49 – ʿAbd Allah ibn Zayd (may Allah be pleased with him) described the Prophet’s ablution, saying: “Then he dipped his hand, rinsed his mouth and inhaled water into his nose with a single handful, doing that three times.” Agreed upon. (1)

Vocabulary of the ḥadīth
• “a single palm”: the palm extends from the wrist-bone to the fingertips; its plurals are kufūf and akuff. Because its femininity is figurative, it may be qualified with the masculine adjective “single.”

Lessons drawn from the three narrations
1 – Ṭalḥah’s report shows that it is recommended to separate the mouth-rinse from the nose-cleansing, taking fresh water for each, for more complete coverage and greater cleanliness.
2 – ʿAli’s report shows that it is recommended to rinse the mouth and cleanse the nose from one palmful, using three scoops in total, both to economize in the water used for wuḍūʾ and because the mouth and nose belong to one limb—the face.
3 – ʿAbd Allah ibn Zayd’s report likewise indicates that the mouth-rinse and nose-cleansing be done with one handful, also in three scoops.
4 – The soundest way to reconcile these narrations is to act on all of them, understanding them as describing different occasions and varied practices.

Ibn al-Qayyim said: “The Messenger of Allah ﷺ would sometimes rinse his mouth and nose with one scoop, sometimes with two, and sometimes with three. He would link the mouth-rinse and the nose-cleansing, taking half the scoop for his mouth and the other half for his nose; with scoops, this is the only possible way.”