Was my ghusl accepted in this situation?

Question

The way I perform ghusl is that I make intention, and then wash my entire body with water, and at the end, I pour water over my body. Pouring water over my body is not necessary, but I do it for good measure.

Today when I was performing ghusl, I washed my entire body, which technically meant my ghusl was complete, but before pouring water over my body, I went out of the shower to the shelf on the bathroom, to get something. Then I came back and poured water over my body and finished ghusl.

I am now worried that since I left to get something (I was still in the bathroom by the way) then my ghusl won't be valid, I think shaytaan is giving me waswas.

Answer 1

An important note: Al-Ghusl الغُسل in Arabic literally means pouring water on your body. So without having poured water on your body no ghusl happened.

Further as what ghusl the way of cleaning oneself (in opposite to wudu') means scholars have different interpretations especially on which body parts must be covered when pouring water and on what is essential for ghusl to be valid.

Thirdly now to your question. First of all as you poured water on your body there's no need to worry. Secondly as long as your body parts didn't get dry during the time you've stopped your ghusl it shouldn't be a thing. Scholars are in agreement that a short interruption of wudu' or ghusl has no impact on it. However the longer this interruption may take the issue becomes bigger because there's a difference of opinion on the order of acts of taharah (wudu' and ghusl), some scholars say the order is essential (fard) in this case you may need to re-do it, others say it is essential, but can be neglected in case of a valid excuse, for example if one has forgotten it. And the third view is that it is sunnah and this case it is neglectable.

Answer 2

If you wash and pour water over your whole body twice, for sure you have cleaned your body more than it was possible to the believers in the times of the prophet.

If you take shower, and use soap, and take shower again, your body will even be cleaner. But don't disbelievers do the same? What makes the difference to Ghusl?

The main point in Ghusl is the intention, as you wrote in your first sentence. The outer washing of Ghusl is only a symbol; the core of it is to be prepared internally, strip off the daily concerns and open our hearts to God, whom we will adress in Salat.

On this background, it's important to concentrate at the end, before prayer.

It is mainly this inner process that validates Ghusl and keeps shaitan apart.