so he called for some water and followed it with the water. Muslim’s wording reads: “He followed the urine with water and did not wash it.”

Overall meaning
The Companions, may Allah be pleased with them, used to bring their infants to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ so that they might obtain the blessing of his person and his supplication. Because of his innate kindness and generosity, he welcomed them with the cheerful ease and magnanimity that Allah had bestowed upon him.

Thus Umm Qays brought her small son, who lived on milk alone and had not yet begun to take other food. Out of mercy the Prophet ﷺ seated the child on his noble lap, whereupon the boy urinated on his garment. The Prophet ﷺ asked for water and lightly sprinkled the affected area, without washing it thoroughly.

Scholarly disagreement
One group of scholars holds that male and female infants are the same and that sprinkling alone suffices for both, by analogy with the boy. Another group maintains that washing is obligatory for both and that sprinkling is insufficient. Neither side, however, relies on an explicit proof.

The position established by the clear, authentic reports is that sprinkling suffices for the urine of a male infant while washing is required for that of a female. This is the view of the imams al-Shafi‘i, Ahmad, Ishaq, al-Awza‘i, Ibn Hazm, Ibn Taymiyyah, and Ibn al-Qayyim, as well as our teacher al-Saʿdī and many other verifying scholars.

Points derived from the ḥadith

1. The urine of a male infant who has not yet eaten solid food is impure.
2. It is enough to sprinkle water—without letting it run—to purify the urine of such a boy.
3. The ḥadith illustrates the Prophet’s ﷺ noble character and his profound humility.

Benefit: The scholars have differed over the reason for distinguishing between the urine of a boy and that of a girl, each seeking a wisdom that, in his view, constitutes the appropriate rationale.