Allah the Exalted said:
رياض الصالحينAbū Zakariyyā Muḥyī al-Dīn Yaḥyā ibn Sharaf al-Nawawī١٨٥ - باب فضل الوضوء
١٨٥ - باب فضل الوضوء
Indeed, in the creation of the heavens and the earth and the alternation of the night and the day are signs for those of understanding -
up to His saying, the Exalted:
يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوٓا۟ إِذَا قُمْتُمْ إِلَى ٱلصَّلَوٰةِ فَٱغْسِلُوا۟ وُجُوهَكُمْ وَأَيْدِيَكُمْ إِلَى ٱلْمَرَافِقِ وَٱمْسَحُوا۟ بِرُءُوسِكُمْ وَأَرْجُلَكُمْ إِلَى ٱلْكَعْبَيْنِ ۚ وَإِن كُنتُمْ جُنُبًا فَٱطَّهَّرُوا۟ ۚ وَإِن كُنتُم مَّرْضَىٰٓ أَوْ عَلَىٰ سَفَرٍ أَوْ جَآءَ أَحَدٌ مِّنكُم مِّنَ ٱلْغَآئِطِ أَوْ لَـٰمَسْتُمُ ٱلنِّسَآءَ فَلَمْ تَجِدُوا۟ مَآءً فَتَيَمَّمُوا۟ صَعِيدًا طَيِّبًا فَٱمْسَحُوا۟ بِوُجُوهِكُمْ وَأَيْدِيكُم مِّنْهُ ۚ مَا يُرِيدُ ٱللَّهُ لِيَجْعَلَ عَلَيْكُم مِّنْ حَرَجٍ وَلَـٰكِن يُرِيدُ لِيُطَهِّرَكُمْ وَلِيُتِمَّ نِعْمَتَهُۥ عَلَيْكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَشْكُرُونَ
O you who have believed, when you rise to [perform] prayer, wash your faces and your forearms to the elbows and wipe over your heads and wash your feet to the ankles. And if you are in a state of janābah,1 then purify yourselves. But if you are ill or on a journey or one of you comes from the place of relieving himself or you have contacted women2 and do not find water, then seek clean earth and wipe over your faces and hands with it. Allāh does not intend to make difficulty for you, but He intends to purify you and complete His favor upon you that you may be grateful.
وعن أَبي هريرة - ﵁ - قَالَ: سَمِعْتُ رسول الله - ﷺ - يقول: «إنَّ أُمَّتِي يُدْعَوْنَ يَوْمَ القِيَامَةِ غُرًّا مُحَجَّلينَ مِنْ آثَارِ الوُضُوءِ، فَمَنِ اسْتَطَاعَ مِنْكُمْ أَنْ يُطِيلَ غُرَّتَهُ فَلْيَفْعَلْ». متفقٌ عَلَيْهِ.
And on the authority of Abū Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), he said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) say: "Indeed my nation will be summoned on the Day of Resurrection with radiant faces and bright limbs from the traces of ablution. So whoever among you is able to extend his radiance, let him do so." Agreed upon.
وعنه، قَالَ: سَمِعْتُ خليلي - ﷺ - يقول: «تَبْلُغُ الحِلْيَةُ مِنَ المُؤمِنِ حَيْثُ يَبْلُغُ الوُضُوءُ». رواه مسلم.
And on his authority, he said: I heard my beloved friend (peace and blessings be upon him) say: "The adornment [of the believer in Paradise] will reach on the believer as far as the ablution reaches." Narrated by Muslim.
وعن عثمان بن عفان - ﵁ - قَالَ: قَالَ رسول الله - ﷺ: «من تَوَضَّأ فَأَحْسَنَ الوُضُوءَ، خَرَجَتْ خَطَايَاهُ مِنْ جَسَدِهِ حَتَّى تَخْرُج مِنْ تَحْتِ أَظْفَارِهِ». رواه مسلم.
And on the authority of ʿUthmān ibn ʿAffān (may Allah be pleased with him), he said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Whoever performs ablution and does it well, his sins leave his body, until they come out even from beneath his fingernails." Narrated by Muslim.
