God’s messenger wiped over the shoes and I said, “Messenger of God, you have forgotten.” He replied, “No, you have forgotten. My Lord commanded me to do this.”
‘Ali said, “If the religion were based on opinion, it would be more important to wipe the under part of the shoe than the upper, but I have seen God’s messenger wiping over the upper part of his shoes.”
Abu Dawud transmitted it, and Darimi has something similar.
Narrated Hudhaifa reported God’s messenger as saying, “We have been made superior to mankind in three respects:
our ranks are formed like those of the angels; all the earth has been appointed as a mosque for us; and our earth has been appointed for us as a means of cleansing when we do not find water.”
وَعَن عمرَان بن حُصَيْن الْخُزَاعِيِّ أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: رأى رجلا مُعْتَزِلا لم يصل فِي الْقَوْم فَقَالَ: «يَا فلَان مَا مَنعك أَن تصلي فِي الْقَوْم فَقَالَ يَا رَسُول الله أَصَابَتْنِي جَنَابَةٌ وَلَا مَاءَ قَالَ عَلَيْكَ بِالصَّعِيدِ فَإِنَّهُ يَكْفِيك»
Narrated ‘Imran said:
While we were on a journey with the Prophet he led the people in the prayer, and when he turned away after the prayer he saw a man apart who had not prayed along with the people. He asked him what had prevented him from praying along with the company, and when the man replied that he was affected by
seminal defilement and had no water, he said, “Make use of earth, for it is enough for you.”
Narrated ‘Ammar said that a man came to ‘Umar b. al-Khatt&b, telling that he was affected by seminal defilement and could get no water.
‘Ammar then said to ‘Umar:
Do you not remember that you and I were on a journey and you did not pray, but I rolled myself on the ground, then prayed? I mentioned that afterwards to the Prophet, and he said,“It would have been enough for you to do thus”—and the Prophet struck the ground with the palms of his hands, blew into them, then wiped his face and the palms of his hands with them.
Bukhari transmitted it, and Muslim has something similar, in which he said, “It is enough for you to strike the ground with your hands, then blow, then wipe your face and the palms of your hands with them.”
Abul Juhaim b. al-Harith b. as-Simma said, “I came upon the Prophet when he was passing water and saluted him, but he did not reply till he got up and went to a wall, and after scraping it with a stick which he had, he put his hands on the wall and wiped his face and his forearms; then he replied to my salutation.”
I have not found this version in the two Sahihs, or in al-Humaidi’s book; but Baghawi mentioned it in Sharh as-sunna, saying that this is a hasan tradition.
Abu Dharr reported God’s messenger as saying, "Good earth is a means of ablution for a Muslim, even if he does not find water for ten years; but when he finds water he should make it touch his skin, for that is better.”
Ahmad, Tirmidhi and Abu Dawud transmitted it, and Nasa’i has something similar up to "ten years”.
We went out on a journey, and one of our men was struck by a stone which wounded him in the head. He had a nocturnal emission and asked his companions whether they could find any permission for him to perform ablution with earth, but they replied that they could not when he was able to get water; so the man washed and died. When we came to the Prophet he was told about that and said, "Then killed him, God kill them! Why did they not ask when they did not know? The only cure for ignorance is to ask. It would have been enough for him to use earth and tie a rag over the sore, then wipe over it and wash the rest of his body."
Abu Dawud transmitted it, and Ibn Majah transmitted it from ‘Ata’ b. Abu Rabah from Ibn ‘Abbas.
Two men went out on a journey, and when the time for prayer came, having no water with them, they performed ablution with good earth and then prayed. Immediately afterwards they found water, and one of them repeated the prayer with ablution, but the other did not. When they came to God’s messenger sometime afterwards they mentioned that, and he said to the one who did not repeat the prayer, "You have observed the sunna and your prayer was enough for you." To the one who had performed ablution and repeated the prayer he said, "You will have a twofold reward.”
Abu Dawud and Darimi transmitted it, and Nasa’i transmitted something similar.
He and Abu Dawud also transmitted it from ‘Ata’ b. Yasar in mursal form.
Abul Juhaim b. al-Harith b. as-Simma said that once when coming from the direction of Bi’r Jamal* the Prophet was met by a man who saluted him, but the Prophet did not respond to his salutation till he went towards the wall and wiped his face and his hands. Then he responded to his salutation.
*A well in Medina.
‘Ammar b. Yasir used to tell that when they were with God’s messenger they wiped themselves with earth for the dawn prayer, striking the palms of their hands on the earth, then wiping their faces once. They struck the palms of their hands again on the earth and wiped their arms completely up to the shoulders, and up to the armpits on the inside of their arms.
Samura b. Jundub reported God’s messenger as saying, “If anyone performs ablution on Friday, well and good; but if anyone bathes, bathing is more excellent.”
Ahmad, Abu Dawud, Tirmidhi, Nasa’i and Darimi transmitted it.
‘Ikrima said that some people from al-‘Iraq came and asked Ibn ‘Abbas whether he considered bathing on Friday obligatory. He replied that, while not obligatory, it had a more cleansing effect and was better for the one who observed it; but if anyone did not bathe there was no obligation for him to do so. He then said that he would tell them how the practice of bathing on Friday began. The people were in difficult circumstances, their clothing being of wool and their work being the carrying of loads on their backs. Their mosques was rather small and had a low roof which was only made of trellis work. God’s messenger came out one hot day when the people were sweating in their woollen garments to such an extent that they annoyed one another by the odours which were spread around. When God’s messenger noticed those odours he said, “When this day comes, you people must wash, and each of you should apply the best grease and perfume you can find.” Ibn ‘Abbas added that when God afterwards brought prosperity, they wore clothes not made of wool, they did not need to do manual labour, their mosque was extended, and some of the annoyance caused to one another by the sweat came to an end.
