sets between the horns of Satan, and at that moment the unbelievers prostrate to it.’

I said, ‘Messenger of Allah, then tell me about ablution.’ He replied, ‘Whenever any one of you brings the water for his ablution, rinses his mouth, inhales water into his nose and expels it, the sins of his face, mouth, and nostrils fall away. Then, when he washes his face as Allah has commanded, the sins of his face fall away from the edges of his beard with the water. Then, when he washes his hands up to the elbows, the sins of his hands fall away from the tips of his fingers with the water. Then, when he wipes his head, the sins of his head fall away from the ends of his hair with the water. Then, when he washes his feet up to the ankles, the sins of his feet fall away from the tips of his toes with the water. If he then stands to pray, praises Allah Most High, extols Him and glorifies Him as He deserves, and focuses his heart solely on Allah, he will depart from that prayer free of sin, like the day his mother bore him.’

ʿAmr b. ʿAbasa related this hadith to Abu Umamah, a Companion of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. Abu Umamah said to him, ‘ʿAmr b. ʿAbasa, be careful what you say! Is all of this granted to a man in a single standing?’ ʿAmr replied, ‘O Abu Umamah, my years are many, my bones have grown fragile, and my end is near. I have no need to lie against Allah the Exalted or against the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. Had I heard it from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ only once, or twice, or three times’—he counted up to seven—‘I would never have reported it. But I heard it from him more than that.’ Narrated by Muslim.

His phrase ‘jurāʾu ʿalayhi qawmuhu’ is pronounced with a jim and a ḍammah, on the pattern of ʿulamāʾ; it means bold, overbearing, and unafraid. This is the well-known reading. Al-Humaydi and others transmitted it as ‘jurāʾ’ with a kasrah on the ḥāʾ, meaning angry, burdened with grief and worry—their patience with him exhausted so that it affected their bodies. They cite the expression ḥarā jasadahu yaḥrā, ‘his body wasted away,’ because of pain or grief. The correct form, however, is the one with the jim.

His statement ﷺ, ‘between the horns of Satan,’ refers to the two sides of his head; it is a metaphor indicating that, at that moment, Satan and his partisans stir and gain influence.

And his words ‘yuqarribu wuḍūʾahu’ mean: he brings near the water with which he intends to perform ablution. As for his words ‘illā—’