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Fatwa CenterPerforming Wudu or Ghusl after watching porn
Question
I have a question if i should be doing wudu or ghusl before i pray. my brother looks at a lot of porn, and I know it's haram, so i try not to. But I end up seeing things because he always does. So if I am not looking at the pictures and doing anything or touching myself, is wudu still the correct thing to do before I pray? A friend said that porn is a type of zina, so if I even see it, I must do ghusl before i pray. I am really confused, and I want to make sure my prayers are good.
Answer
All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad 
is His slave and Messenger.
There is no doubt that seeing those films is a kind of Zina (fornication or adultery) as the Prophet said: “…Eyes commit Zina and the Zina of the eyes is by gazing…” [Muslim and Ahmad] However, a person who sees those films is not obliged to perform Ghusl (ritual bath) if he did not discharge any sperm (Maniyy). Similarly, he is not obliged to perform ablution if his ablution is not invalidated by discharging preseminal fluid (Madhi). Even though seeing forbidden films is forbidden, but this, by itself, is not one of the things that necessitate Ghusl or something that invalidates ablution unless this is accompanied by discharging Maniyy or Madhi, because if there is a discharge of Maniyy, it is an obligation to perform Ghusl, and if there is a discharge of Madhi, it is an obligation to completely wash the penis [and then perform ablution].
However, your brother is obliged to repent to Allaah because looking at forbidden things spoils one’s heart and subjects the person to the Wrath and Punishment of Allaah.
For more benefit, please refer to Fataawa 85700, 82765, 84093 and 82245.
Allaah Knows best.
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