It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) would pray two rak'ahs at night, then, having finished, he would use the miswak. This hadith is sahih (authentic) on the condition of Bukhari and Muslim, but the two Shaykhs did not record it.

Sayyidah Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) relates that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The excellence of a prayer for which the miswak has been used over a prayer for which the miswak has not been used is seventy times greater." This hadith is sahih (authentic) on the condition of Imam Muslim, but the two Shaykhs did not record it.

Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) relates that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Were it not that I would burden my Ummah, I would have made the miswak obligatory upon them along with ablution, and I would have delayed the Isha prayer until midnight." This hadith is sahih (authentic) on the condition of Bukhari and Muslim, and there is no hidden defect ('illah) in it. The two Shaykhs recorded narrations from Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) on this topic, but they did not record the word "obligatory" in it.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna al-Abbas bin Abd al-Muttalib (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Were it not that I feared burdening my Ummah, I would have made the miswak obligatory upon them at every prayer, just as ablution has been made obligatory upon them."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "There is no prayer for the one who has no ablution, and there is no ablution for the one who did not mention the name of Allah (at its start)."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "There is no prayer for the one who has no ablution, and there is no ablution for the one who did not mention the name of Allah." This hadith has a sahih (authentic) chain, and Imam Muslim used Ya'qub bin Abi Salamah as evidence, but the two Shaykhs did not record it; and it also has a supporting report (shahid).

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Sa'id al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "There is no prayer for the one who has no ablution, and there is no ablution for the one who did not mention the name of Allah (at the start of ablution)."

Ali bin Bundar al-Zahid informed us; he said: Umar bin Muhammad bin Jubayr narrated to us; he said: Abu Bakr al-Athram narrated to us; he said: I heard Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal when he was asked about a person who performs ablution without mentioning the name of Allah (Bismillah). Imam Ahmad said: The best that is narrated on this matter is the narration of Kathir bin Zayd.

Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) said: "Shall I not show you how the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) used to perform ablution?" Then he called for a vessel of water, took a handful of water, rinsed his mouth and sniffed water into his nose with it. Then he took another handful, put both hands together with it and washed his face. Then he took another handful and washed his right hand, then took another handful and washed his left hand. Then he took a fistful of water, shook it off, and wiped his head and ears with it. Then he took another handful and sprinkled it on his right foot while he was wearing sandals, and did the same with the left foot, and wiped the undersides of the sandals. Then he said: This is how the ablution of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) was. This hadith is sahih (authentic) on the condition of Imam Muslim, but the two Shaykhs did not record it with this wording. They both agreed that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) washed the limbs once each, but that narration is brief, whereas this narration of Hisham bin Sa'd explains it in full detail.

Asim bin Laqit bin Sabirah narrates from his father that he came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and mentioned some things, and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to him: "Perform ablution thoroughly, pass (water) between the fingers, and when you sniff water into your nose, do so thoroughly, unless you are fasting." This hadith is sahih (authentic), but the two Shaykhs did not record it. It is among the narrations they left because only one narrator reports from this Companion, even though they both used some other narrations of this kind as evidence. Isma'il bin Kathir is one of the senior scholars of Makkah, and besides al-Thawri, Ibn Jurayj, Dawud bin Abd al-Rahman and others also narrated from him.