The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) loved to be in a state of purity and to keep himself clean all the time. He often taught his companions how to purify themselves and what purification was. In this hadith, the Mother of the Believers ‘A’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) tells us that when the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) wanted to purify himself and do ghusl to cleanse himself from janabah – the word janabah refers to anyone who emits maniy (semen) or has intercourse; it is so called because he must avoid (ijtinab) prayer and other acts of worship until he has purified himself – he would begin by washing his hands, before putting them into the water, by pouring water over them and washing them first. Then after that, he would do wudu’ as if for prayer, a complete wudu’. Then after that he would put his fingers in the water [that he had poured on his head] to make the water reach the scalp. Then he would pour a handful of water over his head three times. Then after that he would pour water over his entire body, making it reach all of his skin. This hadith highlights the practice of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) with regard to doing ghusl to cleanse himself from janabah. It highlights the fact that purification and cleanliness are characteristics of Islam and the Muslims. It indicates that a little water is sufficient to do ghusl to cleanse oneself from janabah..