‘...let him place water in his nose to perform istinthar (blowing water out).’ Agreed upon (4). And in the narration of Muslim: ‘Whoever performs wudu, let him inhale water (5).’ And from Ibn ‘Abbas, [he said: The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said:] (6) ‘Perform istinthar twice, thoroughly, or three times (7).’ This is a command that implies obligation, and because the nose is always open and has no covering (8) to protect it, unlike the mouth. Those other than al-Qadi reported from Ahmad another view: that rinsing the mouth and inhaling water are obligatory in major purification (ghusl) but recommended in minor purification (wudu). This is the school of al-Thawri and the People of Reason (Ahl al-Ra'y); because in major purification, it is obligatory to wash everything of the body that is possible, such as the interiors of thick hair, and one does not merely wipe over barriers in it; therefore, they are obligatory therein, unlike in minor purification. Malik and al-Shafi‘i said: They are not obligatory in either of the two purifications; rather, they are merely recommended in both. This is narrated from al-Hasan, al-Hakam (9), Hammad (10), Qatada, Rabi‘ah, Yahya al-Ansari, al-Layth, and al-Awza‘i, because the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said: ‘Ten...’
(4) Reported by al-Bukhari in: The chapter on istijmar and performing it with an odd number, from the Book of Wudu. Sahih al-Bukhari 1/52. And Muslim in: The chapter on using an odd number in istinthar and istijmar, from the Book of Purification. Sahih Muslim 1/212. And Abu Dawud in: The chapter on istinthar, from the Book of Purification. Sunan Abi Dawud 1/31. And al-Nasa'i in: The chapter on the adoption of inhaling water, from the Book of Purification. Al-Mujtaba 1/57. And Imam Malik in: The chapter on the practice of wudu, from the Book of Purification. Al-Muwatta 1/19. And Imam Ahmad in: Al-Musnad 2/242, 278. The text that has been recorded is: ‘then let him blow out’ (thumma li-yanthur), ‘then let him blow out’ (thumma li-yantathir), and ‘then let him perform istinthar’ (thumma li-yastanthir). (5) Reported by Muslim in: The chapter on using an odd number in istinthar and istijmar. Sahih Muslim 1/212. (6) In M, instead of this: ‘in marfu‘ form’. (7) Reported by Abu Dawud in: The chapter on istinthar, from the Book of Purification. Sunan Abi Dawud 1/31. And Ibn Majah in: The chapter on exaggeration in inhaling and istinthar, from the Book of Purification. Sunan Ibn Majah 1/143. And Imam Ahmad in: Al-Musnad 1/228, 315, 352. (8) In M: ‘for it’. (9) He is Abu Muti‘ al-Balkhi, and he was mentioned previously on page 92. (10) Omitted from the Original.
