to the proper parts of his body.” And his saying, may Allah bless him and grant him peace:
“The prayer of any of you is not complete until he performs ablution as Allah, Mighty and Majestic, has commanded him: washing his face and his hands up to the elbows, and wiping his head and his feet up to the ankles.”
And his saying, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, to the Bedouin when he taught him ablution:
“Perform ablution as Allah has commanded you.”
The obligation of ablution is known by necessity to be part of the religion of the Muslim community, so there is no point in citing further texts at length.
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The verse concerning ablution—the saying of Allah, Mighty and Majestic, “O you who believe, when you rise for prayer” [Al-Mā’idah: 6], and the remainder of the verse—was revealed in Medina. The occasion of its revelation concerned dry ablution, while ablution with water had already been obligatory by virtue of the Sunnah. The wording of the hadith concerning dry ablution, “They found themselves without water in the morning, so Allah revealed the verse of dry ablution,” rather than “the verse of ablution,” clearly indicates that what they newly learned at that time was dry ablution, whereas ablution with water was already known to them and prescribed for them.
There is no disagreement within the Muslim community that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, never prayed in a state of major ritual impurity or without ablution. Zayd ibn Hārithah narrated:
“When the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, first received revelation”—meaning concerning prayer—“Gabriel came to him and taught him ablution.”
Another report states:
“Gabriel came to him when prayer was made obligatory. He struck the ground with his heel at one side of the valley, and a spring of fresh water gushed forth. Gabriel performed ablution while Muhammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, watched. He washed his face, rinsed his mouth, drew water into his nose, wiped his head, washed his hands up to the elbows and his feet up to the ankles, and sprinkled water over his private parts. He then stood and performed two units of prayer with four prostrations.”