Ablution

The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) says that outward purification is attained by ablution and washing up, and it is required for prayer. And saying "al-hamdulillāh" fills the Scale. This is to praise Allah and ascribe the attributes of perfection to Him. This will be weighed on the Day of Judgment and fill the Scale of deeds. Saying "subhān Allah wa al-hamdulillāh" - which exalts Allah far above all deficiencies and ascribes to Him the complete perfection that befits His majesty, along with loving and extolling Him - fills what is between the heavens and the earth. "Prayer is light" for a person within his heart, on his face, in his grave, and on the Day of Judgment. "Charity is proof" and evidence for the sincerity of a believer's faith and it sets him apart from the hypocrite, who refrains from giving charity because he does not believe in the reward promised in return for it. "Patience is radiance," by refraining from exasperation and indignation, is radiance, which is light that comes with heat and burning, like the light of the sun. This is because patience is difficult and requires self-struggle and restraining oneself from one's desires. So, a patient person continues to have light and adhere to guidance and the right path. Patience is shown in observing Allah's commands, avoiding His prohibitions, and enduring afflictions and different forms of hardships in this world. And "the Qur’an is proof either for you," by reciting and acting upon it, or "against you," for abandoning it, without application or recitation. Then, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) mentioned that all people work and go about, and they get up from their sleep and go out for their different activities. Some of them hold onto obedience to Allah and thus save themselves from Hellfire. And some others deviate from that and commit sins, which ruin them by leading them to Hellfire.

'Uthmān ibn' Affān (may Allah be pleased with him) practically taught the Prophet's manner of ablution to make it clearer. He asked for water in a vessel and poured water on his hands three times. After that, he entered his right hand into the vessel, took water with it, put it in his mouth and let it out. Then, he sniffed water into his nose and then blew it out. Then, he washed his face three times and then washed his forearms up to the elbows three times. Then, he passed his wet hand over his head once. Then, he washed his feet along with the ankles three times. When he (may Allah be pleased with him) finished, he informed them that he saw the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) perform ablution like that ablution and that he (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) gave them glad tidings that whoever performs ablution like his ablution and offers two Rak'ahs, with presence of mind and humility before his Almighty Lord, Allah will recompense him for this complete ablution and this sincere prayer by forgiving his past sins.

The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) clarified that Tahārah (ritual purity) is one of the conditions for the validity of prayer. Hence, whoever wants to pray must make Wudū’ (ablution) if he has already nullified his Wudū’ by defecating, urinating, sleeping, etc.

The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) informs that if a person performs ablution while observing its Sunnahs and etiquettes, this will cause his sins and misdeeds to be expiated and forgiven - to the extent that his sins will come out from under the nails of his hands and feet.

The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) says that outward purification is attained by ablution and washing up, and it is required for prayer. And saying "al-hamdulillāh" fills the Scale. This is to praise Allah and ascribe the attributes of perfection to Him. This will be weighed on the Day of Judgment and fill the Scale of deeds. Saying "subhān Allah wa al-hamdulillāh" - which exalts Allah far above all deficiencies and ascribes to Him the complete perfection that befits His majesty, along with loving and extolling Him - fills what is between the heavens and the earth. "Prayer is light" for a person within his heart, on his face, in his grave, and on the Day of Judgment. "Charity is proof" and evidence for the sincerity of a believer's faith and it sets him apart from the hypocrite, who refrains from giving charity because he does not believe in the reward promised in return for it. "Patience is radiance," by refraining from exasperation and indignation, is radiance, which is light that comes with heat and burning, like the light of the sun. This is because patience is difficult and requires self-struggle and restraining oneself from one's desires. So, a patient person continues to have light and adhere to guidance and the right path. Patience is shown in observing Allah's commands, avoiding His prohibitions, and enduring afflictions and different forms of hardships in this world. And "the Qur’an is proof either for you," by reciting and acting upon it, or "against you," for abandoning it, without application or recitation. Then, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) mentioned that all people work and go about, and they get up from their sleep and go out for their different activities. Some of them hold onto obedience to Allah and thus save themselves from Hellfire. And some others deviate from that and commit sins, which ruin them by leading them to Hellfire.

