Points derived from the ḥadith
1 – This report contains ʿĀʾishah’s (Allah be pleased with her) description of the Prophet’s (Allah bless him and grant him peace) ritual bath (ghusl) after major impurity.
2 – It is recommended to begin by washing one’s hands, for they are the means of scooping water and of rubbing the body; therefore they should be cleansed before anything else. When the text speaks of “the hands” without qualification, it refers to the two palms.
3 – One should pour water with the right hand onto the left, which will undertake washing the private part that bears traces of intercourse. The right hand is thus used for taking the water, and the left for removing the filth.
4 – The washing starts with the private part before the rest of the body so that the impurity found there is removed first. This washing is either to eliminate a legal impurity that must be removed or to clear away dirt that likewise ought to be removed, and the removal of filth and impurities precedes lifting the state of ritual impurity.
5 – After cleaning his private part with his left hand, he rubs that hand on earth to remove any stickiness clinging to it from washing an area soiled with impurity or semen; this is done while removing the filth.
6 – He then performs wuḍūʾ, washing the limbs that are washed in ablution and wiping those that are wiped, for the minor state of impurity is to be lifted before the major one.
7 – Next he thoroughly moistens the roots of his hair, for if water were merely poured over thick hair without running the fingers through and attending to its roots, the water would not reach those roots or the skin beneath.
8 – He then pours three handfuls of water over his head so that the water reaches both the outer and inner parts of the hair.
9 – After that he washes the remainder of his body, letting the water flow over it once. The wording of the text indicates that this excludes the limbs already washed in ablution, which is what the term “remainder” (sāʾir) denotes, namely, what is left.
10 – The well-known position in the school is that it is recommended to wash the body three times, but the ḥadith