the water reached his upper arms, and his feet until it reached his lower legs; this indicates only that the elbows and ankles are included in ablution, not that the washing should be extended beyond them.

The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) did not habitually dry his limbs after ablution. No authentic hadith whatsoever establishes that he did so; rather, what is authentically reported from him indicates the opposite. As for the hadith of ‘Ā’isha, “The Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) had a cloth with which he dried himself after ablution” (1), and the hadith of Mu‘ādh ibn Jabal, “I saw the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), after performing ablution, wipe his face with the edge of his garment” (2), both are weak, and reports of this kind cannot serve as evidence. The first includes Sulaymān ibn Arqam, whose narrations are abandoned; the second includes al-Ifrīqī (3), who is weak. Al-Tirmidhī (4) said: “Nothing authentic has been reported from the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) on this subject.”

It was not the practice of the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) to have water poured for him whenever he performed ablution, but (5) he would pour it himself. Occasionally, when needed, someone would assist him by pouring the water, as reported in the two Sahīh collections (6) from al-Mughīra ibn Shu‘ba, who poured water for him while he performed ablution during a journey.