The Ruling on Exaggeration in Ablution
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
Question:
Another questioner says: What is the ruling on exaggeration in ablution? And is it considered a form of obsessive doubt?
Answer:
Yes, exaggeration in ablution is prohibited, and it is undoubtedly a form of obsessive doubt. This is because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to Sa'd, "Do not exaggerate with water." Sa'd said, "O Messenger of Allah, can there be exaggeration with water?" He said, "Yes, even if you were on a flowing river." What is required in ablution is to perform it thoroughly and complete it so that no part of the limbs remains without water passing over it. Along with that, it is required to reduce the amount of water used and not to exaggerate. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would perform ablution with one mudd (a quarter of a sa') and take a full bath with one sa' (a dry measure of about 3 kg). This was the amount of water the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used for purification from both minor and major ritual impurities. Did he not (peace and blessings be upon him) exaggerate with water, even though he was the most perfect of people in performing ablution thoroughly and completing purification? Yes.
The presenter:
May Allah reward you.
Another questioner says: What is the ruling on exaggeration in ablution? And is it considered a form of obsessive doubt?
Answer:
Yes, exaggeration in ablution is prohibited, and it is undoubtedly a form of obsessive doubt. This is because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to Sa'd, "Do not exaggerate with water." Sa'd said, "O Messenger of Allah, can there be exaggeration with water?" He said, "Yes, even if you were on a flowing river." What is required in ablution is to perform it thoroughly and complete it so that no part of the limbs remains without water passing over it. Along with that, it is required to reduce the amount of water used and not to exaggerate. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would perform ablution with one mudd (a quarter of a sa') and take a full bath with one sa' (a dry measure of about 3 kg). This was the amount of water the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used for purification from both minor and major ritual impurities. Did he not (peace and blessings be upon him) exaggerate with water, even though he was the most perfect of people in performing ablution thoroughly and completing purification? Yes.
The presenter:
May Allah reward you.
Source
نور على الدرب - الفوزان - 02/234 — archive.org (7:26)
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.