Does practicing masturbation through only thought and imagination suffice for ejaculation and require ghusl?
Question
Is practicing the sexual act only with thinking and imagination enough to ejaculation and does it require ghusl? Note that there may be normal emissions that occurred at that time, and there might be the one that does not need ghusl and has to perform wudu, and the emitted one is the one that does require ghusl, as you read, it only descends with the occurrence of a strong desire like that of ejaculation, is this true? And can a mere thought and imagination lead to a strong desire that causes the man to ejaculate? Note that I am an unmarried girl and sometimes I feel a movement in the area due to strong desire, and merely avoiding thinking about this subject makes everything go away, and I do not remember that I have ever performed ghusl due to the sexual act, what should I do now after a lot of time has passed and having performed many prayers, and I might be in a state of impurity? How do I differentiate between manee and maniy and wadi, and is the ordinary emissions a form of that?
Answer Summary
If emission occurs by desire, it is considered maniy and requires ghusl, while ordinary emissions do not. Maniy typically arises from intense desire and is accompanied by sensation, and should be avoided. If in doubt, perform wudu only. It is not necessary to repeat prayer unless there is certainty about it. Intention should precede ghusl if it has occurred. And Allah knows best.
Praise be to Allah. The emission due to desire might be maniy, or it might be mzee, and each has its characteristics. Al-Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) mentioned in Sharh Muslim the characteristics of maniy as he said: "And as for manee, it is fine and may be white. And it has two characteristics that one can know to distinguish it by one of them: The first is that it has the scent of a man and the second is that it may appear following intercourse. As for the characteristics of mzee, Al-Nawawi also mentioned in the Majmu' as he said: "And as for mzee, it is what comes out like a white or less valuable liquid that is neither accompanied by desire nor with a noticeable scent, and a man shares in it with a woman, and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: 'Water is from water.' You must perform ghusl when you know it is maniy, and if the emission is mzee, only wudu is required. If you are uncertain whether it is maniy or mzee, then you should not perform ghusl, but you have the option to consider this emission as one of the doubtful cases, and this is the view of Shafi’ scholars. So you should return to the ruling that is given in all cases. If what you prayed without ghusl, and it was maniy, it is obligatory for you to repeat the prayers you said without ghusl even if you didn't know the ruling. And Allah knows best.