Imam Ahmad recorded that Ibn `Abbas once performed Wudu' and took a handful of water
and rinsed his mouth and nose with it. He took another handful of water and joined
both hands and washed his face. He took another handful of water and washed his
right hand, and another handful and washed his left hand with it. He next wiped
his head. Next, he took a handful of water and sprinkled it on his right foot and
washed it and took another handful of water and washed his left foot. When he finished,
he said, "This is how I saw the Messenger of Allah (performing Wudu').'' Al-Bukhari
also recorded it. Allah said,
﴿وَأَيْدِيَكُمْ إِلَى الْمَرَافِقِ﴾
(and your hands (forearms) up to (Ila) the elbows...) meaning, including the elbows.
Allah said in another Ayah ﴿using Ila﴾,
﴿وَلاَ تَأْكُلُواْ أَمْوَلَهُمْ إِلَى
أَمْوَلِكُمْ إِنَّهُ كَانَ حُوباً كَبِيراً﴾
(And devour not their substance to (Ila) your substance (by adding or including
it in your property). Surely, this is a great sin.) It is recommended that those
who perform Wudu' should wash a part of the upper arm with the elbow. Al-Bukhari
and Muslim recorded that Abu Hurayrah said that the Messenger of Allah said,
«إِنَّ أُمَّتِي يُدْعَوْنَ يَوْمَ
الْقِيَامَةِ غُرًّا مُحَجَّلِينَ مِنْ آثَارِ الْوُضُوءِ، فَمَنِ اسْتَطَاعَ مِنْكُمْ
أَنْ يُطِيلَ غُرَّتَهُ فَلْيَفْعَل»
(On the Day of Resurrection, my Ummah will be called "those with the radiant appendages''
because of the traces of Wudu'. Therefore, whoever can increase the area of his
radiance should do so.) Muslim recorded that Abu Hurayrah said, "I heard my intimate
friend (the Messenger ) saying,
«تَبْلُغُ الْحِلْيَةُ مِنَ الْمُؤْمِنِ
حَيْثُ يَبْلُغُ الْوَضُوء»
(The radiance of the believer reaches the areas that the water of (his) Wudu' reaches.)''
Allah said next,
﴿وَامْسَحُواْ بِرُؤُوسِكُمْ﴾
(Rub your heads.) It is recorded in the Two Sahihs that Malik bin `Amr bin Yahya
Al-Mazini said that his father said that a man said to `Abdullah bin Zayd bin `Asim,
the grandfather of `Amr bin Yahya and one of the Companions of the Messenger , "Can
you show me how the Messenger of Allah used to perform Wudu''' `Abdullah bin Zayd
said, "Yes.'' He then asked for a pot of water. He poured from it on his hands and
washed them twice, then he rinsed his mouth and washed his nose ﴿with water﴾ thrice
﴿by putting water in it and blowing it out﴾. He washed his face thrice and after
that he washed his forearms up to the elbows twice. He then passed his wet hands
over his head from its front to its back and vice versa, beginning from the front
and taking them to the back of his head up to the nape of the neck and then brought
them to the front again from where he had started. He next washed his feet. A similar
description of the Wudu' of the Messenger of Allah was performed by `Ali in the
Hadith by `Abdu Khayr. Abu Dawud recorded that Mu`awiyah and Al-Miqdad bin Ma`dikarib
narrated similar descriptions of the Wudu' of the Messenger of Allah . These Hadiths
indicate that it is necessary to wipe the entire head. `Abdur-Razzaq recorded that
Humran bin Aban said, "I saw `Uthman bin `Affan performing Wudu', and he poured
water over his hands and washed them thrice, and then rinsed his mouth and washed
his nose ﴿by putting water in it, and then blowing it out﴾. Then he washed his face
thrice, and then his right forearm up to the elbows thrice, and washed the left
forearm thrice. Then he passed his wet hands over his head, then he washed his right
foot thrice, and next his left foot thrice. After that `Uthman said, `I saw the
Prophet performing Wudu' like this, and said,
«مَنْ تَوَضَّأَ نَحْوَ وُضُوئِي هَذَا،
ثُمَّ صَلَّى رَكْعَتَيْنِ لَا يُحَدِّثُ فِيهِمَا نَفْسَهُ، غُفِرَ لَهُ مَا تَقَدَّمَ
مِنْ ذَنْبِه»
(If anyone performs Wudu' like that of mine and offers a two-Rak`ah prayer during
which he does not think of anything else, then his past sins will be forgiven.)'''
Al-Bukhari and Muslim also recorded this Hadith in the Two Sahihs. In his Sunan,
Abu Dawud also recorded it from `Uthman, under the description of Wudu', and in
it, that he wiped his head one time.
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