Continuation of the Explanation of the Hadith (… He said: “Shall I not direct you to that by which Allah erases sins and raises ranks…”)

The Shaykh : As for the remaining hadiths he mentioned—may Allah have mercy on him—there is the hadith of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him): that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) said: . The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) presented the hadith in the form of a question in order to make the listener pay attention to what is being conveyed to him, because the matter is important. So he said: . They said: “Inform us.” He said: .
Thoroughly performing wudu’ in times of difficulty: This means that a person performs wudu’ and makes it thorough despite his dislike of it. This may be because he has a fever and is averse to water, so he performs wudu’ reluctantly. Or it may be that the weather is cold and he has nothing to warm the water with, and the water is cold, so he performs wudu’ reluctantly. Or there may be rain preventing him from reaching the place of wudu’, so he performs wudu’ reluctantly. The point is that he performs wudu’ reluctantly and with hardship, but without harm. If there is harm, he does not perform wudu’ but performs tayammum. However, if he is merely distressed and performs wudu’ reluctantly, this is among the things by which Allah erases sins and raises ranks. But this does not mean that a person should intentionally go and perform wudu’ with cold water and leave the warm water, or that he has something to warm the water with and says, “No, I will not warm it; I want to perform wudu’ with cold water to gain this.” This is not prescribed, because Allah says: , . A person is not commanded or encouraged to do what is difficult for him and harms him. Rather, the easier the worship is for him, the better it is. But if he must endure distress and dislike, he is rewarded for it, because it is not by his choice.
Likewise, walking a great deal to the mosques: This contains evidence that the congregation is in the mosque and not in the house. And if a person walks a great deal to the mosques, he is rewarded, and Allah raises his ranks and erases his sins. It is established from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): . This is a great blessing. So when he reaches the mosque and prays, the angels continue to pray for him as long as he remains in his place of prayer, saying: “O Allah, send blessings upon him. O Allah, forgive him. O Allah, have mercy on him.” And he remains in prayer as long as he waits for the prayer. .
Walking a great deal means that a person comes to the mosque even if it is far away. It does not mean that he intentionally takes the long route, or that he shortens his steps. No, this is not prescribed. He walks as he usually does and does not intentionally go the long way. For example, if there is a short path and a long path between him and the mosque, he does not intentionally go the long way. But if he is far away and must walk to the mosque, then walking a great deal to the mosques is among the things by which Allah erases sins and raises ranks.
As for the third, waiting for the prayer after the prayer: This means that when a person finishes one prayer, he looks forward to the next prayer. When he finishes the ‘Asr prayer, he waits in his heart for the Maghrib prayer. When he finishes the Maghrib prayer, he waits in his heart for the ‘Isha’ prayer. And so his heart remains attached to the mosques. Whenever he finishes a prayer, he is waiting for the next prayer. This is also among the things by which Allah erases sins and raises ranks.
He said: . This means holding fast to good, and it is included in the saying of Allah the Exalted: .
Then the author mentioned the hadith of Abu Malik al-Ash‘ari (may Allah be pleased with him): that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) said: , . This includes the purity of water, the purity of tayammum, and the purity of the heart from shirk (associating partners with Allah), doubt, resentment, and hatred toward Muslims, and other things from which one must purify oneself. So it includes both physical purity and spiritual purity.
: Half of it, and the other half: is adorning oneself with noble character and righteous deeds. Because nothing is completed except by purifying it from impurities and perfecting it with virtues. So perfecting with virtues is half, and purifying from vices is the other half. For this reason, he said: . And as for the other half, it is perfecting with noble character and righteous deeds.
Then the author mentioned the last hadith with which he concluded the chapter, the hadith of ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him): . And al-Tirmidhi (may Allah have mercy on him) added: . These hadiths are about the virtues of wudu’. The author did not include every hadith that was reported on this, but if there were only one hadith among its virtues, it would be sufficient as a call to wudu’ and to performing it well and thoroughly. May Allah guide everyone to what is good and righteous.