It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) performed ablution, washing the limbs twice each. This hadith is sahih (authentic) on the condition of Imam Muslim, but the two Shaykhs did not record it. Its supporting report is the well-known mursal narration of Sayyiduna Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both), in which he (peace and blessings be upon him) performed ablution once each and said: "This is the amount of ablution without which there is no option," then performed ablution twice each and said: "This is the moderate ablution for which Allah doubles the reward."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) washed (the limbs) once each in ablution, and he (peace and blessings be upon him) combined rinsing the mouth and sniffing water into the nose (with a single handful). This hadith is sahih (authentic) on the condition of Bukhari and Muslim, but the two Shaykhs did not record the mention of combining rinsing the mouth and sniffing water into the nose.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) performed ablution taking one handful of water (for each limb of ablution). This hadith is sahih (authentic) on the condition of Imam Muslim, but the two Shaykhs (Bukhari and Muslim) did not record it with this wording.

Sayyiduna Bilal (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: I went with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) into "al-Aswaf" (a garden of Madinah). He (peace and blessings be upon him) went to relieve himself, then when he came back I offered him (peace and blessings be upon him) water, and he (peace and blessings be upon him) performed ablution. Then he (peace and blessings be upon him) tried to bring out both his forearms through the neck opening of his shirt, but they would not come out (because it was tight), so he (peace and blessings be upon him) brought them out from beneath the cloak. Then he (peace and blessings be upon him) completed the ablution and wiped over his leather socks. This hadith is sahih (authentic) from the narration of Imam Malik bin Anas, and it is also sahih on the condition of Imam Bukhari and Imam Muslim, but the two Shaykhs did not record it. There is a great benefit in it: the two Shaykhs did not record the hadith of Safwan bin Assal about wiping over leather socks when resident and the fixing of its time limit; rather, they agreed on the narrations of Sayyiduna Ali and Mughirah bin Shu'bah. And "al-Aswaf" is one of the well-known quarters of Madinah.

Sayyiduna Usamah bin Zayd (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) entered "al-Aswaf" and went to relieve himself, and Sayyiduna Bilal (may Allah be pleased with him) was with him. When they came out, I asked Bilal (may Allah be pleased with him): What did he (peace and blessings be upon him) do? He said: "He (peace and blessings be upon him) performed ablution: he washed his face and his hands, wiped his head, and also wiped over his leather socks." This hadith is sahih (authentic) on the condition of Imam Muslim, because he used Dawud bin Qays as evidence.

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Zayd al-Ansari (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: I saw the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) performing ablution. He (peace and blessings be upon him) took separate water for (wiping) his ears, other than the water with which he (peace and blessings be upon him) had wiped his head. This hadith is sahih (authentic) on the condition of Imam Bukhari and Imam Muslim, if it is free of (any weakness from) this Ibn Abi Ubaydillah, for both of them used all of its narrators as evidence.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Zayd (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) wiped his ears with water other than the water with which he had wiped his head. This narration clarifies the meaning of the first narration, and it is sahih (authentic) like it.

It is narrated from Sayyidah Rubayyi' bint Mu'awwidh (may Allah be pleased with her) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) wiped the inner and outer parts of his ears. Although the two Shaykhs (Bukhari and Muslim) did not use Ibn Aqil as evidence, his hadith is sound and acceptable.

Abdullah bin Salimah narrates: Two other men and I went to Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him). He sent the two of them off on some errand and said: "You two are strong men, so strive to protect your religion." Then he went into the toilet, and on returning he called for water and washed his hands. Then he began reciting the Qur'an. We found this somewhat strange, so he said: "Perhaps you find it strange! The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) would recite the Qur'an after relieving himself (without ablution), and he would also eat meat, and nothing would prevent him (peace and blessings be upon him) from reciting the Qur'an except janabah (major ritual impurity)." This hadith has a sahih (authentic) chain. Although the two Shaykhs (Bukhari and Muslim) did not use Abdullah bin Salimah as evidence, he is not a narrator who has been criticised.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Sa'id al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "When one of you has intercourse with his wife and then wishes to do so again, let him perform ablution, for it gives more vigour for returning." This hadith is sahih (authentic) on the condition of Imam Bukhari and Imam Muslim, but the two Shaykhs did not record it with this wording. They recorded it only up to "let him perform ablution" and did not mention the words about vigour. These words are narrated by Shu'bah alone, and such a solitary narration (from someone like him) is accepted by the two Shaykhs.