Fath al-Rabbani

Abdullah bin Muhammad, may Allah have mercy on him, says: Ali bin Husayn sent me to Lady Rubayyi’ bint Mu’awwidh, may Allah be pleased with her, to ask about the ablution of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him. She brought out a vessel, which was of the measure of one mudd or one mudd and a quarter. Sufyan said: It seemed as if she was referring to the Hashimi mudd. In any case, Lady Rubayyi’, may Allah be pleased with her, said: I used to pour water for the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, in this vessel. He would pour water over his hands three times. Once she said: He would wash his hands three times before putting them into the vessel. Then he would wash his face and rinse his mouth three times and sniff water into his nose three times. Then he would wash his right arm three times and his left arm three times, and then wipe his head back and forth, and then wash both his feet three times each. Then when my cousin, our master Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with them both, came to me and asked me, I described the whole procedure, but he said: “I only find in the Book of Allah two times for wiping and two times for washing.”