The Book on Purification

Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.

Qutaybah ibn Sa'id narrated to us; Abu 'Awanah narrated to us, from Simak ibn Harb. (H) Hannad narrated to us; Waki' narrated to us, from Isra'il, from Simak, from Mus'ab ibn Sa'd, from Ibn 'Umar, from the Prophet ﷺ, who said: "No prayer is accepted without purification, and no charity from misappropriated property." Hannad said in his narration: "except with purification." Abu 'Isa said: This hadith is the soundest and best report on this subject. There are also reports on this subject from Abu al-Malih, from his father, and from Abu Hurairah and Anas. Abu al-Malih ibn Usamah's name is 'Amir; it is also said that it was Zayd ibn Usamah ibn 'Umayr al-Hudhali.

Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.

Ishaq ibn Musa al-Ansari narrated to us; Ma'n ibn 'Isa al-Qazzaz narrated to us; Malik ibn Anas narrated to us. (H) Qutaybah narrated to us, from Malik, from Suhayl ibn Abi Salih, from his father, from Abu Hurairah, who said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: "When a Muslim—or believer—servant performs ablution and washes his face, every sin he committed by looking with his eyes leaves his face with the water, or with the last drop of water, or something to that effect. When he washes his hands, every sin he committed with his hands leaves them with the water, or with the last drop of water, until he emerges clean of sins." Abu 'Isa said: This is a hasan sahih hadith, and it is the hadith of Malik, from Suhayl, from his father, from Abu Hurairah. Suhayl's father, Abu Salih, is Abu Salih al-Samman; his name was Dhakwan. There is disagreement about Abu Hurairah's name: some said 'Abd Shams, and some said 'Abd Allah ibn 'Amr. Muhammad ibn Isma'il said likewise, and that is more correct. Abu 'Isa said: There are also reports on this subject from 'Uthman ibn 'Affan, Thawban, al-Sunabihi, 'Amr ibn 'Abasah, Salman, and 'Abd Allah ibn 'Amr. The al-Sunabihi who narrated from Abu Bakr al-Siddiq did not hear from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. His name was 'Abd al-Rahman ibn 'Usaylah, and he was known by the kunya Abu 'Abd Allah. He travelled to the Prophet ﷺ, but the Prophet died while he was on the road; nevertheless, he narrated hadiths from the Prophet ﷺ. Al-Sunabih ibn al-A'sar al-Ahmasi was a Companion of the Prophet ﷺ and was also called al-Sunabihi. His report is only: "I heard the Prophet ﷺ say: 'I shall have many followers among the nations, so do not fight one another after me.'"

Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.

Qutaybah, Hannad, and Mahmud ibn Ghaylan said: Waki' narrated to us, from Sufyan. (H) Muhammad ibn Bashshar narrated to us; 'Abd al-Rahman ibn Mahdi narrated to us; Sufyan narrated to us, from 'Abd Allah ibn Muhammad ibn 'Aqil, from Muhammad ibn al-Hanafiyyah, from 'Ali, from the Prophet ﷺ, who said: "The key to prayer is purification; its entering prohibition is the takbir, and its release is the taslim." Abu 'Isa said: This hadith is the soundest and best report on this subject. 'Abd Allah ibn Muhammad ibn 'Aqil is truthful, though some scholars criticized his memory. Abu 'Isa said: I heard Muhammad ibn Isma'il say that Ahmad ibn Hanbal, Ishaq ibn Ibrahim, and al-Humaydi would cite the hadith of 'Abd Allah ibn Muhammad ibn 'Aqil as evidence. Muhammad said: His hadith is close (to reliable). Abu 'Isa said: There are also reports on this subject from Jabir and Abu Sa'id.

Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.

Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn Zanjawayh al-Baghdadi and more than one other narrated to us; they said: al-Husayn ibn Muhammad narrated to us; Sulayman ibn Qarm narrated to us, from Abu Yahya al-Qattat, from Mujahid, from Jabir ibn 'Abd Allah (may Allah be pleased with them both), who said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: "The key to Paradise is prayer, and the key to prayer is ablution."

Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.

