Perform ablution thoroughly, pass your fingers through each other, and sniff water well into your nose unless you are fasting

Arabic text

عَنْ لَقِيطِ بْنِ صَبِرَةَ رَضيَ اللهُ عنه قَالَ: كُنْتُ وَافِدَ بَنِي الْمُنْتَفِقِ -أَوْ فِي وَفْدِ بَنِي الْمُنْتَفِقِ- إِلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، قَالَ: فَلَمَّا قَدِمْنَا عَلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، فَلَمْ نُصَادِفْهُ فِي مَنْزِلِهِ، وَصَادَفْنَا عَائِشَةَ أُمَّ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ، قَالَ: فَأَمَرَتْ لَنَا بِخَزِيرَةٍ، فَصُنِعَتْ لَنَا، قَالَ: وَأُتِينَا بِقِنَاعٍ -وَالْقِنَاعُ: الطَّبَقُ فِيهِ تَمْرٌ- ثُمَّ جَاءَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، فَقَالَ: «هَلْ أَصَبْتُمْ شَيْئًا؟ أَوْ أُمِرَ لَكُمْ بِشَيْءٍ؟» قَالَ: قُلْنَا: نَعَمْ، يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ، قَالَ: فَبَيْنَا نَحْنُ مَعَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ جُلُوسٌ، إِذْ دَفَعَ الرَّاعِي غَنَمَهُ إِلَى الْمُرَاحِ، وَمَعَهُ سَخْلَةٌ تَيْعَرُ، فَقَالَ: «مَا وَلَّدْتَ يَا فُلَانُ؟»، قَالَ: بَهْمَةً، قَالَ: «فَاذْبَحْ لَنَا مَكَانَهَا شَاةً»، ثُمَّ قَالَ: «لَا تَحْسِبَنَّ» وَلَمْ يَقُلْ: لَا تَحْسَبَنَّ «أَنَّا مِنْ أَجْلِكَ ذَبَحْنَاهَا، لَنَا غَنَمٌ مِائَةٌ لَا نُرِيدُ أَنْ تَزِيدَ، فَإِذَا وَلَّدَ الرَّاعِي بَهْمَةً، ذَبَحْنَا مَكَانَهَا شَاةً» قَالَ: قُلْتُ: يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ، إِنَّ لِي امْرَأَةً وَإِنَّ فِي لِسَانِهَا شَيْئًا -يَعْنِي الْبَذَاءَ- قَالَ: «فَطَلِّقْهَا إِذن»، قَالَ: قُلْتُ: يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ إِنَّ لَهَا صُحْبَةً، وَلِي مِنْهَا وَلَدٌ، قَالَ: «فَمُرْهَا» يَقُولُ: عِظْهَا، «فَإِنْ يَكُ فِيهَا خَيْرٌ فَسَتَفْعَلْ، وَلَا تَضْرِبْ ظَعِينَتَكَ كَضَرْبِكَ أُمَيَّتَكَ» فَقُلْتُ: يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ، أَخْبِرْنِي عَنِ الْوُضُوءِ، قَالَ: «أَسْبِغِ الْوُضُوءَ، وَخَلِّلْ بَيْنَ الْأَصَابِعِ، وَبَالِغْ فِي الِاسْتِنْشَاقِ إِلَّا أَنْ تَكُونَ صَائِمًا».

Translation

Laqīt ibn Sabirah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: I was the leader of or among the delegation of Banu al-Muntafiq that came to the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him). When we arrived, we did not find him in his house. We found ‘Ā’ishah, the Mother of the Believers, there. He said: She ordered that a dish called Khazīrah be prepared for us, and it was. He said: And a tray containing dates was presented to us. Then, the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) came and asked: "Has anything been served to you or ordered for you?" He said: We replied: Yes, O Messenger of Allah. He said: While we were sitting in the company of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him), a shepherd suddenly drove his herd of sheep to their fold. He had with him a newly-born lamb that was crying. He (the Prophet) asked him: "What did it bear, O so-and-so?" He replied: An ewe. He said: "Slaughter for us a sheep in place of it." Then, he said: "Do not think that we are slaughtering it for you. We have one hundred sheep and we do not want their number to increase. So, whenever an ewe is born, we slaughter a sheep in its place." He said: I said: O Messenger of Allah, I have a wife who has something (wrong) in her tongue, i.e., she is foul-mouthed. He said: "Then divorce her." I said: O Messenger of Allah, we have been together for a long time, and I have children from her. He said: "Then, command her," meaning: advise her. "If there is goodness in her, she will comply. And do not beat your wife as you beat your slave-girl." I said: O Messenger of Allah, tell me about ablution. He said: "Perform ablution thoroughly, pass your fingers through each other, and sniff water well into your nose unless you are fasting."

Explanation

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.

Benefits

• The legitimacy of honoring the guest.
• There are two types of Isbāgh (perfecting ablution): 1. Obligatory Isbāgh, which is required for the validity of ablution. It refers to thoroughly washing the required area and ensuring complete coverage. 2. Recommended Isbāgh, which is not required for the validity of ablution. It refers to what exceeds the obligatory, such as the second and third washes of the body part. This type is recommended.
• It is recommended to run wet fingers between the fingers and toes when washing them during ablution, i.e., ensuring that water reaches between them.
• At-Tībi said: The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) only mentioned some of the Sunnah acts of ablution in his response because the questioner was already knowledgeable about the basic ruling of ablution.
• Among the noble traits of the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) was his attentiveness to the feelings of others and his consideration for their emotional states.
• This Hadīth indicates the obligation of rinsing the mouth in ablution.
• The Hadīth is evidence of the recommendation to exaggerate in sniffing water (during ablution), except for a fasting person—for whom it is not recommended—so that the exaggeration does not cause water to reach the throat and thereby invalidate the fast.
• It is evident that emigration is not obligatory upon everyone who embraces Islam; for example, Banu al-Muntafiq and others did not migrate but rather sent their delegations. And this applies if a person resides in a place where he is able to practice his religion openly.

Topics

• Jurisprudence and Juristic Principles
• Jurisprudence of Acts of Worship
• Purification
• Ablution
• Recommended Acts and Manners of Ablution