Among those who declared the ḥadīth authentic are al-Mundhirī, Ibn al-Qayyim, al-Ṣanʿānī, al-Shawkānī, and Aḥmad Shākir.
Key terms in the ḥadīth
– “lā wuḍūʾ” (there is no ablution): “lā” here is the lā of genus-negation; “wuḍūʾ” is its subject, and the prepositional phrase is its predicate. By default, such a negation denotes invalidity—that is the technical, legal meaning—though some scholars say it refers to lack of completeness.
– “the Name of Allah”: what is meant is the utterance “Bismillāh” (“In the name of Allah”).
Points derived from the ḥadīth
- It is obligatory to say “Bismillāh” when beginning wuḍūʾ. The scholars state that no other wording can stand in its place because the text specifies it. Al-Nawawī said, “The basmalah is fulfilled by saying ‘Bismillāh’; if one says ‘Bismillāh al-Raḥmān al-Raḥīm’ that is more complete.”
- The outward sense of the ḥadīth is that a wuḍūʾ performed without mentioning Allah’s name is invalid.
- Owing to the multitude of its chains, the ḥadīth is acceptable as evidence; for that reason our jurists require the basmalah when one remembers, while it is waived if forgotten.
Scholarly disagreement
The jurists differed on whether the basmalah is obligatory in wuḍūʾ:
– Imām Aḥmad and his followers hold that it is obligatory for every state-purification, major or minor, and they cite this ḥadīth and others. Al-Bukhārī said, “It is the best report in this chapter.” Al-Mundhirī observed, “There is no doubt that the basmalah narrations acquire strength and mutually reinforce one another.” Ibn Kathīr added, “They bolster one another; thus the ḥadīth is ḥasan or ṣaḥīḥ.” This is one of the distinctive positions of the Ḥanbalī school.
– In Sharḥ al-Mufradāt it is stated: “The correct opinion within the madhhab is that the basmalah is obligatory in…"