The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) traveled from Makkah to Madīnah with his Companions, and on their way they found water. Some of the Companions hurried to perform ablution for the ‘Asr prayer, so much so that the backs of their feet appeared to the observer to be dry. So, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: There will be punishment and destruction in Hellfire for those who fail to wash the backs of their feet during ablution. He ordered them to perform ablution perfectly.

The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) clarified some of the Tahārah (ritual purity) rulings including the following: First: Whoever performs ablution must sniff water into the nose by inhaling and then blow it out by exhaling. Second: Whoever wants to clean his private parts from impurities with something other than water, like stones and the like, should do so with an odd number of stones; the least of which is three, and the most of which is what is necessary to fully cleanse the impurities off his body. Third: Whoever wakes up from night sleep should not put his hand in the water vessel to perform ablution until he washes it three times outside the vessel, for he does not know where his hand was during his sleep. It might have been affected by some impurity or the devil might have been meddling with it carrying to it what could either be harmful to man or what could make the water impure.

This Hadīth affirms the desirability of beginning with the right side in all good things. So, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) exhorts us to start from the right side when we wear our clothes or when we perform ablution. An exception are some organs included in the ablution, namely the two ears, the two palms, and the two cheeks. Each of those pairs is to be washed at the same time, if possible; otherwise, we should begind with the right one.

‘Abdullah ibn Zayd (may Allah be pleased with him) clarified how the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) used to perform ablution practically. He asked for a small water container. First, he started by washing his hands; he tilted the container, poured water, and washed them thrice outside the container. Then, he put his hand inside the container and took three handfuls of water, and with each handful of water, he rinsed his mouth, sniffed water into his nostrils, and blew it out. After that, he took water from the container and washed his face thrice. Then, he took water therefrom and washed his hands up to the elbows twice each. He again put his hand in the container and wiped over his head with both hands, starting from the hairline and back to the nape, the upper part of the neck, and then returned them to the place where he started from. After that, he washed his feet along with the ankles.

The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) warns against negligence in the performance of ablution and encourages us to perform it perfectly and completely. As the back of the foot (the heel bone) is normally somewhere that water does not reach, it leads to a deficiency in ablution and therefore in prayer, so the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) informs us that the heel bones, along with the one who is careless about including them in his Shariah-required purification, will be targeted by torment in the Hereafter.

The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) informs about the devil and his struggle with the person who wants to get up to offer the voluntary night prayer or the Fajr prayer. When the believer goes to sleep, the devil ties three knots at his Qāfiyah, i.e., the back of his head. One knot is undone when the believer wakes up and remembers Allah Almighty without responding to the devil's whisperings. Another knot is undone when he performs ablution. Then the third knot is undone when he rises and prays, and he gets up in the morning active and in a good mood, given his happiness that Allah has guided him to obedience and rejoicing in the reward and forgiveness that Allah has promised him, along with getting rid of the devil's knots and his discouragement. Otherwise, he wakes up in the morning low-spirited, gloomy, and too indolent to offer good and righteous deeds because he is chained with the devil's shackles and far from getting close to the Most Compassionate.

‘Ā'ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) tells that she used to prepare for the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) his tooth-stick and the water with which he would make ablution at night. Then Allah, Blessed and Exalted, would wake him from his sleep at any time of the night. When he woke up, he would begin with cleaning his teeth with the tooth-stick in order to remove the odor that affects the mouth because of sleep. Then he would make ablution for prayer, then offer voluntary night prayer.

In this Hadīth, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) makes clear that were it not for his fear to cause difficulty and hardship for his followers, he would command and obligate them to use the tooth-stick with every ablution. But, out of his mercy and compassion towards them, he did not do that. Instead of prescribing it as an obligation, he made it a recommended act of Sunnah, whose performance brings reward, yet there is no punishment for failure to do it.

