّ لِتَذْهَبُوا بِبَعْضِ مَا آتَيْتُمُوهُنَّ إِلَّا أَن يَأْتِينَ بِفَاحِشَةٍ مُّبَيِّنَةٍ ۚ وَعَاشِرُوهُنَّ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ ۚ فَإِن كَرِهْتُمُوهُنَّ فَعَسَىٰ أَن تَكْرَهُوا شَيْئًا وَيَجْعَلَ اللَّهُ فِيهِ خَيْرًا كَثِيرًا

O ye who believe! You cannot get women by force. Do not trouble them because you will take what you have given them, unless they do some real heinous thing. And get along with them very well. Then if you don't like them, (then be patient) because maybe you don't like something even though Allah makes a lot of good in that thing. (An-Nisa: 19).

Dear readers, if we understand the above verse of the Quran, we realize that Islam strongly encourages Muslims to treat their partners with kindness, ensuring that husbands treat their wives well and vice versa. Although the verse specifically addresses the prohibition against husbands harming their wives, it also emphasizes the obligation to maintain harmony in married life. Furthermore, Islam strictly forbids men from marrying women against their will.

The question now is: does Islam allow a husband to bathe with his wife? Is bathing with your spouse considered Sunnah?

Hadith About Bathing With a Wife According to Islam

Please pay attention to the hadith below!

عَنْ عَائِشَةَ رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهَا قَالَتْ: كُنْتُ أَغْتَسِلُ أَنَا وَرَسُولُ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ مِنْ إِنَاءٍ وَاحِدٍ تَخْتَلِفُ أَيْدِيْنَا فِيْهِ مِنَ الْجَنَابَةِ. مُتَّفَقٌ عَلَيْهِ

From Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her), she said, "I once bathed with the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) in one container due to janabah (ritual impurity). Our hands were different in it." This hadith is narrated by al-Bukhari and Muslim.

Dear readers, if we understand the above hadith, we recognize that Islam allows a husband and wife to bathe together. However, the question arises: can both of them be naked, or should they cover their bodies? Honestly, I haven't found definitive information on that. However, if we consider Islamic teachings regarding the obligation to guard one’s gaze to avoid seeing what is considered inappropriate, it is prudent for both to keep their bodies covered, at the very least by covering the private parts.

To help you understand the hadith better, let me clarify the phrase, "Our hands were different in it." This means that the hands of the Prophet Muhammad and Aisha alternated in taking water from the container—one hand took the water while the other splashed it onto the body. That is the essence of the hadith.

Additionally, we understand that this hadith illustrates that Islam encourages married couples to maintain harmony in their household, as demonstrated by the Prophet Muhammad with Aisha.

Is It Sunnah to Bathe with Your Wife?

Dear readers, by now, you should understand that Islam permits a husband to bathe with his wife. Thus, bathing together is considered Sunnah. Why is that? Because the term Sunnah refers to everything attributed to the Prophet Muhammad, whether in the form of words, actions, or decisions. The Prophet Muhammad bathed with Aisha, one of his wives, so bathing with your spouse is indeed Sunnah!

I believe that concludes this article on "Is it Sunnah to bathe with your wife?" Do you understand? If you have any questions, please feel free to ask!

See you again in the next article!