Qutaybah and Hannad said: Waki' narrated to us, from Shu'bah, from 'Abd al-'Aziz ibn Suhayb, from Anas ibn Malik, who said: When the Prophet ﷺ entered the toilet, he would say: "O Allah, I seek refuge in You." Shu'bah said: On another occasion he said: "I seek refuge in You from al-khubth and al-khabā'ith," or: "al-khubuth and al-khabā'ith." Abu 'Isa said: There are also reports on this subject from 'Ali, Zayd ibn Arqam, Jabir, and Ibn Mas'ud. Abu 'Isa said: Anas's hadith is the soundest and best report on this subject. The chain of Zayd ibn Arqam's hadith is inconsistent: Hisham al-Dastawa'i and Sa'id ibn Abi 'Arubah narrated it from Qatadah. Sa'id said: from al-Qasim ibn 'Awf al-Shaybani, from Zayd ibn Arqam; Hisham al-Dastawa'i said: from Qatadah, from Zayd ibn Arqam. Shu'bah and Ma'mar narrated it from Qatadah, from al-Nadr ibn Anas. Shu'bah said: from Zayd ibn Arqam; Ma'mar said: from al-Nadr ibn Anas, from his father, from the Prophet ﷺ. Abu 'Isa said: I asked Muhammad about this, and he said: It is possible that Qatadah narrated it from both of them.

Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.

Ahmad ibn 'Abdah al-Dabbi al-Basri informed us; Hammad ibn Zayd narrated to us, from 'Abd al-'Aziz ibn Suhayb, from Anas ibn Malik: The Prophet ﷺ, when entering the toilet, would say: "O Allah, I seek refuge in You from al-khubth and al-khabā'ith." Abu 'Isa said: This is a hasan sahih hadith.

Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.

Muhammad ibn Isma'il narrated to us; Malik ibn Isma'il narrated to us, from Isra'il ibn Yunus, from Yusuf ibn Abi Burdah, from his father, from 'A'ishah (may Allah be pleased with her), who said: When the Prophet ﷺ left the toilet, he would say: "Your forgiveness." Abu 'Isa said: This is a hasan gharib hadith; we know it only through the narration of Isra'il from Yusuf ibn Abi Burdah. Abu Burdah ibn Abi Musa's name was 'Amir ibn 'Abd Allah ibn Qays al-Ash'ari. We know in this chapter only the hadith of 'A'ishah, from the Prophet ﷺ.

Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.

Sa'id ibn 'Abd al-Rahman al-Makhzumi narrated to us; Sufyan ibn 'Uyaynah narrated to us, from al-Zuhri, from 'Ata' ibn Yazid al-Laythi, from Abu Ayyub al-Ansari, who said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: "When you go to relieve yourselves, do not face the qiblah while defecating or urinating, and do not turn your backs to it; rather, face east or west." Abu Ayyub said: We came to Syria and found toilets built facing the qiblah, so we turned away from it and sought Allah's forgiveness. Abu 'Isa said: There are also reports on this subject from 'Abd Allah ibn al-Harith ibn Jaz' al-Zubaydi, Ma'qil ibn Abi al-Haytham (also said: Ma'qil ibn Abi Ma'qil), Abu Umamah, Abu Hurairah, and Sahl ibn Hunayf. Abu 'Isa said: Abu Ayyub's hadith is the best and soundest report on this subject. Abu Ayyub's name was Khalid ibn Zayd. Al-Zuhri's name was Muhammad ibn Muslim ibn 'Ubayd Allah ibn Shihab al-Zuhri, and his kunya was Abu Bakr. Abu al-Walid al-Makki said: Abu 'Abd Allah Muhammad ibn Idris al-Shafi'i said that the Prophet's statement, "Do not face the qiblah while defecating or urinating, nor turn your backs to it," applies only in open spaces; as for built toilets, there is a concession to face it. Ishaq ibn Ibrahim said the same. Ahmad ibn Hanbal, may Allah have mercy on him, said that the concession from the Prophet ﷺ applies only to turning one's back to the qiblah while defecating or urinating; one must not face it. It seems he did not consider facing the qiblah permissible either in open spaces or in built toilets.

Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.