The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) urges anyone who wakes up from his sleep to make Istinthar, i.e., blowing water out of the nose after sniffing it, three times because the devil spends the night on the nostril, which is the whole nose.

‘Abdullāh ibn Zayd (may Allah be pleased with him) informs us of the manner in which the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) performed ablution. He tells us that when he performed ablution, he took water into his mouth, swirled it around, and spat it out; that he then took water into his nose and blew out the mucus and whatever else; and that he then washed his face thrice, then his right forearm up to the elbow thrice, and then the left forearm up to the elbow thrice. Then he wiped his head with new water and then washed his feet up to the ankles until all the dirt was removed from them.

Al-Mughīrah ibn Shu‘bah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) wiped over his forelock, which is the front of his head at the hairline, then he completed the wiping over his turban. He did not suffice with wiping part of his head; rather, he completed wiping his head by wiping over the turban. From the Prophet's guidance as well is wiping over the leather socks, as mentioned in this Hadīth and others.

This Hadīth indicates that among the obligations of ablution is to wash the hands up to the elbows. Stressing the necessity of washing the elbows thoroughly indicates that they are included in the washing of hands.

Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (may Alla's peace and blessings be upon him) judged the prayer of a person who did not perform ablution to be invalid, and so is the ablution of a person who did not mention the name of Allah at its start. The Hadīth clearly states that that it is compulsory to mention Allah's name when beginning ablution. Therefore, intentionally leaving it invalidates one's ablution. However, leaving it out of ignorance or forgetfulness does not invalidate it.

‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) saw a man who had just finished performing ablution leaving a spot on his foot, the size of a fingernail, unwashed. He said to him while pointing to the place that was not properly washed: Go back and perform your ablution properly and perfectly and wash each organ properly with water. So, the man went back, performed ablution perfectly, and then prayed.

The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) used to take a bath for Janābah (sexual impurity) with one Sā‘ to five Mudds and perform ablution with one Mudd. A Sā‘ equals four Mudds, and a Mudd is the amount that would fill the palms of an average-sized person.

The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) pointed out two great virtues while addressing the people: First: Whoever performs ablution well, thoroughly, completely, and perfectly in the prescribed manner, and gives each limb its due amount of water, and then says, I bear witness that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is the servant and Messenger of Allah, the eight gates of Paradise will be opened for him, and he may enter through whichever one he wishes. Second: Whoever performs this complete and perfect ablution and then stands up and offers two Rak‘ahs, turning to them with his heart in sincerity and Khushū‘ (humility and focus), and submitting his face and all the parts of his body to Allah, Paradise will be guaranteed for him.

In this Hadīth, ‘Ā’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) says that the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) kissed one of his wives, then he went to prayer without performing ablution. 'Urwah who narrated the Hadīth from ‘Ā’ishah recognized that the anonymous wife was ‘Ā’ishah herself. When he remarked that, she laughed in confirmation of his correct perception. That the Prophet did not make a new ablution indicates that touching or kissing one's wife does not invalidate one's ablution, whether with lust or without. The original state is the validity of one's ablution, which does not become invalid, unless there is an indisputable proof. There is no such proof on the termination of the state of ablution at all when touching one's wife. As for the Qur'anic reference to touching women, it means having sexual intercourse with one's wife, according to Ibn ‘Abbās and a group of scholars. Since kissing one's wife is mostly with lust, this indicates that touching one's wife with lust does not terminate one's ablution. The ablution is terminated only when kissing or touching is accompanied with ejaculation.

The question: "What do you say regarding the man who touches his penis after making ablution?", i.e. what is the religious ruling regarding touching the penis after making ablution; is there anything that one has to do? In a narration from Ahmad: "A man touches his penis in the prayer, does he have to make ablution (again)?" He (the Prophet) said: "No, it is only a part of you." The statement: "Is it not but a piece of him," or "a part of him", i.e. the penis is like the rest of the body parts. If someone who is in the state of ablution touches his hand or leg or nose or head, this will not nullify his ablution. The same applies if he touches his penis. This Hadīth is either abrogated or it is understood to mean touching the penis with a barrier, such as touching it from over the clothes. As for touching it directly with the hand, this nullifies ablution as stated in other Hadīths.

