Keeping up ablution and its virtue

Sayyiduna Thawban, the freed slave of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah be pleased with him), said that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Only a believer keeps up ablution."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Amr (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "No one but a believer can keep up ablution."

Sayyiduna Abu Malik al-Ash'ari (may Allah be pleased with him) said that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Purification is half of faith."

Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said: Purification is half of faith.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Umamah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "When a Muslim man performs ablution, sins go out from his ears, his eyes, his hands and his feet; and when he sits, he sits in a state in which his sins have already been forgiven."

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) said: I said: "O Messenger of Allah, how will you recognize on the Day of Resurrection those people of your ummah whom you have not seen?" He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Their limbs of ablution will be radiant and shining."

Hisham said: My father used to say: "Ablution is half of the prayer."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The people of my ummah will come to me on the Day of Resurrection with their limbs of ablution shining; this will be the distinctive mark of my ummah, a distinction that no one else will have."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Amr bin Abasah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "When a man washes his hands while performing ablution, the sins that his hands committed are washed away; when he washes his face, the sins of his face are washed away; when he washes his forearms, the sins of his forearms are washed away; and when he washes his feet, all the sins committed by his feet are forgiven."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Sa'id al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him) that once the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) asked the Companions: "Shall I not tell you of something by which Allah Almighty forgives sins and increases good deeds?" It was said: "Certainly, please tell us." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Performing ablution fully in difficult times, and taking many steps towards the mosque."

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) said: Some things cause a person's sins to be forgiven: first, performing ablution fully in severe cold; second, walking to attend the congregational prayer; and third, waiting for the next prayer after a prayer.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Whenever a man performs ablution well, all his sins between it and the next prayer are forgiven.

Yazid bin Bishr said: Allah Almighty revealed to Musa (peace be upon him): Perform ablution; if you do not do so and some calamity befalls you, then blame no one but yourself.

Al-Dahhak explains the saying of Allah Almighty, "And stand before Allah in devout obedience" [al-Baqarah: 238], as: Stand before Him obeying Allah Almighty with regard to ablution.

Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) said: Whoever performs ablution thoroughly well, observing its etiquettes, his sins leave his body, until they even come out from beneath his nails.

Sayyiduna Salman (may Allah be pleased with him) said: When a Muslim man performs ablution, his sins are placed upon his head, and then they fall away from there just as a dry palm stalk falls.

Something similar is reported from Sayyiduna Salman (may Allah be pleased with him) through another chain.

Abu Uthman said: Once I was with Sayyiduna Salman (may Allah be pleased with him). He took hold of a dry branch of a tree and its leaves began to fall. Then he said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) say: "When a person performs ablution (wudu) well, his sins fall away just as leaves fall from a branch."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Whoever performs ablution while already in a state of purity, ten good deeds are written for him."