Muhammad ibn Bashshar and Muhammad ibn al-Muthanna said: Wahb ibn Jarir narrated to us; my father narrated to us, from Muhammad ibn Ishaq, from Aban ibn Salih, from Mujahid, from Jabir ibn 'Abd Allah, who said: The Prophet ﷺ forbade us to face the qiblah while urinating, but I saw him facing it a year before he died. There are also reports on this subject from Abu Qatadah, 'A'ishah, and 'Ammar ibn Yasir. Abu 'Isa said: Jabir's hadith on this subject is a hasan gharib hadith.

Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.

This hadith was also narrated by Ibn Lahi'ah, from Abu al-Zubayr, from Jabir, from Abu Qatadah, who saw the Prophet ﷺ urinating while facing the qiblah. Qutaybah narrated this to us: Ibn Lahi'ah narrated to us. Jabir's report from the Prophet ﷺ is sounder than Ibn Lahi'ah's report. Ibn Lahi'ah is weak according to hadith scholars; Yahya ibn Sa'id al-Qattan and others considered him weak because of his memory.

Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.

Hannad narrated to us; 'Abdah ibn Sulayman narrated to us, from 'Ubayd Allah ibn 'Umar, from Muhammad ibn Yahya ibn Habban, from his uncle Wasi' ibn Habban, from Ibn 'Umar, who said: One day I climbed onto Hafsah's house and saw the Prophet ﷺ relieving himself, facing Syria and turning his back to the Ka'bah. Abu 'Isa said: This is a hasan sahih hadith.

Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.

'Ali ibn Hujr informed us; Sharik informed us, from al-Miqdam ibn Shurayh, from his father, from 'A'ishah, who said: Whoever tells you that the Prophet ﷺ used to urinate standing, do not believe him; he only urinated sitting. He said: There are also reports on this subject from 'Umar, Buraydah, and 'Abd al-Rahman ibn Hasanah. Abu 'Isa said: 'A'ishah's hadith is the best and soundest report on this subject. 'Umar's hadith is only narrated through 'Abd al-Karim ibn Abi al-Mukhariq, from Nafi', from Ibn 'Umar, from 'Umar, who said: The Prophet ﷺ saw me urinating while standing and said, 'O 'Umar, do not urinate standing.' I have not urinated standing since. Abu 'Isa said: Only 'Abd al-Karim ibn Abi al-Mukhariq traced this hadith back to the Prophet ﷺ; he is weak according to hadith scholars. Ayyub al-Sakhtiyani considered him weak and criticized him. 'Ubayd Allah narrated from Nafi', from Ibn 'Umar, that 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: I have not urinated standing since I became Muslim. This is sounder than the report of 'Abd al-Karim, and the hadith of Buraydah on this subject is not preserved. The prohibition of urinating standing is for discipline, not prohibition (as unlawful). It is also narrated from 'Abd Allah ibn Mas'ud that he said: It is coarse behavior to urinate while standing.

Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.

Hannad narrated to us; Waki' narrated to us, from al-A'mash, from Abu Wa'il, from Hudhayfah: The Prophet ﷺ came to a people's refuse dump and urinated there while standing. I brought him water for ablution and was about to move away from him, but he called me until I stood at his heels. He performed ablution and wiped over his leather socks. Abu 'Isa said: I heard al-Jarud say: I heard Waki' narrate this hadith from al-A'mash. Waki' then said: This is the soundest hadith narrated from the Prophet ﷺ concerning wiping. I heard Abu 'Ammar al-Husayn ibn Hurayth say something similar after hearing Waki'. Abu 'Isa said: Mansur and 'Ubaydah al-Dabbi likewise narrated it from Abu Wa'il, from Hudhayfah, like al-A'mash's narration. Hammad ibn Abi Sulayman and 'Asim ibn Bahdalah narrated from Abu Wa'il, from al-Mughirah ibn Shu'bah, from the Prophet ﷺ; the report of Abu Wa'il from Hudhayfah is sounder. Some scholars allowed urinating while standing. Abu 'Isa said: Ibrahim al-Nakha'i narrated from 'Ubaydah ibn 'Amr al-Salmani, who was among the senior Successors; it is related from him that he said he accepted Islam two years before the Prophet's death. 'Ubaydah al-Dabbi, a companion of Ibrahim, was 'Ubaydah ibn Mu'attib al-Dabbi, whose kunya was Abu 'Abd al-Karim.

Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.

Qutaybah ibn Sa'id narrated to us; 'Abd al-Salam ibn Harb al-Mula'i narrated to us, from al-A'mash, from Anas: When the Prophet ﷺ wanted to relieve himself, he would not lift his garment until he was close to the ground. Abu 'Isa said: Muhammad ibn Rabi'ah narrated this hadith from al-A'mash, from Anas, in this way. Waki' and Abu Yahya al-Himmani narrated from al-A'mash, who said: Ibn 'Umar said that when the Prophet ﷺ wanted to relieve himself, he would not raise his garment until he was near the ground. Both reports are mursal. It is said that al-A'mash did not hear from Anas or any of the Prophet's Companions, though he saw Anas ibn Malik praying and recounted an incident from him about prayer. Al-A'mash's name was Sulayman ibn Mihran Abu Muhammad al-Kahili, and he was their client. Al-A'mash said: My father was a hamīl, and Masruq inherited him.

Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.

Muhammad ibn Abi 'Umar al-Makki narrated to us; Sufyan ibn 'Uyaynah narrated to us, from Ma'mar, from Yahya ibn Abi Kathir, from 'Abd Allah ibn Abi Qatadah, from his father: The Prophet ﷺ forbade a man to touch his penis with his right hand. There are also reports on this subject from 'A'ishah, Salman, Abu Hurairah, and Sahl ibn Hunayf. Abu 'Isa said: This is a hasan sahih hadith. Abu Qatadah al-Ansari's name was al-Harith ibn Rib'i. Most scholars act according to this and regard cleaning oneself with the right hand as disliked.

Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.

Hannad narrated to us; Abu Mu'awiyah narrated to us, from al-A'mash, from Ibrahim, from 'Abd al-Rahman ibn Yazid, who said: Salman was asked, "Has your Prophet taught you everything, even how to relieve yourselves?" Salman replied: "Indeed. He forbade us to face the qiblah while defecating or urinating, to clean ourselves with the right hand, to use fewer than three stones for cleaning, or to clean ourselves with dung or bone." Abu 'Isa said: There are also reports on this subject from 'A'ishah, Khuzaymah ibn Thabit, Jabir, and Khallad ibn al-Sa'ib, from his father. Abu 'Isa said: Salman's hadith on this subject is hasan sahih. This is the position of most scholars among the Prophet's Companions and those after them: they held that cleaning with stones suffices, even without water, if it removes the trace of defecation and urine. This is the view of al-Thawri, Ibn al-Mubarak, al-Shafi'i, Ahmad, and Ishaq.

Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.

