عن أبي هريرة قال: قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم: «حق على كل مسلم أن يغتسل في كل سبعة أيام يومًا يغسل فيه رأسه وجسده».
[صحيح] - [متفق عليه]
المزيــد ...

Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: "It is due upon every Muslim to take a bath once in every seven days, where he should wash his head and body."
Sahih/Authentic. - [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]

Explanation

The Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: It is due upon every Muslim - which refers to adult Muslims who attend the Friday prayer - to take a bath in one day every week, and that is Friday. He should wash his head and body. He singled out the head, even though it is included in the word 'body' because it needs more cleaning, and they used to put oil and the like into their hair, and they would wash their head first and then the rest of the body, as related in other Hadīths. This proves that it is strongly recommended to take a bath for the Friday prayer, but it is not an obligation whose non-fulfillment incurs a sin. In a Hadīth narrated by Al-Bukhāri (No. 903), Yahya ibn Sa‘īd asked ‘Amrah about taking a bath on Friday, and he replied that ‘Ā’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) said: The people used to work, and whenever they went for the Friday prayer, they would go in the same condition as they had been in work. So, it was said to them: "If only you had taken a bath."

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Benefits from the Hadith

  1. The Hadīth highlights Islam's care about cleanliness and the use of perfume.
  2. This Hadīth is cited as an evidence by those who say that the Friday bath is obligatory. However, other Hadīths indicate that the Friday bath is strongly recommended for the prayer, yet not an obligation whose non-fulfillment incurs a sin.
  3. The head is singled out despite it being part of the body to stress the need to give it more attention.