Sunan Abi Dawud

(The people) stood up for the night prayer and a man stood up and spoke forth: Messenger of Allah, I have to say something to you. He (the Prophet) entered into secret conversation with him, till the people or some of the people dozed off, ad then he led them in prayer. He (Thabit al-Bunani) did not mention ablution.

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to prostrate and sleep (in prostration) and produce puffing sounds (during sleep). Then he would stand and pray and would not perform ablution. I said to him: you prayed but did not perform ablution though you slept (in prostration). He replied: Ablution is necessary for one who sleeps while he is lying down. Uthman and Hannad added: For when he lies down, his joints are relaxed. Abu Dawud said: The statement "ablution is necessary for one who sleeps while one is lying down" is a munkar (rejected) tradition. It has been narrated only by Yazid Abu Khalid al-Dalani, on the authority of Qatadah. And its earlier part has been narrated by a group (of narrators) from Ibn 'Abbas; they did not mention anything about it. He (Ibn 'Abbas) said: The Prophet (ﷺ) was protected (during his sleep). 'Aishah reported: The Prophet (ﷺ) said: My eyes sleep, but my heart does not sleep. Shu'bah said: Qatadah heard from Abu'l-'Aliyah only four traditions: the tradition about Jonah son of Matthew, the tradition reported by Ibn 'Umar about prayer, the tradition stating that the judges are three, and the tradition narrated by Ibn 'Abbas saying: (This tradition) has been narrated to me by reliable persons ; 'Umar is one of them, and the most reliable of them in my opinion is 'Umar. Abu Dawud said: I asked Ahmad b. Hanbal about the tradition narrated by Yazid al-Dalani. He rebuked me out of respect for him. Then he said: Yazid al-Dalani does not add anything to what has been narrated by the teachers of Qatadah. He did not care of this tradition (due to its weakness).

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: The eyes are the leather strap of the anus, so one who sleeps should perform ablution.

We would not wash our feet after treading on something unclean, nor would we hold our hair and garments (during prayer). Abu Dawud said: The tradition has been reported by Ibrahim b. Abi Mu'awiyah through a different chain of narrators: A'mash - Shaqiq - Masruq - 'Abd Allah (b. Mas'ud). And Hannad reported from Shaqiq, or reported on his authority saying: 'Abd Allah (b. Mas'ud) said.

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: When any of you breaks wind during the prayer, he should turn away and perform ablution and repeat the prayer.

My prostatic fluid flowed excessively. I used to take a bath until my back cracked (because of frequent washing). I mentioned it to the prophet (May peace be upon him), or the fact was mentioned to him (by someone else). The Messenger of Allah (May peace be upon him) said; Do not do so. When you find prostatic fluid, wash your penis and perform ablution as you do for your prayer, but when you have seminal emission, you should take a bath.

Ali ibn AbuTalib commanded him to ask the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) what a man should do when he wants to have intercourse with his wife and the prostatic fluid comes out (at this moment). (He said): I am ashamed of consulting him because of the position of his daughter. Al-Miqdad said: I asked the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) about it. He said: When any of you finds, he should wash his private part, and perform ablution as he does for prayer.

‘Ali b abi Talib said to al-miqdad, and made a similar statement as above. Al-Miqdad asked him (the prophet). The prophet (peace be upon him) said: he should wash his penis and testicles. Abu Dawud said : The tradition has been narrators by al-Thawri and a group of narrators from Hisham on the authority of his father from al-Miqdad, from ‘Ali reporting from the prophet (May peace be upon him).

I Asked al-Miqdad (to consult the prophet). He then narrated the tradition bearing the same meaning. Abu Dawud said; this tradition has been reported with another chain of narrators. This version does not mention the word “testicles”.

I felt greatly distressed by the frequent flowing of prostatic fluid. For this reason I used to take a bath very often. I asked the apostle of Allah (ﷺ) about this. He replied: Ablution will be sufficient for you because of this. I asked: Messenger of Allah, what should I do if it smears my clothes. He replied: It is sufficient if you take a handful of water and sprinkle it on your clothe when you find it has smeared it.

I asked the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) as to what makes it necessary to take a bath and about the (prostatic) fluid that flows after taking a bath. He replied: that is called madhi (prostatic fluid). It flows from every male. You should wash your private parts and testicles because of it and perform ablution as you do for prayer.

Abdullah asked the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ): What is lawful for me to do with my wife when she is menstruating? He replied: What is above the waist-wrapper is lawful for you. The narrator also mentioned (the lawfulness of) eating with a woman in menstruation, and he transmitted the tradition in full.

I asked the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ): What is lawful for a man to do with his wife when she is menstruating? He replied: What is above the waist-wrapper, but it is better to abstain from it, too. Abu Dawud said: This (tradition) is not strong.

The Messenger of Allah (May peace be upon him) made a concession in the early days of Islam on account of the paucity of clothes that one should not take a bath if one has sexual intercourse (and has no seminal emission). But later on her commanded to take a bath in such a case and prohibited its omission.

The verdict that water (bath) is necessary when there is emission given by the people (in the early days of Islam) was due to the concession granted by the Messenger of Allah in the beginning of Islam. He then commanded to take a bath (in such a case). Abu Dawud said : By Abu Ghassan is meant Muhammad b. mutarrif.

when anyone sits between the four parts of a woman and the parts (of the male and female) which are circumscised join together, then bath becomes obligatory.

The Messenger of Allah (May peace be upon him) said : water (bath) is necessary only when there is seminal emission. And Abu Salamah followed it.

One day the Messenger of Allah (May peace be upon him) had sexual intercourse with (all) his wives with a single bath. Abu Dawud said: This tradition has been transmitted through another chain of narrators.

One day the Prophet (ﷺ) had intercourse with all his wives. He took a bath after each intercourse. I asked him: Messenger of Allah, why don't you make it a single bath? He replied: This is more purifying, better and cleaning. Abu Dawud said: The tradition narrated by Anas is more sound that this tradition.

The Prophet (May peace be upon him) said : When any of you has intercourse with his wife and desire to repeat it, he should perform ablution between them.