It is well-known that the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) used to perform the voluntary night prayer during Ramadan and outside Ramadan. Hence, Abu Salamah (may Allah be pleased with him) asked about the voluntary night prayer to be offered in Ramadan; he wondered whether the prayer of the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) during the nights of Ramadan was like his prayer outside it, in terms of the number of Rak‘ahs, or it was different. ‘Ā'ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) replied that there was no difference between his prayers during Ramadan or otherwise, since throughout the whole year he used to perform eleven Rak‘ahs and no more. Then, she clarified for him the manner in which they were performed, saying: "He would pray four", meaning: he would perform two Rak‘ahs and make Taslīm, then two more Rak‘ahs and make Taslīm, as ‘Ā'ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) clarified and explained in detail the summary of this Hadīth in another narration attributed to her in Sahīh Muslim, where she said: "In the time between the ‘Ishā' prayer and the Fajr prayer, the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) used to perform eleven Rak‘ahs of prayer, making Taslīm after every two Rak‘ahs, and concluding them with one Rak‘ah, i.e. the Witr prayer." This is in addition to his statement: "The voluntary night prayer is performed in pairs of Rak‘ahs." [Al-Bukhāri and Muslim] "And do not ask about their beauty and length", meaning: do not ask about their manner (of performance), because they were the epitome of beauty and perfection, in terms of the quality of recitation and the length of standing, bowing, and prostrating. Likewise, the last four Rak‘ahs that were performed two by two; do not ask about their beauty and perfection, in terms of the quality of recitation and the length of standing, bowing, and prostrating. "Then he would pray three", meaning: what is apparently understood is that he would perform them altogether without separation. Then he would make Taslīm in the last Rak‘ah. However, another narration attributed to ‘Ā'ishah clarifies that he would make Taslīm after two Rak‘ahs, followed by a single Rak‘ah which is Witr. This is explicitly stated through her words: "He would make Taslīm after every two Rak‘ahs, followed by one Rak‘ah." This indicates that he would separate the (last) three Rak‘ahs by the Taslīm, which he made after the first two Rak‘ahs thereof. "O Messenger of Allah, do you sleep before performing the Witr prayer?" meaning: how do you sleep before performing the Witr prayer? "He said: 'O ‘Ā'ishah, indeed my eyes sleep but my heart does not sleep'", meaning: his heart is never inattentive although his eyes are sleeping. Rather, his heart is aware and feels everything, such as consideration of time and precise determination of it. That is why the visions of the prophets are considered part of the revelation.

The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) used to perform ablution for every obligatory prayer, even if his ablution was not broken. This is to attain the reward and merit. It is permissible to perform more than one obligatory prayer with one ablution, so long as the ablution remains valid.

When the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) performed ablution, he would sometimes wash each organ of the organs of ablution once - washing the face - including rinsing the mouth and sniffing water into the nostrils - and the hands and feet once. This is the due amount.

When the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) performed ablution, he would sometimes wash each body part of the parts of ablution once - washing the face - including rinsing the mouth and sniffing water into the nostrils - and the hands and feet twice.

The Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) explained that if a person feels some disturbance in his stomach and he is not sure whether something has come out of him, he should not leave his prayer and cut it off to renew his ablution, unless he ascertains that his ablution was broken, by hearing the sound of wind or smelling its odor. This is because a doubtful one does not nullify a certain thing, and he is certain about his purification but doubtful whether it has been broken or not.

The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) gives his followers the glad tidings that Allah, Glorified and Exalted, will grant them a sign of virtue and honor on the Day of Resurrection that will distinguish them from other nations. When called out, they will emerge, distinct from the rest of people with their radiant faces, hands and feet. This light is from the traces of a great act of worship, i.e. ablution, which they often performed on their limbs. In that they sought Allah's pleasure and reward, hence they will have admirable reward of illumination. Abu Hurayrah recommended to extend this radiance, because washing more space of the body yields more radiance. Indeed, the ornamentation of light reaches as far as the water of ablution reaches. However, in mandatory ablution, one washes the hands up to the elbow and a little bit further, and washes the feet up to the ankles and a little bit further. It is not required to wash the upper arms and shins.

