Narrated It was narrated that an-Nu’man bin Sa’d said:
A man said to ‘Ali (رضي الله عنه): O Ameer al-Mu`mineen, what month do you advise me to fast after Ramadan? He said: I have never heard anyone ask about this after a man asked the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) : O Messenger of Allah, what month do you advise me to fast after Ramadan? He said: “If you want to fast any month after Ramadan, then fast al-Muharram, for it is the month of Allah and in it is a day on which Allah forgave people and will forgive (more) people.`
I came to `Ali (رضي الله عنه) and he had prayed. He called for water for wudoo’. We said: What is he going to do with water when he has just prayed? He can only want to teach us something. A large vessel and a small vessel were brought to him. He lifted the small vessel and poured water over his hand and washed it three times. Then he dipped his hand in the vessel and rinsed his mouth and nose three times, and he did that from the same handful of water that he had taken. Then he washed his face three times, his right arm three times and his left arm three times. Then he put his hand in the water and wiped his head once. Then he washed his right foot three times and his left foot three times. Then he said: Whoever would like to learn the wudoo’ of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), this is it.
Abu Burdah bin Abi Moosa told me: I was sitting with Abu Moosa when ‘Ali (رضي الله عنه) came to us and stood over Abu Moosa and told him to do something concerning the people, `Ali (رضي الله عنه) said: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said to me: `Say O Allah, guide me and correct my aim.’ When you ask for guidance, think of directions when travelling and when you think of proper aim, think of aiming an arrow.” And he forbade me to put my ring on this - and Abu Burdah pointed to his forefinger or middle finger. `Asim said: I am the one who got confused as to which of them he meant - and he forbade me to use red saddle cloths and garments made from a blend of linen and silk, Abu Burdah said: I said to Ameer al-Mu`mineen: What are red saddle cloths and what are garments made from a blend of linen and silk? He said: As for red saddle cloths, that is something that women used to make for their husbands to put on their mounts, And as for garments made from a blend of linen and silk, they were garments that came to us from Syria or Yemen - ` Asim was not sure - which contained silk in a twisted shape like citrons. Abu Burdah said: When I saw the garment that is called as-Sabani , I realised that this is what it was.
