Islam also prescribed washing the entire body and made it obligatory or recommended, and even stated the maximum length of time which one cannot go beyond without doing Ghusl. The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said: "It is the right of Allah upon every Muslim that he should do Ghusl every seven days, when he should wash his head and body." (Narrated by Al-Bukhari and Muslim)
This achieves the aim of perfection in keeping the entire body clean and removes a large number of microorganisms that live on human skin.
Medical sources state that the skin is regarded as a habitat for a large number of bacteria and fungi which live on the skin and at the hair roots, the number of which varies between ten thousand and one hundred thousand per square centimetre of skin; on uncovered areas of skin the number varies between one million and five million per square centimetre, and this number is even greater in damp areas such as the groin and armpit, rising to ten million per cm2. And these micro organisms are continually multiplying.
Ghusl and Wudhoo' are the best means of removing these organisms. Ghusl cleans the entire body, as it was narrated that when the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, did Ghusl, he poured water onto his skin, making sure it reached his entire body. Similarly, Wudhoo' cleans the exposed areas of the body, which are the most heavily contaminated with germs. Hence washing them repeatedly is very important.
A number of studies undertaken by specialized scientists have proved that bathing removes 90 percent of these organisms from the body, i.e., more than 200 million organisms at one time. These organisms cling to the skin, hence the Lawgiver enjoined rubbing the skin during Wudhoo' and Ghusl.
(from Islamic Medicine: The Key to a Better Life by Yusuf Al-Hajj Ahmad, Published by Darussalam)
See details of book:
http://goo.gl/9Z4YdQ
![محدث فورم [Mohaddis Forum]](/styles/default/xenforo/Forum.jpg)
