I saw ‘Ali perform ablution. He washed the palms of his hands till he cleaned them, then rinsed his mouth three times, snuffed up water three times, washed his face three times and his forearms three times, wiped his head once, then washed his feet up to the ankles, after which he stood up and, taking the remainder of his ablution water, he drank it standing. Then he said, “I wanted to show you how God’s messenger performed ablution.”
We were sitting looking at ‘Ali when he performed ablution. He inserted his right hand, filled his mouth, rinsed it, snuffed up water and ejected the mucus with the left hand, doing this three times, then said, "If anyone is pleased to look at God's messenger’s method of performing ablution, this is how he did it.”
Anas said that when God’s messenger performed ablution he took a handful of water, and putting it under his chin, made it go through his beard, saying, “Thus did my Lord command me.”