without desire, it does not invalidate ritual purity.

Others said that ablution is not invalidated by touching under any circumstances. This was the view of Ibn Abbas, and it was also held by al-Hasan and al-Thawri.

Abu Hanifah, may Allah have mercy on him, said: It is not invalidated unless an erection occurs. (1)

Those who did not hold that touching necessitates ablution cited the report related to us by Abu al-Hasan al-Sarakhsī, from Zāhir ibn Ahmad, from Abu Ishaq al-Hashimi, from Abu Musab, from Malik, from Abu al-Nadr—the client of Umar ibn Abd Allah—from Abu Salamah ibn Abd al-Rahman, from Aishah, may Allah be pleased with her, the wife of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, who said:

“I would sleep in front of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, with my legs in the direction of his prayer. When he prostrated, he would nudge me, and I would draw up my legs; and when he stood, I would stretch them out.” She said, “The houses at that time had no lamps.” (2)

Abu al-Hasan al-Sarakhsī related to us, from Zāhir ibn Ahmad, from Abu Ishaq al-Hashimi, from Abu Musab, from Malik, from Yahya ibn Said, from Muhammad ibn Ibrahim ibn al-Harith al-Taymi, that Aishah, may Allah be pleased with her, the wife of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said:

“I was sleeping beside the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him. One night I found that he was gone, so I felt for him with my hand and placed it upon his feet while he was prostrating and saying: ‘I seek refuge in Your pleasure from Your wrath, in Your pardon from Your punishment, and in You from You. I cannot enumerate Your praises; You are as You have praised Yourself.’” (3)

Al-Shafii’s view differed concerning a man who touches one of his unmarriageable female relatives, such as his mother, daughter, or sister, or who touches a young unrelated girl. The sounder of his two views is that it does not invalidate ablution, because she is not an object of desire, just as when he touches a man.

His view also differed, in two opinions, regarding whether the ablution of the person touched is invalidated. One opinion is that it is invalidated, because both parties share in the pleasure, just as ghusl becomes obligatory for both of them through sexual intercourse. The second is that it is not invalidated, based on the hadith of Aishah, may Allah be pleased with her, when she said: “I placed my hand upon his feet while he was prostrating.”

According to him, if he touches a woman’s hair, tooth, or nail, his ablution is not invalidated.

Know that the prayer of one in a state of ritual impurity is not valid until he performs ablution if he finds water, or tayammum if he does not find water. Hassān ibn Said al-Manīi related to us, from Abu Tahir al-Ziyādi, from Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn al-Husayn al-Qattān, from Ahmad ibn Yusuf al-Sulami, from Abd al-Razzaq, from Mamar, from Hammam ibn Munabbih, from Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, who said: The Messenger of Allah