Question
Reference number: 394599 | Purity | Oct. 8, 2025
I am suffering from a vaginal yeast infection (Candida), and I notice white, cheese-like discharge that sticks inside and does not go away except with repeated washing using soap. Is it permissible for me to perform ghusl (ritual purification) while it is still there, or must I remove it first, knowing that washing it off is difficult for me?
Answer
The discharges or adhesions that are inside the vagina (in its inner depth) are not among the areas that must be reached by water during ghusl (ritual bath) or wudu (ablution), because Islamic law does not impose excessive hardship, and it is not required to let water enter the internal part of the vagina at all.
Ibn Qudamah said in Al-Mughni: “It is not obligatory to let water reach the inside of the vagina during ghusl, because that is part of the internal body which one is not commanded to cleanse.”
Accordingly, your ghusl is valid even if those internal discharges remain, and you are not required to wash or scrub them with soap. It is sufficient to wash only the external part of the vagina with water, without difficulty.
However, if some of these discharges come out to the outer part of the vagina, it is recommended to wash the visible part with water without overexertion.
And Allah knows best.