Chapter on the recommendation of giving precedence to the right hand in everything that falls under the category of honoring, such as wudu, ghusl, and tayammum

The reader: In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
All praise is due to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and may peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and all his Companions.
He (may Allah have mercy on him) said: "Chapter on the recommendation of giving precedence to the right hand in everything that falls under the category of honoring, such as wudu, ghusl, and tayammum, wearing the garment, the sandal, the leather sock, and the trousers, entering the mosque, using the miswak, applying kohl, trimming the nails, cutting the beard, plucking the armpit hair, shaving the head, the closing salam of the prayer, eating and drinking, shaking hands, touching the Black Stone, exiting the place of relief, taking and giving, and other matters of the same nature. It is recommended to give precedence to the left hand in the opposite of these, such as blowing the nose and spitting to the left, entering the place of relief, exiting the mosque, removing the leather sock, sandal, trousers, and garment, cleaning oneself after relieving oneself, and doing disgusting things and the like. Allah the Exalted said:

So as for he who is given his record in his right hand, he will say, "Here, read my record!

فأما من أوتي كتابه بيمينه فيقول هاؤم اقرؤوا كتابيه

[Al-Haqqah 69:19]

And He said:

⁽⁸⁾ Then the companions of the right - what are the companions of the right? ⁽⁹⁾ And the companions of the left - what are the companions of the left?

فأصحاب الميمنة ما أصحاب الميمنة وأصحاب المشئمة ما أصحاب المشئمة

[Al-Waqi'ah 56:8-9]

"

The Shaykh : In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
The author (may Allah have mercy on him) said: "Chapter on the recommendation of beginning with the right hand in everything that is meant to be honored", and the opposite is the opposite. So whatever is intended to be dishonored, one begins with the right hand. The author (may Allah have mercy on him) mentioned several things for this, such as wudu, ghusl, and tayammum, and wearing the garment. In wudu, a person begins with the right, starting with the right hand before the left hand, and the right foot before the left foot. This is when they are two distinct limbs. But if it is one limb, like the face for example, we do not say begin with the right side of the face before the left; rather, the face is washed once as the Sunnah came. Yes, if it is assumed that a person cannot wash his face except with one hand, then here he begins with the right. It may be said he begins with the right, or it may be said he begins from the top and brings it down like this. Likewise, wiping the ears: one does not wipe the right ear before the left, but wipes them both together, unless the person cannot wipe with both hands, in which case he begins with the right hand before the left. Likewise in ghusl, if a person wants to take a bath from major ritual impurity, he performs wudu as for prayer, then pours water on his head three times until it is saturated, then washes the rest of his body, beginning with the right side before the left, due to the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) to the women who were washing his daughter: So if you are under the shower and it is pouring on your head and you want to take a bath, when you have washed your head and saturated it, begin by washing the right side of the body before the left. This is the Sunnah. Likewise in tayammum, but the Sunnah came that a person wipes his face with both hands, then wipes each hand with the other, so the preference for the right is not apparent in it, because tayammum is in only two limbs: the face and the hands. And since it is in the face and hands, the face is wiped once, and the hands are wiped with each other. Likewise, wearing the garment, sandal, leather sock, and trousers: all of these are begun with the right. If you want to wear the garment, put the right hand in its sleeve before the left hand. In the trousers, put the right leg in its leg before putting in the left leg. In the sandal, if you want to wear it, put the right foot in the sandal before the left. Likewise in the leather sock and stocking, begin with the right foot before the left foot. This is the Sunnah as it came from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). Likewise, entering the mosque: begin with the right foot before the left foot, intending that. So when you approach the mosque, be careful that your right foot is the first to enter. Likewise, the miswak: if a person wants to use the miswak, he begins with the right side before the left. Likewise, applying kohl: if he wants to apply kohl, he begins with the right eye before the left. Likewise, trimming the nails: begin with the right before the left. He begins, for example, on the right hand with the little finger, then the ring finger, then the middle finger, then the index finger, then the thumb. And on the left hand, he begins trimming the thumb, then the index finger, then the middle finger, then the ring finger, then the little finger. And he also begins with the right hand in trimming its nails before the left hand. Likewise, in cutting the beard, begin with the right side of it before the left, for what will come. Likewise, plucking the armpit hair and shaving the head: plucking the armpit hair is a recommended practice. So if you want to pluck the armpits, meaning pluck the hair, begin with the right armpit before the left. Likewise in shaving, shaving the head: begin with the right side of the head before the left. Likewise, the closing salam of the prayer: a person turns to his right before he turns to his left. Likewise, eating and drinking: he eats with his right hand and drinks with his right hand. It is not permissible to eat with the left or drink with the left, because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade that and said: So if you see two men, one eating with the right and drinking with the right, and the second eating with the left and drinking with the left, the first is following the guidance of the Prophet, and the second is following the guidance of Satan. Does anyone among people want to follow the guidance of Satan instead of the guidance of Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him)? No one wants that ever. But Satan beautifies for people eating with the left and drinking with the left. And perhaps some people think that this is progress and civilization because the disbelieving Westerners prefer the left to the right. For this reason, it is obligatory for a person to eat with the right and drink with the right except out of dire necessity. And it is obligatory for us also to teach our small children to eat with the right and drink with the right. Likewise, shaking hands: we shake hands with the right and do not shake with the left. If he extends his left hand to you for shaking, do not shake with him; boycott him, because it is contrary to the Sunnah, unless the right hand is paralyzed and he cannot move it, then that is an excuse. Likewise, touching the Black Stone, and likewise touching the Yemeni Corner: it is done with the right. Touching the Black Stone and the Yemeni Corner is that you wipe over them, so here you wipe with the right. And we see now some of the circumambulators wiping with the left, and the majority of this is due to their ignorance. So if you see someone wiping the Yemeni Corner or the Black Stone with the left hand, point it out and say: This is not from honoring. It is not from honoring the House of Allah to wipe the Yemeni Corner or the Black Stone with the left hand, but wipe it with the right hand. Likewise, exiting the place of relief, meaning if you entered the bathroom to relieve yourself, whether urine or feces, and then you exited, put the right foot forward. Because the one exiting the place of relief is more deserving of honoring than the place of relief. So when you exit, begin with the right foot. Likewise, taking and giving, and other things. Taking and giving means if you want to hand your companion something, hand it to him with the right. And if you want to take something from him that he hands you, take it with the right. These are the morals of Islam. But some people hand you with the left and take from you with the left, thinking that this is progress, because the disbelievers take with the left and give with the left. And glory be to Allah the Great, the people of the left have the left, because the disbelievers are the people of the left, and the believers are the people of the right. For this reason, you find the disbeliever always prefers the left, because he is of the people of the left and the people of the north, so he is of the people of the left in this world and the Hereafter, and I seek refuge in Allah. So in all these matters, begin with the right, and likewise other things that are intended to be honored. Everything for honoring is begun with the right, because the right is more honorable and better. As for the left, it is the opposite, and the discussion of it will come, if Allah wills.