the syntactic position occupied by the prepositional phrase, the meaning is: “Wipe your heads, and wipe your feet up to the ankles.” Their expression (1), “I wiped the foot,” is not synonymous with the expression (2), “I wiped over the foot.” When the verb takes the preposition bāʾ, the intended sense (3) is that of contact—that is, bringing something into contact with it.

By contrast, when one says, “I wiped it,” this does not entail bringing anything into contact with it; it denotes mere wiping. Yet, by consensus, mere wiping (4) with the hand is not what is intended. It follows, therefore, that if (5) one wipes it with water, this—being stated only in general terms—is explained by the Sunnah, just as in the genitive reading.

In sum, the Quran does not deny the obligation to wash; rather, it obligates wiping. Even if it were assumed that the Sunnah imposed something beyond what the Quran imposed, this would not set aside the Quran’s requirement. How, then, could that be the case when the Sunnah interprets it and clarifies its meaning? This is discussed at length elsewhere.

In sum, it should be understood that the Sunnah of the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—is what interprets and explains the Quran, indicates its meaning, and articulates it. Thus, the mass-transmitted Sunnah (6) takes precedence over what some people understand from the Quran’s apparent wording, for the Messenger—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—explained both the wording and meaning of the Quran to the people.

As Abū Abd al-Rahmān al-Sulamī said: “Those who used to recite the Quran—Uthmān (7) ibn Affān, Abd Allāh ibn Masūd, and others—related to us that they