In Salmān’s narration: “or that we not cleanse ourselves with fewer than three stones.” Had the Prophet ﷺ intended to follow the stones with water, he would not have fixed the number at three, nor would he have asked for a third stone to replace the dung he discarded.

Anyone who does plan to follow the stones with water may be content with whatever number is readily available to lessen the impurity and reduce direct contact with it; otherwise, water alone suffices, as will be shown in the ḥadith of the people of Qubāʾ, God willing.

3 – The ḥadith proves that using dung for istinjāʾ is forbidden, because it is riks (filth). As noted earlier, dung refers to the droppings of hoofed animals, and of this class the one commonly encountered is the donkey—whose dung is impure.

4 – The jurists state that it is preferable to end the wiping on an odd number. The ḥadith supports this, for the Prophet ﷺ requested three stones, and when he rejected the dung he asked for another stone in its place. This was likely to secure both thorough cleansing and an odd number of wipes; complete removal of the impurity is obligatory, whereas ending on an odd number is recommended.

5 – Salmān’s ḥadith mentioned earlier makes it clear that what is required are three wipes, even if they are performed with a single stone that has three faces.

6 – The report also illustrates the Prophet’s excellent teaching method: when he refused the dung, he informed Ibn Masʿūd of the reason instead of merely rejecting it and silently asking for something else.