a faraq (a measure of capacity).” This is a small vessel, neither overflowing nor supplied by a pipe, yet they both bathed from it together. One wording states:

“I would say, ‘Leave some for me,’ and he would say, ‘Leave some for me.’”

In Sahīh al-Bukhārī, Ibn ʿUmar reported:

“During the lifetime of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), men and women used to perform ablution from a single vessel.”

It is also established that he used to perform ablution with one mudd and bathe with one sāʿ. According to most scholars, a sāʿ amounts to less than five Egyptian ritls—approximately four and three-quarters—and a mudd is one-quarter of that. Another view puts the sāʿ at approximately seven Egyptian ritls.

One may not say, “If the bowl falls onto the bathhouse floor, it becomes impure.” The bathhouse floor is presumed pure, and any impurity that falls upon it, such as urine, has enough water poured over it to remove it. Its condition is far better than that of the streets, which are themselves presumed pure. Indeed, just as it is certain that some impurity must fall onto the bathhouse floor, it is equally certain that water reaches all the places where impurity falls. Even if one does not know this, one must not declare a particular spot impure unless one knows that impurity has come into contact with it. And Allah knows best.