وعنه، قَالَ: رَأيتُ رسول الله - ﷺ - تَوَضَّأَ مِثْلَ وُضُوئِي هَذَا، ثُمَّ قَالَ: «مَنْ تَوَضَّأ هكَذَا، غُفِرَ لَهُ مَا تَقَدَّمَ مِنْ ذَنْبِهِ، وَكَانَتْ صَلاَتُهُ وَمَشْيُهُ إِلَى المَسْجدِ نَافِلَةً». رواه مسلم.
And on his authority, he said: I saw the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) perform ablution like this ablution of mine, then he said: "Whoever performs ablution like this, his past sins are forgiven, and his prayer and his walking to the mosque become a supererogatory [reward]." Narrated by Muslim.
وعن أَبي هريرة - ﵁: أنَّ رسول الله - ﷺ - قَالَ: «إِذَا تَوَضَّأ العَبْدُ المُسْلِمُ - أَو المُؤْمِنُ - فَغَسَلَ وَجْهَهُ، خَرَجَ مِنْ وَجْهِهِ كُلُّ خَطِيئَةٍ نَظَرَ إِلَيْهَا بِعَيْنَيْهِ مَعَ المَاءِ، أَوْ مَعَ آخِرِ قَطْرِ المَاءِ، فَإذَا غَسَلَ يَدَيْهِ، خَرَجَ مِنْ يَدَيْهِ كُلُّ خَطِيئَةٍ كَانَ بَطَشَتْهَا يَدَاهُ مَعَ المَاءِ، أَو مَعَ آخِرِ قَطْرِ المَاءِ، فَإذَا غَسَلَ رِجْلَيْهِ، خَرَجَتْ كُلُّ خَطِيئَةٍ مَشَتْهَا رِجْلاَهُ مَعَ المَاءِ، أَو مَعَ آخِرِ قَطْرِ المَاءِ، حَتَّى يَخْرُجَ نَقِيًّا مِنَ الذُّنُوبِ». رواه مسلم.
And on the authority of Abū Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him): that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "When the Muslim — or the believing — servant performs ablution and washes his face, every sin he looked at with his eyes leaves his face with the water, or with the last drop of water. Then when he washes his hands, every sin his hands committed leaves his hands with the water, or with the last drop of water. Then when he washes his feet, every sin his feet walked to leaves with the water, or with the last drop of water, until he emerges cleansed of sins." Narrated by Muslim.
وعنه: أنَّ رسول الله - ﷺ - أتى المقبرة، فَقَالَ: «السَّلاَمُ عَلَيْكُمْ دَارَ قَومٍ مُؤْمِنِينَ، وَإنَّا إنْ شَاءَ اللهُ بِكُمْ لاَحِقُونَ، وَدِدْتُ أنَّا قَدْ رَأَيْنَا إخْوانَنَا» قالوا: أوَلَسْنَا إخْوَانَكَ يَا رسول الله؟ قَالَ: «أنْتُمْ أصْحَابِي، وَإخْوَانُنَا الَّذِينَ لَمْ يَأتُوا بَعْدُ» قالوا: كَيْفَ تَعْرِفُ مَنْ لَمْ يَأتِ بَعْدُ مِنْ أُمَّتِكَ يَا رَسولَ الله؟ فَقَالَ: «أرَأيْتَ لَوْ أنَّ رَجُلًا لَهُ خَيلٌ غُرٌّ مُحَجَّلَةٌ بَيْنَ ظَهْرَيْ خَيْلٍ دُهْمٍ بُهْمٍ ، ألا يَعْرِفُ خَيْلَهُ؟» قالوا: بَلَى يَا رسول الله، قَالَ: «فإنَّهُمْ يَأتُونَ غُرًّا مُحَجَّلينَ مِنَ الوُضُوءِ، وأنَا فَرَطُهُمْ عَلَى الحَوْضِ». رواه مسلم.
