(a) Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) says that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "When any of you wakes up from sleep, let him not put his hand into the vessel until he has washed it, for he does not know where his hand spent the night."
(b) Sulayman says that it was mentioned to Ibrahim that the companions of Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) said: What would Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) do in it? Sulayman said: When their hands were clean, they did not see any harm in it.
(c) Imam al-Shafi'i (may Allah have mercy on him) took as evidence the hadith of Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) that when the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) had relieved himself, he did not perform ablution for eating.
(d) The Shaykh says that our companions took as evidence the hadith of Sayyiduna Rifa'ah bin Rafi' (may Allah be pleased with him), which is narrated marfu' from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him); it has been mentioned earlier.
Hadith Referenceالسنن الكبرى للبيهقي / كتاب الطهارة / 216