Category: Q n A

I was in the company of Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) on one of the journeys and he went out to answer the call of
nature (and after he finished) I poured water and he performed ablution; he washed his face, forearms
and passed his wet hand over his head and over the two Khuff (socks made from thick fabric or
leather).

When the ailment of the Prophet (ﷺ) became aggravated and his disease became severe, he asked his
wives to permit him to be nursed (treated) in my house. So they gave him the permission. Then the
Prophet came (to my house) with the support of two men, and his legs were dragging on the ground,
between `Abbas, and another man.” ‘Ubaidullah (the sub narrator) said, “I informed `Abdullah bin
`Abbas of what `Aisha said. Ibn `Abbas said: ‘Do you know who was the other man?’ I replied in the
negative. Ibn `Abbas said, ‘He was `Ali (bin Abi Talib).” `Aisha further said, “When the Prophet (ﷺ) came
to my house and his sickness became aggravated he ordered us to pour seven skins full of water on
him, so that he might give some advice to the people. So he was seated in a Mikhdab (brass tub)
belonging to Hafsa, the wife of the Prophet. Then, all of us started pouring water on him from the
water skins till he beckoned to us to stop and that we have done (what he wanted us to do). After that
he went out to the people.”

That he stayed overnight in the house of Maimuna the wife of the Prophet, his aunt. He added : I lay
on the bed (cushion transversally) while Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) and his wife lay in the lengthwise direction of
the cushion. Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) slept till the middle of the night, either a bit before or a bit after it and
then woke up, rubbing the traces of sleep off his face with his hands. He then, recited the last ten
verses of Sura Al-`Imran, got up and went to a hanging water-skin. He then Performed the ablution
from it and it was a perfect ablution, and then stood up to offer the prayer. I, too, got up and did as the
Prophet had done. Then I went and stood by his side. He placed his right hand on my head and caught
my right ear and twisted it. He prayed two rak`at then two rak`at and two rak`at and then two rak`at
and then two rak`at and then two rak`at (separately six times), and finally one rak`a (the witr). Then he
lay down again in the bed till the Mu’adh-dhin came to him where upon the Prophet (ﷺ) got up, offered a
two light rak`at prayer and went out and led the Fajr prayer.

(on the authority of his father) My uncle used to perform ablution extravagantly and once he asked
`Abdullah bin Zaid to tell him how he had seen the Prophet (ﷺ) performing ablution. He asked for an
earthenware pot containing water, and poured water from it on his hands and washed them thrice, and
then put his hand in the earthenware pot and rinsed his mouth and washed his nose by putting water in
it and then blowing it out thrice with one handful of water; he again put his hand in the water and
took a handful of water and washed his face thrice, then washed his hands up to the elbows twice, and
took water with his hand, and passed it over his head from front to back and then from back to front,
and then washed his feet (up to the ankles) and said, “I saw the Prophet (ﷺ) performing ablution in that
way.”

I came to `Aisha the wife of the Prophet (ﷺ) during the solar eclipse. The people were standing and
offering the prayer and she was also praying. I asked her, “What is wrong with the people?” She
beckoned with her hand towards the sky and said, “Subhan Allah.” I asked her, “Is there a sign?” She
pointed out, “Yes.” So I, too, stood for the prayer till I fell unconscious and later on I poured water on
my head. After the prayer, Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) praised and glorified Allah and said, “Just now I have seen
something which I never saw before at this place of mine, including Paradise and Hell. I have been
inspired (and have understood) that you will be put to trials in your graves and these trials will be like
the trials of Ad-Dajjal, or nearly like it (the sub narrator is not sure of what Asma’ said). Angels will
come to every one of you and ask, ‘What do you know about this man?’ A believer will reply, ‘He is
Muhammad, Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) , and he came to us with self-evident truth and guidance. So we accepted
his teaching, believed and followed him.’ Then the angels will say to him to sleep in peace as they
have come to know that he was a believer. On the other hand a hypocrite or a doubtful person will
reply, ‘I do not know but heard the people saying something and so I said the same.’ ”

Anas said, “The Prophet (ﷺ) asked for water and a tumbler with a broad base and no so deep, containing a
small quantity of water, was brought to him whereby he put his fingers in it.” Anas further said, ‘
noticed the water springing out from amongst his fingers.” Anas added, ‘ estimated that the people
who performed ablution with it numbered between seventy to eighty.”

A person asked `Abdullah bin Zaid who was the grandfather of `Amr bin Yahya, “Can you show me
how Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) used to perform ablution?” `Abdullah bin Zaid replied in the affirmative and
asked for water. He poured it on his hands and washed them twice, then he rinsed his mouth thrice 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 and 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) and washed his feet (up to the ankles).

My father saw `Amr bin Abi Hasan asking `Abdullah bin Zaid about the ablution of the Prophet.
`Abdullah bin Zaid asked for earthenware pot containing water and in front of them performed
ablution like that of the Prophet (ﷺ) . He poured water from the pot over his hand and washed his hands
thrice and then he put his hands in the pot and rinsed his mouth and washed his nose by putting water
in it and then blowing it out with three handfuls of water. Again he put his hand in the water and
washed his face thrice and washed his forearms up to the elbows twice; and then put his hands in the
water and then passed them over his head by bringing them to the front and then to the rear of the
head once, and then he washed his feet up to the ankles.

Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) came to us at noon and water for ablution was brought to him. After he had performed
ablution, the remaining water was taken by the people and they started smearing their bodies with it
(as a blessed thing). The Prophet (ﷺ) offered two rak`at of the Zuhr prayer and then two rak`at of the `Asr
prayer while a short spear (or stick) was there (as a Sutra) in front of him.

The
Prophet asked for a tumbler containing water and washed both his hands and face in it and then threw
a mouthful of water in the tumbler and said to both of us (Abu Musa and Bilal), “Drink from the
tumbler and pour some of its water on your faces and chests.”