And on his authority: that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) came to the graveyard and said: "Peace be upon you, abode of a believing people. We shall, Allah willing, join you. I wish that we had seen our brethren." They said: Are we not your brethren, O Messenger of Allah? He said: "You are my Companions; our brethren are those who have not yet come." They said: How will you recognise those of your nation who have not yet come, O Messenger of Allah? He said: "Consider: if a man had horses with white-blazed foreheads and white legs amid jet-black, solid-coloured horses, would he not recognise his own horses?" They said: Of course, O Messenger of Allah. He said: "Then indeed they will come with radiant faces and bright limbs from ablution, and I shall be their forerunner at the Pool [al-Ḥawḍ]." Narrated by Muslim.
وعنه: أنَّ رسول الله - ﷺ - قَالَ: «ألاَ أَدُّلُكُمْ عَلَى مَا يَمْحُو اللهُ بِهِ الخَطَايَا، وَيَرْفَعُ بِهِ الدَّرَجَاتِ؟» قالوا: بَلَى يَا رسول الله، قَالَ: «إسْبَاغُ الوُضُوءِ عَلَى المَكَارِهِ، وَكَثْرَةُ الخُطَا إِلَى المَسَاجِدِ، وَانْتِظَارُ الصَّلاَةِ بَعْدَ الصَّلاَةِ؛ فَذلِكُمُ الرِّبَاطُ؛ فَذَلِكُمُ الرِّبَاطُ». رواه مسلم.
And on his authority: that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Shall I not direct you to that by which Allah erases sins and raises ranks?" They said: Of course, O Messenger of Allah. He said: "Performing ablution thoroughly despite hardships, taking many steps to the mosques, and waiting for the next prayer after the prayer — that is the ribāṭ [steadfast vigilance]; that is the ribāṭ." Narrated by Muslim.
وعن أَبي مالك الأشعري - ﵁ - قَالَ: قَالَ رسول الله - ﷺ: «الطُّهُورُ شَطْرُ الإيمَانِ». رواه مسلم. وَقَدْ سبق بطوله في باب الصبر، وفي البابِ حديث عمرو بن عَبَسَة - ﵁ - السابق في آخر باب الرَّجَاءِ، وَهُوَ حديث عظيم؛ مشتمل عَلَى جمل من الخيرات.
And on the authority of Abū Mālik al-Ashʿarī (may Allah be pleased with him), he said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Purification is half of faith." Narrated by Muslim. It has already been given in full in the chapter on patience. Also belonging to this chapter is the hadith of ʿAmr ibn ʿAbasah (may Allah be pleased with him), mentioned earlier at the end of the chapter on hope; it is a tremendous hadith, comprising many good matters.
وعن عمر بن الخطاب - ﵁ - عن النبيِّ - ﷺ - قَالَ: «مَا مِنْكُمْ مِنْ أحَدٍ يَتَوَضَّأُ فَيُبْلغُ - أَوْ فَيُسْبِغُ - الوُضُوءَ، ثُمَّ يقول: أشهَدُ أَنْ لا إلهَ إِلاَّ اللهُ وَحْدَهُ لاَ شَرِيكَ لَهُ، وَأشْهَدُ أنَّ مُحَمَّدًا عَبْدُهُ وَرَسُولُهُ؛ إِلاَّ فُتِحَتْ لَهُ أَبْوَابُ الجَنَّةِ الثَّمَانِيَةُ يَدْخُلُ مِنْ أَيِّهَا شَاءَ». رواه مسلم. وزاد الترمذي: «اللَّهُمَّ اجْعَلْنِي مِنَ التَّوَّابِينَ، وَاجْعَلْنِي مِنَ المُتَطَهِّرِينَ».
And on the authority of ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb (may Allah be pleased with him), from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), who said: "There is none among you who performs ablution and does it fully — or perfectly — then says: I bear witness that there is no god but Allah alone, with no partner, and I bear witness that Muḥammad is His servant and Messenger, except that the eight gates of Paradise are opened for him, to enter by whichever of them he wishes." Narrated by Muslim. Al-Tirmidhī added: "O Allah, make me among those who repent often, and make me among those who purify themselves."