Sayyidah Maymunah (may Allah be pleased with her) said: I placed water for the ritual bath for janabah for the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). Then she narrated the long hadith about the bath of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). She said: I handed him (peace and blessings be upon him) a towel, but he (peace and blessings be upon him) did not take it; rather he wiped (his body) with his hand. Al-A'mash said: I mentioned this to Ibrahim, and he said: He disliked it only for fear of it becoming a habit.
Hadith Referenceالسنن الكبرى للبيهقي / كتاب الطهارة / 874
It is narrated from Sayyidah Maymunah (may Allah be pleased with her) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) took the ritual bath at her house; she brought him (peace and blessings be upon him) a towel, but he (peace and blessings be upon him) did not take it. Al-A'mash said: I mentioned it to Ibrahim, and he said: The matter is like that, and there is no harm in drying with a towel; it is only a matter of habit.
Hadith Referenceالسنن الكبرى للبيهقي / كتاب الطهارة / 875
It is narrated from Sayyiduna Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him): "When you perform ablution, do not use a towel."
(b) It is transmitted from Sayyiduna Uthman and Anas (may Allah be pleased with them both) that there is no harm in it. And it is transmitted from Sayyiduna al-Hasan bin Ali (may Allah be pleased with them both) that he used to use it (a towel).
Hadith Referenceالسنن الكبرى للبيهقي / كتاب الطهارة / 876
It is narrated from Sayyidah Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) had a cloth with which he would dry (his body) after ablution.
(b) Abu Mu'adh is Sulayman bin Arqam, and he is matruk (abandoned) in hadith.
(c) It has also been narrated with a chain that is not strong.
Hadith Referenceالسنن الكبرى للبيهقي / كتاب الطهارة / 877
It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Bakr al-Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) had a cloth with which he would dry (his body) after ablution.
Hadith Referenceالسنن الكبرى للبيهقي / كتاب الطهارة / 878
The Shaykh said: Rather, Abu Amr bin al-Ala narrated it from Iyas bin Ja'far, that a man narrated to him that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) had a cloth or a towel, and when he performed ablution he wiped his face and hands with it.
Iyas bin Ja'far has narrated it (through Abd al-Warith from Abu Amr bin al-Ala as well).
This is the preserved (mahfuz) version of the hadith of Abd al-Warith.
Hadith Referenceالسنن الكبرى للبيهقي / كتاب الطهارة / 879
(a) It is narrated from Sayyiduna Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) had a towel or a cloth; when he (peace and blessings be upon him) performed ablution, he would wipe his face. Abd al-Warith said: It was in a small bundle (qutaynah), and Ibn Ulayyah took it, so I do not narrate it.
(b) Sayyiduna Mu'adh bin Jabal (may Allah be pleased with him) said: I saw the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him): when he performed ablution, he would wipe his face with the edge of his garment.
(c) The Shaykh said: If Abd al-Warith had narrated this hadith from Abd al-Aziz from Anas, the chain would be sahih (authentic), but he did not narrate it that way; it is possible that he had it only with the first chain.
The narration of Mu'adh is da'if (weak).
Hadith Referenceالسنن الكبرى للبيهقي / كتاب الطهارة / 880
(a) It is narrated from Sayyiduna Qays bin Sa'd (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) went to visit them. They placed water for the ritual bath for him (peace and blessings be upon him), and he (peace and blessings be upon him) bathed. Then he was given a cloth dyed with saffron, and he (peace and blessings be upon him) wrapped himself in it.
(b) Sayyiduna Qays bin Sa'd (may Allah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) came to us. We placed water for the ritual bath for him, and he (peace and blessings be upon him) bathed. Then we brought him a cloth dyed with wars (a yellow plant dye), and he (peace and blessings be upon him) wrapped himself in it; it is as if I can see the trace of the wars on his neck.
Hadith Referenceالسنن الكبرى للبيهقي / كتاب الطهارة / 881