Prohibition of Washing Wudu Limbs More Than Three Times: 8 Evidences from Authentic Hadiths
Taken from: Fatāwā al-Dīn al-Khāliṣ, Vol. 1, Page 371
❖ A Research-Based Review:
Ruling on Washing Wudu Limbs More Than Three Times
✦ Background of the Hadith:
The author of al-Hidāyah (Vol. 1, p. 91) mentioned a narration where the Prophet ﷺ performed wudu in three different ways:
① He washed the limbs once and said:
“This is my wudu, without which Allah does not accept prayer.”
② He washed twice and said:
“This is the wudu of the one whose reward Allah will double.”
③ He washed three times and said:
“This is my wudu and the wudu of the Prophets before me. Whoever does more or less than this has exceeded bounds and committed injustice.”
✦ The Phrase: “Whoever does less” — A Problematic Addition
The clause “whoever does less” appears inconsistent with authentic hadiths, which confirm:
✔ The Prophet ﷺ at times performed wudu once,
✔ At other times twice,
✔ And also three times — all are valid.
✦ Authentic Hadiths on Modes of Wudu
① Ibn ʿAbbās (رضي الله عنه):
“The Messenger of Allah ﷺ performed wudu by washing each limb once.”
(Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, Vol. 1, p. 27)
② ʿAbdullāh ibn Zayd (رضي الله عنه):
“The Prophet ﷺ washed the limbs twice during wudu.”
(Bukhārī)
③ ʿUthmān ibn ʿAffān (رضي الله عنه):
He performed wudu at Maqām al-Maqāʿid and said:
“Shall I not show you the wudu of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ?”
Then he washed the limbs three times.
(Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim)
④ Tirmidhī (1/16):
Reported that the Prophet ﷺ washed his face three times, hands twice, performed masḥ of the head, and feet twice.
Also reported by Abū Dāwūd (1/25), Ḥadīth 118.
⚠️ Note: Washing the feet twice is classified as shādh (unusual) because major collections like Bukhārī, Muslim, and Abū Dāwūd omit this specification.
✦ Reconciliation Between the Hadiths
The collected narrations confirm that:
◈ Washing once is permissible
◈ Washing twice is also permissible
◈ Washing thrice is Sunnah and best
◈ Washing more than three times is prohibited
✿ Hadiths Supporting the Prohibition of Excess
⑤ Ibn Mājah (Ḥadīth 422) — Under the chapter:
“The Dislike of Excess in Wudu”
ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿAmr (رضي الله عنه) narrated:
A Bedouin asked about wudu, and the Prophet ﷺ demonstrated by washing three times, then said:
“Whoever does more than this has done evil, transgressed, and committed injustice.”
✔ This ḥadīth is authentic.
⑥ Abū Dāwūd (Ḥadīth 135) records a longer narration with the words:
“Wudu is done like this. Whoever does more or less has done evil and committed injustice.”
However, Shaykh al-Albānī graded these specific words as shādh (irregular) in Ṣaḥīḥ Abī Dāwūd.
✔ Imām al-Shawkānī (in Nayl al-Awṭār, Vol. 1, p. 216) also noted this and some even declared them munkar.
✦ Exceeding the Limit: Bidʿah or Waswasah?
✔ It is proven that washing limbs more than three times is ḥarām, even if done out of supposed “caution”.
✔ Such an act is either a blameworthy innovation (bidʿah) or a sign of satanic whisperings (waswasah).
✦ Statements from the Scholars
⑦ Imām Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal and Isḥāq ibn Rāhwayh:
“Only a person afflicted with waswasah washes more than three times.”
⑧ ʿAbdullāh ibn al-Mubārak:
“One who does more than three in wudu is in danger of sin.”
⑨ Imām al-Shawkānī:
“There is no disagreement that exceeding three times is disliked (makrūh).”
✦ Critique of the al-Hidāyah Author
The author of al-Hidāyah opined that more than three washings are allowed out of caution, but this contradicts the hadith.
⚠️ An authentic hadith warns:
“Soon there will come a people in my ummah who will go to extremes in supplication and purification.”
(Aḥmad, Abū Dāwūd, Ibn Mājah, Mishkāt al-Maṣābīḥ Vol. 1, p. 47)
This is a serious warning against those who go beyond the limits in acts of worship.
❖ Conclusion
✔ A Muslim should reflect upon the true and authentic teachings of the Prophet ﷺ.
✔ He should not fall into excess, nor imitate those who have been condemned for going beyond limits.
ھٰذَا مَا عِنْدِی وَاللّٰهُ أَعْلَمُ بِالصَّوَابِ
