When a Muslim—or a believer—performs ablution, and he washes his face, every sin he has looked at with his eyes comes out of his face with the water or with the last drop of water

Arabic text

عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ رَضيَ اللهُ عنهُ أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ: «إِذَا تَوَضَّأَ الْعَبْدُ الْمُسْلِمُ -أَوِ الْمُؤْمِنُ- فَغَسَلَ وَجْهَهُ خَرَجَ مِنْ وَجْهِهِ كُلُّ خَطِيئَةٍ نَظَرَ إِلَيْهَا بِعَيْنَيْهِ مَعَ الْمَاءِ -أَوْ مَعَ آخِرِ قَطْرِ الْمَاءِ-، فَإِذَا غَسَلَ يَدَيْهِ خَرَجَ مِنْ يَدَيْهِ كُلُّ خَطِيئَةٍ كَانَ بَطَشَتْهَا يَدَاهُ مَعَ الْمَاءِ -أَوْ مَعَ آخِرِ قَطْرِ الْمَاءِ-، فَإِذَا غَسَلَ رِجْلَيْهِ خَرَجَتْ كُلُّ خَطِيئَةٍ مَشَتْهَا رِجْلَاهُ مَعَ الْمَاءِ -أَوْ مَعَ آخِرِ قَطْرِ الْمَاءِ- حَتَّى يَخْرُجَ نَقِيًّا مِنَ الذُّنُوبِ».

Translation

Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "When a Muslim—or a believer—performs ablution, and he washes his face, every sin he has looked at with his eyes comes out of his face with the water or with the last drop of water. When he washes his hands, every sin he has struck with his hands comes out of his hands with the water or with the last drop of water. When he washes his feet, every sin his feet walked towards comes out with the water or with the last drop of water—until he comes out cleansed of sins."

Explanation

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.

Benefits

• The merit of observing ablution and how it expiates sins.
• It was the Prophet's practice to encourage people toward acts of obedience and worship by mentioning the recompense and reward associated with them.
• Every part of a person's body is involved in certain sins; thus, each sin is attributed to the specific organ that committed it, and is washed away from each organ he has repented from.
• Ablution involves physical purification by washing the body parts included in ablution, as well as spiritual purification of the sins committed by those body parts.

Topics

• Jurisprudence and Juristic Principles
• Virtues and Manners
• Jurisprudence of Acts of Worship
• Purification
• Virtues
• Merits of Organs' Acts
• Ablution