(a) It is narrated from Nafi' that Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) performed ablution in the market, washing his hands, face and forearms three times each. Then he entered the mosque and wiped over his leather socks after his ablution had dried, then prayed.
(b) This narration is authentic; its narrator is Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both), and it is well known from Qutaybah with these words.
(c) Ata, the Successor (may Allah have mercy on him), saw no harm in performing the ablution with breaks between the parts. This is also the view of al-Hasan (may Allah have mercy on him) and al-Nakha'i (may Allah have mercy on him), and it is the more correct of Imam al-Shafi'i's (may Allah have mercy on him) two views.
Hadith Referenceالسنن الكبرى للبيهقي / كتاب الطهارة / 397