Al-Sharḥ al-Mumtiʿ - Ibn al-'Uthaymin - (1/213)

Al-Sharḥ al-MumtiʿIbn al-'Uthaymin

this statement of Allah: “And do not consume their wealth along with your own wealth” [al-Nisa’ 4:2]—that is, together with your own wealth. However, this analogy is open to question, for the verse concerns property and is not comparable to the verse on washing. Allah says: “Give the orphans their property; do not exchange the inferior for the good, and do not consume their property along with your own” [al-Nisa’ 4:2]. That is, when it has been joined to your own property; for a person does not consume another’s wealth unless he has incorporated it into his own. Thus, the words, “Do not consume,” carry the sense of joining.

The verse on ablution, however, is not like this.

The correct answer is that the endpoint is included, as established by the sunnah. Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, performed ablution until he washed up into his upper arm, and said, “This is how I saw the Prophet ﷺ do it.” (1) This indicates that the elbow is included.

It is also reported that he ﷺ performed ablution and passed water around his elbows. (2)

It may be said that the endpoint is not included when the beginning of the limit is expressly mentioned with “from”; but when it is not mentioned, the endpoint is included. Thus, if someone were to ask: Which is better when washing the hands: to begin at the elbow, the middle of the forearm, or the fingertips?

The answer would be that it is better to begin at the fingertips, due to the word “up to,” although this does not seem strongly evident to me, because the starting point

(1) Reported by Muslim; its documentation was given earlier, p. 185. (2) Reported by al-Daraqutni, 1:83, and al-Bayhaqi, 1:56, on the authority of Jabir. It was classified as weak by Ibn al-Jawzi, al-Mundhiri, al-Nawawi, Ibn al-Salah, Ibn Hajar, and others. See al-Khulasah by al-Nawawi, no. 177, and al-Talkhis al-Habir, no. 56.

هذا قوله تعالى: ﴿وَلَا تَأْكُلُوا أَمْوَالَهُمْ إِلَى أَمْوَالِكُمْ﴾ [النساء: ٢]، أي: مع أموالكم. ولكن هذا التنظير فيه نظرٌ؛ فإِن الآية في المال، ليست كالآية في الغسل، لأنه قال: ﴿وَآتُوا الْيَتَامَى أَمْوَالَهُمْ ولَا تَتَبَدَّلُوا الْخَبِيثَ بِالطَّيِّبِ وَلَا تَأْكُلُوا أَمْوَالَهُمْ إِلَى أَمْوَالِكُمْ﴾ [النساء: ٢]، أي: مضمومة إلى أموالكم، فالإنسان لا يأكل مال غيره إِلا إِذا ضمَّه إِلى ماله، فضمَّن قوله: «ولا تأكلوا» معنى الضَّمِّ. أما آية الوُضُوء فليست كذلك. ولكن الجواب الصَّحيح أن الغاية داخلة فيها بدليل السُّنَّة، فعن أبي هريرة ﵁ أنَّه توضَّأ حتى أشرع في العَضُد، وقال: هكذا رأيت النبيَّ ﷺ يفعل (١)، ومقتضى هذا أنَّ المرفق داخل. وكذلك رُويَ عنه ﷺ أنه توضَّأ فأدار الماء على مرفقيه (٢). وقد يُقال: إن الغاية لا تدخلُ إِذا ذُكِرَ ابتداءُ الغاية «من»، أما إِذا لم تُذكر فإنها تكونَ داخلة، ولهذا لو قال قائل: هل الأفضلُ في غسل اليدين البَدْءُ من المرفق، أو من وسط الذراع، أو من أطراف الأصابع؟. فالجواب: أن الأفضل أن يبدأ من أطراف الأصابع لقوله: «إلى». وإن لم يكن ظُهور ذلك عندي قويًّا؛ لأنَّ الابتداء

(١) رواه مسلم، وقد تقدّم تخريجه ص (١٨٥). (٢) رواه الدارقطني (١/ ٨٣)، والبيهقي (١/ ٥٦) من حديث جابر. وضعّفه: ابن الجوزي، والمنذري، والنووي، وابن الصلاح، وابن حجر وغيرهم. انظر: «الخلاصة» للنووي رقم (١٧٧)، و «التلخيص الحبير» رقم (٥٦).