And from Hamran: (That 'Umar called for water for ablution, then washed his two hands three times, then rinsed his mouth, inhaled water into his nose, and blew it out, then washed his face three times

The Shaykh : Then he said: "And from Hamran", the freed slave of 'Umar. I do not have [the narration] of the freed slave of 'Umar "That 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) called for water for ablution". 'Umar is one of the Rightly Guided Caliphs and the third among them. The Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) agreed that he was the third in the caliphate, and the people of the Sunnah also agreed that 'Umar ibn al-Khattab was the third in the caliphate. Imam Ahmad said: Whoever criticizes the caliphate of any of these men is more astray than a donkey. Al-Hasan said, and I think he meant, that whoever claims that 'Ali was more deserving of the caliphate than 'Umar has belittled the Muhajireen and the Ansar, meaning he criticized and faulted them. 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) called for water for ablution; he called for it, meaning he requested it. Al-wudu' with a fathah on the waw is the water with which one performs ablution. So he washed his two hands three times. The hand (kaff) is from the joint of the forearm to the tips of the fingers, from the joint of the forearm to the tips of the fingers. It begins with the elbow and the wrist. How do we test someone who does not know his elbow from his wrist?
The student: The elbow, O Shaykh?

The Shaykh : Yes, indeed.
The student: ...

The Shaykh : The bone next to the thumb, and the wrist?
The student: ...

The Shaykh : The one next to the little finger, and the wrist?
The student: Between them.

The Shaykh : Between them is correct, up to the tips of the fingers. He washed his two hands three times. This washing is an act of worship, without doubt, because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) made it an act of worship for Allah, so it is worship. However, it is not among the limbs that must be washed until after the face is washed. So the reason for washing the hands first here is that they are the tool for scooping water, so they should be clean before he begins to wash the rest of the limbs. Three times. Then he rinsed his mouth, inhaled water into his nose, and blew it out. The hadith does not mention doing it three times, but it is established by the Sunnah. Rinsing the mouth (madmadah) is moving the water inside the mouth; this rinsing is moving the water inside his mouth. Inhaling (istishnaq) means inhaling water into his nostrils. Blowing it out (istinthar) means expelling the water he inhaled. As for rinsing the mouth, it is for purifying the mouth, and as for inhaling, it is for purifying the nose. The hadith does not say that he put his finger in his nose and cleaned it; rather, it only mentions inhaling and blowing it out.
Then he washed his face three times. The face is known; it is what constitutes the front of the head. The scholars (may Allah have mercy on them) defined its width as from ear to ear, and its length as from the usual hairline of the head. Some of them said: from the curve of the forehead. This is more precise because hairlines differ. Some people's hair recedes from their foreheads, making them bald, and some people's hair descends, making them thick-haired. So if the hair descends, if we say "from the curve of the forehead," this becomes precise whether he has hair or not, down to the bottom of the beard. Does the part of the beard that hangs down enter into the face? There is disagreement among the scholars on this. Some said that it does not enter, just as the hanging hair of the head does not enter into the head. And some said that it does enter because it is established from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that he combed his beard, although there is something in the hadith. The face is what constitutes the front of the head. As for the head, it is because the head is the top part, and what is below the hairline of the head is not the top part.
Then he washed his right hand up to the elbow three times. The elbow is what a person leans on, and it is the point of connection between the upper arm and the forearm. Its name "elbow" (mirqab) is clear because, what is it? A person leans on it, meaning he rests on it. His saying "up to the elbow" is like the saying of Allah the Exalted: So is it up to this limit, or does it have another meaning? If you say it is a limit, the general rule regarding "ila" (up to) is that the limit is not included, and on this basis, the elbows would not be included. If you say it means "with," meaning with the elbows, then the elbows are included. But establishing that it comes to mean "with" requires evidence from the Arabic language. They said the evidence is the saying of Allah the Exalted: meaning with your wealth. But there is a consideration here: the verse attributes to the verb "eat" the meaning of "include," so it is not a proof. However, it is said that "ila" is a limit, and the general rule is that the limit is not included in the thing limited to—pay attention—but if evidence is found indicating that the limit is included, it must be followed. It is established that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to run water over his elbow and wash it until he began the upper arm. On this basis, the meaning of "up to" is a limit, but the Sunnah indicated that the limit here is what? Included. And the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is the most knowledgeable of people about the Book of Allah and the intent of Allah. Here, the starting point was not mentioned; he said "up to the elbow" and did not mention the starting point. It will come, if Allah wills, in the benefits: Is it better to start with the tips of the fingers and move the water to the elbow, or are you allowed to start wherever you want, because the defined point here is the limit, not the beginning? It will come to us, if Allah wills. Then the left hand similarly. Then he wiped his head. He did not mention repetition, and he did not mention the ears. He said "he wiped his head." The ba here is not for partiality as some claimed, and the ba in the Arabic language has never come to mean partiality. Ibn Barhan said: Whoever claims that the ba comes in the Arabic language for partiality has said about the people of Arabic something I think he said without knowing it, or a word to that effect. But the ba is for contact, meaning that you pass your hand over your head . The limit of the head from the side of the face is what?
The student: The curve of the forehead.

The Shaykh : The curve of the forehead. Its limit from the back is the neck, and its limit from the sides is the hairline, which is usually equal. Okay, the ears were not mentioned. It is said that the absence of mention is not a mention of absence. So if it comes from another path that the ears are wiped, there is no contradiction between it and the hadith, because the one who is silent cannot be said to be denying. This is the meaning of the scholars' saying: "The absence of mention is not a mention of absence". Because if you said that the absence of mention is a mention of absence, this hadith would contradict the hadiths indicating what? Wiping the ears. So if you say it is not a mention of absence, we say the one who is silent is not a speaker, let alone that their silence contradicts the explicit text.
He says: "Then he washed his right foot up to the ankles three times". His right foot up to the ankles. The ankles are the two protruding bones at the bottom of the lower leg, and they connect the lower leg to the foot. What is said regarding "up to the ankles" is what is said regarding "up to the elbows." Yes, up to the ankles three times. Then the left foot similarly. Then he said: "I saw the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) perform ablution similar to this ablution of mine". Agreed upon by al-Bukhari and Muslim. "I saw" means with my eyes, meaning I perceived. I saw the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) perform ablution like this ablution of mine. Okay, we said that "I saw" means "I perceived," not "I knew." On this basis, his saying "he performed ablution"—is the clause? A state (hal) of the Prophet, not a second object, because "ra'a" (saw) in the visual sense does not take more than one object. Okay, he said: "I saw the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) perform ablution similar to this ablution of mine". Agreed upon by al-Bukhari and Muslim. I wish the author had brought the rest of the hadith, because the rest of the hadith is very, very important from the methodological perspective. The rest of the hadith, O brothers, then he said: And this is important, important for the person, in order to worship Allah with this prayer. But the author (may Allah have mercy on him) is eager for brevity and does not mention anything but the proof. Sometimes he mentions the proof and the person does not benefit from it at all. Sometimes he mentions the proof and the person does not benefit from it at all, as will come to us, if Allah wills. But here I say, may Allah forgive him, if he had mentioned this, it would have provided a great benefit, which is that whenever a person performs ablution, he prays two rak'ahs and strives not to have doubts in them and not to entertain thoughts. If he does that, Allah will forgive him his previous sins.