—and for what I shall mention later in the chapter on “Bathing after washing the deceased.”
Moreover, the ḥadith is unanimously judged weak by the ḥadith specialists. I have collected their statements in my book “Ḍaʿīf Sunan Abī Dāwūd,” no. 9. Among those scholars is al-Mundhirī, who introduced it with the formula ruwiya, and the author has reproduced his wording verbatim!
For the reader’s benefit I shall now list other situations in which performing ablution is recommended, although the author has not mentioned them. I documented them in Ath-Thamar al-Mustatāb fī Fiqh as-Sunnah wa-l-Kitāb, from which I have extracted the following summary:
- Renewing ablution after every minor ritual impurity. This is based on the ḥadith of Buraydah ibn al-Ḥuṣayb, who said:
“One morning the Messenger of Allah ﷺ called Bilāl and asked, ‘Bilāl, by what deed have you preceded me to Paradise? Last night I entered Paradise and heard your footsteps ahead of me.’ Bilāl replied, ‘O Messenger of Allah, I have never called the adhān without then praying two rakʿahs, nor has any state of minor impurity ever befallen me without my renewing my ablution.’ The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, ‘It is because of that.’ ”
Al-Tirmidhī, al-Ḥākim, and Ibn Khuzaymah recorded it in his Ṣaḥīḥ, and its chain is sound according to Muslim’s criteria. Al-Mundhirī, however, mentioned only its citation by Ibn Khuzaymah, which is insufficient.
- Ablution after vomiting. This is supported by the ḥadith of Maʿdān ibn Abī Ṭalḥah, from Abū al-Dardāʾ:
“The Messenger of Allah ﷺ vomited, broke his fast, and performed ablution. Later I met Thawbān in the mosque of Damascus and related this to him. He said, ‘He has spoken the truth; I was the one who poured the water for his ablution.’ ”
Al-Tirmidhī (1/142–143) and others transmitted it with a sound chain. The variation that occurs in its isnād does not impair it, because Ḥusayn al-Muʿallim transmitted it accurately, as stated by al-Tirmidhī and Aḥmad. See also Nayl al-Aṭār 1/164 and the marginal notes of Shaykh Aḥmad Muḥammad Shākir on al-Tirmidhī.