Musnad Ahmad

Musnad Ahmad 513

Musnad Uthman ibn Affan Search within the hadiths
Musnad Ahmad 513
Arabic hadith text
حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ الْمُقْرِئُ، حَدَّثَنَا حَيْوَةُ، أَنْبَأَنَا أَبُو عَقِيلٍ، أَنَّهُ سَمِعَ الْحَارِثَ، مَوْلَى عُثْمَانَ يَقُولُ جَلَسَ عُثْمَانُ يَوْمًا وَجَلَسْنَا مَعَهُ فَجَاءَهُ الْمُؤَذِّنُ فَدَعَا بِمَاءٍ فِي إِنَاءٍ أَظُنُّهُ سَيَكُونُ فِيهِ مُدٌّ فَتَوَضَّأَ ثُمَّ قَالَ رَأَيْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَتَوَضَّأُ وُضُوئِي هَذَا ثُمَّ قَالَ وَمَنْ تَوَضَّأَ وُضُوئِي ثُمَّ قَامَ فَصَلَّى صَلَاةَ الظُّهْرِ غُفِرَ لَهُ مَا كَانَ بَيْنَهَا وَبَيْنَ الصُّبْحِ ثُمَّ صَلَّى الْعَصْرَ غُفِرَ لَهُ مَا بَيْنَهَا وَبَيْنَ صَلَاةِ الظُّهْرِ ثُمَّ صَلَّى الْمَغْرِبَ غُفِرَ لَهُ مَا بَيْنَهَا وَبَيْنَ صَلَاةِ الْعَصْرِ ثُمَّ صَلَّى الْعِشَاءَ غُفِرَ لَهُ مَا بَيْنَهَا وَبَيْنَ صَلَاةِ الْمَغْرِبِ ثُمَّ لَعَلَّهُ أَنْ يَبِيتَ يَتَمَرَّغُ لَيْلَتَهُ ثُمَّ إِنْ قَامَ فَتَوَضَّأَ وَصَلَّى الصُّبْحَ غُفِرَ لَهُ مَا بَيْنَهَا وَبَيْنَ صَلَاةِ الْعِشَاءِ وَهُنَّ الْحَسَنَاتُ يُذْهِبْنَ السَّيِّئَاتِ قَالُوا هَذِهِ الْحَسَنَاتُ فَمَا الْبَاقِيَاتُ يَا عُثْمَانُ قَالَ هُنَّ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَسُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ وَالْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ وَاللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ وَلَا حَوْلَ وَلَا قُوَّةَ إِلَّا بِاللَّهِ‏.‏
Translation
Alu’ Aqeel narrated That he heard al Harith, the freed slave of `Uthman (رضي الله عنه), say

`Uthman sat down one day and we sat down with him. The Mu’adhdhin came to him and `Uthman called for water in a vessel which I thought would contain one mudd. He did wudoo`, then he said: I saw the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) doing wudoo’ as I have just done it, then he said: `Whoever does wudoo` as I have just done, then gets up and prays Zuhr, will be forgiven for (whatever sins he committed) between it and Fajr; then if he prays `Asr. he will be forgiven so? (whatever sins he committed) between it and Zuhr, then if he prays Maghrib, he will be forgiven for (whatever sins he committed) between it and ‘Asr, then if he prays Isha‘, he will be forgiven for (whatever sins he committed) between it and Maghrib. Then he may spend the night indulging in physical pleasure, then if he gets up and does wudoo’ and prays Fajr, he will be forgiven for (whatever sins he committed) between it and `Isha`. These are the good deeds that remove the evil deeds (cf. 11:114).” They said: These are the good deeds, but what are the good righteous deeds that last (cf. 18:46), O` Uthman? He said: They are (the words)La Ilaha Illallah, wa subhanallah wal-hamdu Lillah wallahu akbar, wa la hawla wa la quwwata illa billah ( There is no god but Allah, praise be to Allah, Allah is most great and there is no power and no strength except with Allah)

Commentary

Overview & Central Theme

This profound hadith from Musnad Ahmad, transmitted through the noble companion Uthman ibn Affan (may Allah be pleased with him), unveils a magnificent divine dispensation: the five daily prayers, performed with proper ablution at their appointed times, serve as an expiation for sins committed between them. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) demonstrates the perfection of his wudu and then proclaims this glad tiding, connecting it directly to the Qur'anic verse: "Indeed, good deeds remove evil deeds" (Hud 11:114). The hadith culminates with Uthman's clarification that the "enduring righteous deeds" (al-baqiyat al-salihat) mentioned in Surah Al-Kahf (18:46) are the timeless words of remembrance—Tahlil, Tasbih, Tahmid, Takbir, and Hawqalah—which remain as a perpetual treasure for the believer even after the specific time-bound expiation of prayers.

Context & Linguistic Insights

The hadith occurs in a setting where Uthman, during his caliphate, sat with companions and the Mu'adhdhin arrived, prompting him to perform wudu with water amounting to approximately one mudd (about two handfuls). This demonstrates the Sunnah of economic water usage in ablution. The key linguistic nuance lies in the phrase "al-baqiyat al-salihat" (enduring righteous deeds), which Uthman interprets as the specific dhikr formulas: "La ilaha illallah, wa subhanallah, wal-hamdu lillah, wallahu akbar, wa la hawla wa la quwwata illa billah." The term "mudd" indicates the blessed moderation in worship—the Prophet (peace be upon him) used minimal water yet achieved complete purification, symbolizing that excellence in worship is not about extravagance but about sincerity and precision. The companions' question reflects their deep desire to understand the Qur'anic terminology, and Uthman's answer establishes these remembrances as the everlasting investment that transcends the temporal expiation of prayers.

Key Scholarly Insights & Legal Benefits

  • Jurisprudential benefit: The hadith establishes the virtue of performing wudu precisely as the Prophet (peace be upon him) did, and confirms that sins between the five daily prayers are forgiven through their performance—a mercy that applies to minor sins, while major sins require sincere repentance (tawbah) as clarified by classical scholars.
  • Ethical principle: The expiation of sins through prayer is conditional upon avoiding major sins, as the Prophet (peace be upon him) stated elsewhere: "The five prayers, Friday to Friday, and Ramadan to Ramadan are expiations for what is between them, as long as major sins are avoided" (Sahih Muslim).
  • Classical consensus: Imam Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani in Fath al-Bari explains that the "enduring righteous deeds" include all forms of dhikr, with Uthman's specification being one valid interpretation, while other scholars include the five daily prayers themselves—highlighting the comprehensive nature of the term.
"The words 'La ilaha illallah, Subhanallah, Alhamdulillah, Allahu Akbar, and La hawla wa la quwwata illa billah' are among the enduring righteous deeds, and they are weighty in the scales, beloved to the Most Merciful, and a treasure from the treasures of Paradise." — Imam An-Nawawi, Sharh Sahih Muslim

Daily Life & Spiritual Application

This hadith transforms the believer's relationship with the daily prayers from a mere ritual to a divine appointment of purification and renewal. In practical terms, one should perfect the wudu with mindfulness of water conservation, then approach each prayer with the consciousness that it washes away the sins of the preceding period. The believer should also cultivate the habit of uttering these five enduring phrases regularly—after prayers, in the morning and evening, and during moments of reflection—as they are the "everlasting investments" that continue to yield rewards even after the specific time-bound expiation of prayers. This teaching encourages consistency in worship, optimism in Allah's mercy, and the understanding that the believer's daily rhythm is a continuous cycle of purification, culminating in the ultimate hope of forgiveness and closeness to Allah.