al-Sayl al-Jarrār 1/81:

“I say: The correct view is that they are obligatory, for Allah, Exalted be He, has commanded in His Noble Book that the face be washed, and the area of rinsing the mouth (maḍmaḍah) and inhaling water into the nose (istinshāq) is part of the face. The Prophet ﷺ also persevered in doing this in every ablution, and everyone who transmitted his ablution described it and clarified its manner, which proves that the facial washing enjoined in the Quran includes maḍmaḍah and istinshāq. Moreover, the command to inhale water and expel it (istinshāq and istinthār) occurs in sound ḥadiths….” He then cited the ḥadith of Laqīṭ ibn Ṣabra.

He said the same about combing through the beard under no. 6—and that is correct—and the same ought to be affirmed regarding interlacing the fingers, for the command to do so is also authentically established from him ﷺ.

I add, in response to the words of al-Ḥāfiẓ: that very clause has been transmitted by a route other than the one previously mentioned. Imām Aḥmad narrates it (2/262) through Layth from Kaʿb, from Abū Hurayrah as a marfūʿ report, but Layth—meaning Ibn Abī Sulaym—is weak and cannot be taken as evidence when he is alone, let alone when he contradicts others.

His statement under no. 13: “From Abū Zurʿah: Abū Hurayrah asked for water for ablution, performed it, and washed his forearms until he passed the elbows; when he washed his feet he went beyond the ankles to the ʿaqibayn (so it reads, but this is a printing error—the correct wording is: ‘to the shins’). It was related by Aḥmad and the Two Imams.”

I say: two remarks are in order:

1. The wording belongs to Aḥmad (2/232); this should have been specified, and its isnād is sound according to the conditions of the Two Imams.

2. Muslim did not narrate it through the route of Abū Zurʿah, so it may not be ascribed to him.