of unwholesome matters—such as entering the lavatory, leaving the mosque, and similar situations—in which one begins with the left.

3 – Assigning the left hand to repulsive tasks is the more appropriate choice in Sacred Law, reason, and medicine alike.

4 – The wise revealed law has come to reform people, refine their conduct, and shield them from every harm.

5 – The superior manner of wuḍūʾ is to start by washing the right hand before the left, and the right foot before the left. Al-Nawawī said: “The scholars are unanimously agreed that giving precedence to the right in wuḍūʾ is sunnah; whoever neglects it loses the extra merit, yet his ablution remains valid.” Al-Mughnī adds: “We know of no disagreement that it is not obligatory.”

6 – It is recommended to begin with the right side of the head when combing, washing, shaving, or the like.

7 – It is likewise recommended to advance the right hand and foot over the left in every wholesome, praiseworthy act, while reserving the left for removing dirt and filth and for handling disagreeable things.

8 – This hadith shows that a successful Muslim turns his ordinary habits into acts of worship. When routine matters are performed while following the Prophet’s guidance and seeking closeness to Allah, those habits become worship that multiplies one’s good deeds. Conversely, the devotions of a heedless person sink to the level of mere custom: he performs them inattentively, without intending nearness to Allah, without recalling that he is obeying His command, and without imitating the Prophet. He merely notices that he has carried out a practice to which he is accustomed at that time, oblivious to those deeper meanings. The two acts, therefore, differ greatly, each springing from an intention opposite to the other. Allah is the One who grants success.