Sa‘īd ibn al-Hārith asked Jābir ibn ‘Abdullāh (may Allah be pleased with him) about making ablution after eating food that was touched by fire, i.e. cooked or grilled or the like, whether it was obligatory or not? Jābir replied that it was not obligatory. Then he cited evidence for that. He said that during the lifetime of the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) such food was rare. If they happened to find it and eat it, they didn't have napkins to wipe away the grease; rather, they would lick their fingers then rub them in their palms, forearms, and feet. Then they would pray without making a new ablution.

This Hadīth describes the ablution of the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him). ‘Abd Khayr related that ‘Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) went to them after he had prayed. He asked them for water to perform ablution. At first they were surprised by this, as he had already prayed, but then realized that he wanted to teach them how the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) used to perform ablution. They brought the water and he poured some of the water onto his right hand and washed both of his hands three times. He then he rinsed his mouth and washed his nose three times using the same hand that he had taken the water with. He then washed his face three times. The limits of the face are from the normal hair line at the top of the forehead to the end of the chin, including the upper part of the beard, and from one ear to the other. He then washed his right then left arm three times, including the elbows. He wiped over his head only once. Lastly, he washed his right and then left foot three times. He said that this was the way the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) performed ablution.

Laqīt ibn Saburah (may Allah be pleased with him) informed that he came to the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) with others from his people, Banu al-Muntafiq. He said: We did not find him in his house, but we found the Mother of the Believers, ‘Ā’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her). She ordered that a broth be prepared for us from flour and fat, and a plate containing dates was served to us. Then the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) came and asked: Was any food offered to you? We said: Yes. Laqīt said: While we were sitting with him (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him), the shepherd of the Prophet's sheep came driving the sheep to their place of rest, carrying a crying young goat with him. The Prophet asked: What did it give birth to? He replied: A female. He said: Then slaughter for us in its place a grown sheep. Then he (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: Do not think that we are taking trouble or slaughtering it for your sake; rather, we have a flock of one hundred sheep, and we do not wish their number to exceed that. So whenever a new lamb is born, we slaughter one in its place. Laqīt said: I said: O Messenger of Allah, my wife has a sharp tongue and speaks indecently. What should I do with her? He replied: Then divorce her. He said: I said: O Messenger of Allah, she has been my companion for a long time, and I have children from her. He said: Then advise her, for if there is any good in her, she will respond to your admonition. And if she does not respond, then beat her, but not severely, and do not beat her as you would beat your servants. Laqīt, then, said: O Messenger of Allah, tell me about ablution. He said: Let the water reach all its proper places during ablution, and give each body part its due. Do not neglect any of its obligations or Sunnah acts. Separate the fingers of your hands and feet while washing them, and be thorough in drawing water into your nose and blowing it out, except if you have intended to fast, so that water does not enter your stomach.

Hassān ibn Bilāl informs us that he saw ‘Ammār ibn Yāsir run his fingers through his beard while performing ablution. He asked him about it because it surprised him as he had not known about it before seeing ‘Ammār ibn Yāsir do this. "What is there to prevent me if I have seen the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) run his fingers through his beard?" ‘Ammār (may Allah be pleased with him) replied by saying that nothing prevented him from doing so as he had seen the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) himself do it. Takhlīl al-Lilyah (running your fingers through your beard) can be performed in two ways: 1. Taking a handful of water, placing it under your beard, and then rubbing it so that the water goes through it. 2. Taking a handful of water and running your fingers through your beard like a comb.

In this Hadīth ‘Abdullāh ibn Zayd (may Allah be pleased with him) informs us about the amount of water used by the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) for ablution, which is two-thirds of a Mudd. This quantity of water is enough for ablution without wasting. The Hadīth also tells us that the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) began to rub his arm, so as to let water reach the washed limb completely.

