Fath al-Rabbani

Benefits: … Continuity (muwalat) is necessary in ablution (wudu). By this is meant that the limbs of ablution should be washed consecutively and in succession. Further clarification of this is as follows: when a person completes ablution, all his limbs should be wet; it is not correct that such a long interval is made in between that, when a person finishes washing his feet, his face has already dried. The jurisprudential understanding of the aforementioned ahadith is precisely this: that the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam ordered the companion to repeat the ablution because his limbs had dried. If a person realizes that, while all the limbs of ablution are still wet, a certain limb has remained dry, then he should immediately wet the dry spot; in such a case, there is no need to repeat the entire ablution. This ijtihad can also be supported by the following two ahadith:

(1) In the ritual bath (ghusl) for major impurity (janabah), the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam completed the ablution by washing his feet at the end of the bath,

and (2) On one occasion, after washing the arms, he performed rinsing of the mouth (madmadah) and inhaling water into the nose (istinshaq).

According to the first hadith, despite an interval occurring during the ritual bath, the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam only washed his feet; and according to the second hadith, rinsing the mouth and nose had been left out, but after washing the arms, these were performed. The reason for not washing the other limbs again was that they were still wet. This is an ijtihadi opinion. Both these ahadith have already been mentioned above.