then this hadith cannot stand against what was transmitted by the seven leading hadith compilers and others: namely, the hadith of Abu Sa'id which we mentioned earlier: “Friday ghusl is obligatory upon every adult.” Furthermore, the hadith is weak in its chain of transmission, because many hadith scholars maintain that al-Hasan did not authentically hear from Samurah except the hadith concerning the 'aqīqah sacrifice. Although we held, in hadith terminology, that when a narrator’s hearing from his shaykh has been established, and he is trustworthy and not known for tadlīs (concealing a narrator in the chain), his report is presumed to have been heard directly, some scholars have indeed accused al-Hasan, may Allah have mercy on him, of tadlīs.

Moreover, if you consider the text of this hadith, you will find it weak and inelegant, unlike the style that proceeds from the lamp of Prophethood: “Whoever performs wudu on Friday, then well and good for him...” What does the pronoun in “for him” refer to? There is a degree of awkwardness in it—that is, weakness in eloquence. “But whoever performs ghusl, then ghusl is better.” It thus appears to be the speech of someone other than the Prophet, may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him.

Therefore, the view we hold, worship Allah by, and adhere to is that Friday ghusl is obligatory, and that it is waived only when water is unavailable or when using water would cause harm. No authentic hadith states that wudu is sufficient. As for the report in Sahih Muslim in which the Prophet, may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him, said: “Whoever performs wudu and performs it well, then comes to Friday prayer, listens, and remains silent, will be forgiven for what lies between it and the preceding Friday, plus three additional days” (1), its wording is less weighty because the narrators differed: some said, “Whoever performs ghusl,” and this is more preponderant, while others said, “Whoever performs wudu.”

Question: It remains to be said: if he cannot find water, or is harmed