The Companions during the time of the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) used to wait for the ‘Ishā' prayer, and they would doze off then pray without making ablution again. In principle, anyone does an act during the time of the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) and the Prophet did not denounce it, this is considered a tacit approval. The Prophet’s approval of an action is part of the Sunnah, which generally includes his sayings, actions, and approvals. Any act done during the Prophet's lifetime and he did not denounce it, then it is considered an act of Sunnah by approval. Had their prayers been invalid or their action been incorrect, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) would have informed them of it once it comes to his knowledge or is conveyed to him through the revelation. Unlike the actions that occur after the Prophet’s death. The Companions' heads would be dropping from drowsiness to the extent that the narrator, according to another version, could hear some of them snoring or see them laying on their sides, then they would get up and pray without making ablution. This means that they would get up to pray without making a new ablution, because their sleep was not deep. Had such sleep invalidated their ablution, the Prophet would not have approved that they pray without making a new ablution. By this understanding, one can reconcile between the other textual proofs, since it was authentically reported that sleeping invalidates ablution, exactly like defecation and urination. The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said regarding invalidators of ablution (which do not require removal of leather socks): "...not for defecation, urination, or sleep." Ali,(may Allah be pleased with him) reported that he said: "The eye is the string tying the anus, so anyone sleeps let him make ablution." Mu‘āwiyah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that he said: "The eye is the string tying the anus, so if the eyes sleep, the string is untied (i.e. wind is free to pass out)." All these narrations prove that sleeping renders ablution invalid, whereas the Hadīth mentioned here and the associated narrations indicate that sleeping does not invalidate ablution. Sleeping, therefore, in the Hadīth mentioned here as well as the narrations that mention "snoring" and "lying down on their sides" should be interpreted to mean that it is not deep. In reality, one may hear someone snoring during the initial stage of sleeping and before falling into deep sleep. Also, lying down on one’s side does not necessitate that a person is in deep sleep. So, all the texts based on this interpretation are in complete agreement and employed. In principle, no evidence should be discarded as long as they could be reconciled and applied together. In brief, if a person goes into deep sleep such that he completely loses consciousness, then this type of sleep requires ablution. If the sleep is not deep, then it does not require ablution although renewing ablution is preferable and safer to ensure the validity of prayer. If one is doubtful whether he was sleeping deeply or not, then his ablution does not become invalid. This is because the default is that he is certain about being in a state of ritual purity, and such certainty cannot be removed by doubt. Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy upon him) said: "Sleep during which one is doubtful whether he passed wind or not, does not invalidate the ablution. This because the state of purity was established with certainty, so it cannot be removed by doubt."

‘Urwah (may Allah be pleased with him) relates that he entered upon Marawān ibn al-Hakam, who was the governor of Madīnah at that time, and they were discussing the things that one is required to make ablution if he did them. In other words, they were studying the things that invalidate ablution. Marawān said: "And touching the penis," i.e. one of the things that nullify one's ablution is touching the penis. ‘Urwah said: "I do not know about that"; i.e. I do not know any proof for this statement, and I do not have knowledge about it from the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him). Marawān said: Busrah bint Safwān (may Allah be pleased with her) told me that the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Whoever touches his penis should make ablution." In At-Tirmidhi's narration: "...he should not pray until he makes ablution." This narration is a clear statement that touching the penis nullifies one's ablution, whether it was touched lustfully or without lust, and whether one intended to touch it or did not intend it, provided that the touching is direct without a barrier (such as clothes) between it and one's hand. If it is touched with a barrier in between, then touching it does not nullify ablution because there was no real touching. Real touching takes place when the skin of one organ (the hand) comes in contact with the skin of the other (the penis). The evidence for that is the following narration of An-Nasā'i and others: "If one of you touches his genitals with his hand and there is no barrier between them, he should make ablution."

