He—may Allah have mercy on him—was asked:

Concerning the two qullahs (large jars): Is the hadith about them authentic or not? What of those who say that the word means a mountain peak? And concerning water left after a cat has drunk from it: if the cat eats something impure and then drinks from less than two qullahs of water, is it permissible to perform ablution with that water or not?

He answered:

Praise be to Allah. It is authentically reported that the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—was asked:

“You perform ablution with water from the well of Budāʿah, even though menstrual cloths, dogs’ flesh and foul matter are thrown into it?”

He replied: “Water is purifying; nothing renders it impure.”

The scholars and those familiar with the well of Budāʿah agree that its water does not flow. The report attributed to al-Wāqidī that its water flows is false, for the scholars agree that his reports cannot be relied upon as evidence. There is no doubt that there was no running water in Medina during the time of the Messenger of Allah—may Allah bless him and grant him peace. The spring of al-Zarqāʾ and the springs of Hamzah were established after the time of the Prophet—may Allah Most High bless him and grant him peace. The well of Budāʿah still exists today in eastern Medina and is well known.

As for the hadith concerning the two qullahs, most hadith scholars regard it as a good hadith that may be cited as evidence. They have answered the criticisms of those who challenged it, and a work was composed by Abū ʿAbd