Hannad and Qutaybah said: Waki' narrated to us, from Isra'il, from Abu Ishaq, from Abu 'Ubaydah, from 'Abd Allah, who said: The Prophet ﷺ went out to relieve himself and said: "Find me three stones." I brought him two stones and a piece of dung. He took the two stones, discarded the dung, and said: "It is filth." Abu 'Isa said: Qays ibn al-Rabi' narrated this hadith from Abu Ishaq, from Abu 'Ubaydah, from 'Abd Allah, similarly to Isra'il's narration. Ma'mar and 'Ammar ibn Ruzayq narrated it from Abu Ishaq, from 'Alqamah, from 'Abd Allah. Zuhayr narrated it from Abu Ishaq, from 'Abd al-Rahman ibn al-Aswad, from his father al-Aswad ibn Yazid, from 'Abd Allah. Zakariyya ibn Abi Za'idah narrated it from Abu Ishaq, from 'Abd al-Rahman ibn Yazid, from al-Aswad ibn Yazid, from 'Abd Allah. This hadith has inconsistency in its chain. Muhammad ibn Bashshar al-'Abdi narrated to us; Muhammad ibn Ja'far narrated to us; Shu'bah narrated to us, from 'Amr ibn Murrah, who said: I asked Abu 'Ubaydah ibn 'Abd Allah whether he remembered anything from 'Abd Allah, and he said: No. Abu 'Isa said: I asked 'Abd Allah ibn 'Abd al-Rahman which of the narrations of this hadith from Abu Ishaq was sounder, but he gave no judgment. I asked Muhammad about it, and he also gave no judgment, though it seemed he considered Zuhayr's report from Abu Ishaq, from 'Abd al-Rahman ibn al-Aswad, from his father, from 'Abd Allah, more plausible, and he included it in the Jami' book. Abu 'Isa said: In my view, the soundest reports here are those of Isra'il and Qays, from Abu Ishaq, from Abu 'Ubaydah, from 'Abd Allah, because Isra'il was more reliable and had better retention of Abu Ishaq's hadith than these others, and Qays ibn al-Rabi' agreed with him in this. Abu 'Isa said: I heard Abu Musa Muhammad ibn al-Muthanna say: I heard 'Abd al-Rahman ibn Mahdi say: I missed what I missed of Sufyan al-Thawri's hadith from Abu Ishaq only because I relied on Isra'il. Abu 'Isa said: Zuhayr's transmission from Abu Ishaq is not that strong, because he heard from him late in life. He said: I heard Ahmad ibn al-Hasan al-Tirmidhi say: I heard Ahmad ibn Hanbal say: If you hear a hadith from Za'idah and Zuhayr, you need not seek it from anyone else—except the hadith of Abu Ishaq. Abu Ishaq's name was 'Amr ibn 'Abd Allah al-Sabi'i al-Hamdani. Abu 'Ubaydah ibn 'Abd Allah ibn Mas'ud did not hear from his father, and his personal name is not known.

Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.

Hannad narrated to us; Hafs ibn Ghiyath narrated to us, from Dawud ibn Abi Hind, from al-Sha'bi, from 'Alqamah, from 'Abd Allah ibn Mas'ud, who said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: "Do not clean yourselves with dung or bones, for they are provisions for your brothers among the jinn." There are also reports on this subject from Abu Hurairah, Salman, Jabir, and Ibn 'Umar. Abu 'Isa said: Isma'il ibn Ibrahim and others narrated this hadith from Dawud ibn Abi Hind, from al-Sha'bi, from 'Alqamah, from 'Abd Allah, who was with the Prophet ﷺ on the Night of the Jinn—the full hadith—where al-Sha'bi said that the Prophet ﷺ said: "Do not clean yourselves with dung or bones, for they are provisions for your brothers among the jinn." Isma'il's narration seems sounder than Hafs ibn Ghiyath's. Scholars act according to this hadith. There are also reports on this subject from Jabir and Ibn 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both).

Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.

Qutaybah and Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-Malik ibn Abi al-Shawarib al-Basri said: Abu 'Awanah narrated to us, from Qatadah, from Mu'adhah, from 'A'ishah, who said: "Tell your husbands to cleanse themselves with water, for I feel shy before them, and the Messenger of Allah ﷺ used to do so." There are also reports on this subject from Jarir ibn 'Abd Allah al-Bajali, Anas, and Abu Hurairah. Abu 'Isa said: This is a hasan sahih hadith. Scholars act according to it and prefer cleansing with water. Although cleansing with stones suffices in their view, they recommend water and consider it better. This is the position of Sufyan al-Thawri, Ibn al-Mubarak, al-Shafi'i, Ahmad, and Ishaq.

Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.

Muhammad ibn Bashshar narrated to us; 'Abd al-Wahhab al-Thaqafi narrated to us, from Muhammad ibn 'Amr, from Abu Salamah, from al-Mughirah ibn Shu'bah, who said: I was with the Prophet ﷺ on a journey. The Prophet ﷺ went to relieve himself and went far away. There are also reports on this subject from 'Abd al-Rahman ibn Abi Qirad, Abu Qatadah, Jabir, Yahya ibn 'Ubayd from his father, Abu Musa, Ibn 'Abbas, and Bilal ibn al-Harith. Abu 'Isa said: This is a hasan sahih hadith. It is also narrated from the Prophet ﷺ that he would seek out a place for urinating as one seeks out a place to stay. Abu Salamah's name was 'Abd Allah ibn 'Abd al-Rahman ibn 'Awf al-Zuhri.