One of the Companions of the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) asked him about the meat of sheep and goats; whether it is obligatory to make ablution after eating it if one wants to pray or do something that requires purification. "If you wish, perform ablution, and if you do not, then do not perform it": the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) gave him the choice either to perform ablution or not to perform it because both options are permissible. "Should I perform ablution after eating camel meat?": i.e. is ablution obligatory for the one who eats camel meat if he wants to pray or do something that requires purification? 'Yes, perform ablution after eating camel meat': i.e. it is obligatory for you to make ablution after eating camel meat, even if what you eat is a small amount. As for camel milk or soup, it is not obligatory to make ablution after consuming them, because the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) did not order the people from the tribe of ‘Arinah to make ablution after drinking camel milk when he ordered them to drink it, and delaying the clarification of something beyond the time of need is impermissible. He again asked: "May I pray in the sheepfolds?" i.e. is prayer permissible in the places where sheep rest? The reply was in the affirmative; i.e. it is permissible to pray in those places because they (the sheep) are not feared. He again said: "May I pray where camels sit?" The reply was in the negative; i.e. do not pray there, because you will not be safe from the camels' wildness and they might harm you while you are praying by bumping into you or the like. However, this is not the case with sheep because they are peaceful calm animals that do not harm people.

The first sentence of the Hadīth indicates that it is recommended for a person who washes a dead body to take a ritual bath similar to the one performed to remove ritual impurity. This applies regardless of whether the dead person was young or adult and male or female and whether the person who washed the body touched the dead body directly with their hand or with a medium like a rag or a glove. The second sentence of the Hadīth instructs the one who carries the dead to perform ablution. Ablution, here, merely means washing the hands. Another interpretation suggests that the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) meant that those who want to carry the dead should have performed ablution beforehand in order to be ready for the funeral prayer. The Hadīth cannot be interpreted at its face value because none of the scholars ever said that it is compulsory to perform ablution for those who carry a dead person.

The Prophet (ﷺ) used to take a bath from Janābah with one Sā‘ and perform ablution with one Mudd. One Sā‘ equals four Mudds, and one Mudd is the amount that would fill the palms of an average-sized person.

Meaning of the Hadīth: "The two eyes are the string that ties up the anus", i.e. the eyes in the state of wakefulness can control the anus, and prevent anything from being discharged therefrom. If something comes out from it, one will feel it. "But when the two eyes sleep, the string is untied ", i.e. when one goes to sleep, his body muscles relax, so the string (or muscle) that controls his anus becomes loose and wind can pass freely without him feeling it. The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) likened the eyes to the string that is tied on top of a bag. If the two eyes are opened, then the string will be tight around the anus, so if something comes out, one will feel it. However, if the eyes are asleep, then the string will be untied and everything inside the bag will come out without one feeling it. This is a type of simile. It is an eloquent simile which the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) used to make the Shariah ruling more understandable. It is an example of the comprehensive precise speech which the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) was endowed with.

This Hadīth shows that ‘Uthmān ibn ‘Affān (may Allah be pleased with him) was performing ablution perfectly. He mentioned that he saw the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) performing ablution in the same way as he did. He said that the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) explained that if anyone performed ablution in that manner, Allah, the Exalted, will forgive all his previous minor sins that violated His rights and that his prayer and walking to the mosque will be rewarded with extra rewards in addition to the forgiveness of his sins. Himrān, the servant of ‘Uthmān, described the way that ‘Uthmān performed ablution. He said that ‘Uthmān called for a water vessel. He poured water into his palms and washed his hands three times. Then he put his right hand into the vessel and rinsed his mouth and nose. He then washed his face three times, his arms up to his elbows three time, wiped over his head, and finally washed his feet three times.

The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) clarified that when a Muslim or a believer performs ablution and washes his face during the ablution, every minor sin he looked at with his eyes comes out of his face with the water falling after washing or with the last drop of water. When he washes his hands, every minor sin he committed with his hands comes out of his hands with the water or with the last drop of water. When he washes his feet, every minor sin his feet walked towards comes out with the water or with the last drop of water, until he comes out cleansed of minor sins by the end of ablution.