In one version it says: “He began at the front of his head, moving his hands back until they reached the nape, then brought them forward again until they returned to the point from which he had started.”

Another narration states: “The Messenger of Allah ﷺ came to us and we brought out for him water in a brass tur.” Agreed upon. A tur is a vessel resembling a small wash-basin.

Unfamiliar expressions

1. “in a tur of water”: tur, spelled with the letter tā, denotes a small basin. Al-Zamakhsharī notes that the word is masculine in Arabic usage.
2. “fa-akfā ʿalā yadayhi” (he tipped water over his hands): he inclined the vessel and poured the water over his hands. Some reports read “over his hand.” Ibn Ḥajar explains that the singular form intends the generic sense, i.e., both hands.
3. “min ṣufr”: with ḍamma on the ṣād and sukūn on the fā, meaning brass, a type of copper.
4. “to the elbows twice”: al-Ṣanʿānī says the copy of al-ʿUmda has the wording “twice,” whereas al-Bukhārī’s version reads “twice, twice,” and Muslim likewise repeats it; al-Zarkashī did not remark on this.

Overall meaning
The sense of this ḥadīth is understood from the commentary on the ḥadīth of ʿUthmān, for both texts describe the Prophet’s ﷺ complete ablution. Nevertheless, this narration adds several benefits, summarized as follows:

1. It explicitly states that rinsing the mouth (maḍmaḍa) and inhaling water into the nose (istinshāq) were each performed three times, using three scoops.
2. The previous report mentioned that the hands were washed three times, whereas this narration records only two.
3. The wording, “Then he dipped his hand and washed his face three times,” appears in Muslim and in most of al-Bukhārī’s transmissions in the singular “hand.” After citing both versions, al-Nawawī observes that this shows the practice is recommended; yet the prevailing view firmly adopted by the majority is that the preferred way is to scoop the water for the face with both hands, for that is easier and more conducive to thorough washing.