rode behind the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) on his she-camel, and when she dismounted, there was some of her blood on his saddlebag. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) commanded her to put salt in the water, then wash the blood with it. Narrated by Abu Dawud (13), and he did not command her to perform a specific number of washings. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) also commanded that a bucket of water be poured over the urine of the Bedouin. Agreed upon (14), and he did not command a number (15). Furthermore, because it is an impurity other than that of a dog, a specific number is not mandatory for it, [like the impurity of the earth] (16).

It has been narrated that the number is not considered for parts of the body other than the place of istinja (cleaning after defecation), but it is considered for the place of istinja and the remaining areas. Al-Khallal said: This narration is a delusion, and he did not authenticate it.

If we hold the view that a number is mandatory, there are two narrations regarding its amount. The first is seven, due to what we have previously mentioned. The second is three, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "If one of you wakes up from his sleep, he should not dip his hand into the vessel until he has washed it three times; for he does not know where his hand spent the night." Agreed upon (17), [except for the word "three times," which is uniquely narrated by Muslim] (18). He commanded washing it three times to remove the suspicion of impurity, and nothing removes the suspicion of impurity except that which removes its reality. It has been narrated that impurity at the place of istinja is purified by three [washings], while elsewhere it is purified by seven; this is because impurity recurs at the place of istinja, which necessitates leniency. Three stones have been deemed sufficient for it, even though water is more effective in removal, so it is more fitting that three washings should suffice for it.

Al-Qadi said: The apparent [meaning] of Ahmad's statement is what al-Khiraqi chose, which is the obligation of the number for all impurities.

If we say: The number is not mandatory, then earth is not mandatory; likewise if we say: Washing seven times is not mandatory;