(may Allah bless him and grant him peace): "If one of you brings his hand to his private part with no screen between them, he must perform wudu'." In another wording: "If one of you brings his hand to his penis, then wudu' has become obligatory for him." It was narrated by al-Shafi'i in his Musnad (14), and it refers to the palm of his hand. Ifda' (bringing/reaching) means touching (15) without a barrier, and because it is a part of his hand to which the rulings related to the absolute term "hand" apply, it is similar to the palm of the hand.

Section: Touching it with his forearm does not invalidate wudu'. There is a report from Ahmad that it does invalidate it, because it is part of his hand, and this is the view of 'Ata' and al-Awza'i. The correct view is the former, because the ruling attached to the absolute term "hand" in Shari'ah does not extend beyond the wrist (*ku'), evidenced by the cutting of the thief, washing the hand upon waking at night, and wiping in tayammum. It was only made obligatory to wash it in wudu' because it was qualified with the elbows (marafiq). Furthermore, it is not a tool for touching, so it is similar to the upper arm, and the argument that it is part of his hand is invalidated by the upper arm, regarding which there is no disagreement among scholars.

Section: There is no difference between his own penis and the penis of another. Dawud said: Touching the penis of another does not invalidate wudu', because there is no text regarding it, and the reports only arrived regarding one's own penis, so it is limited to that. Our argument is that touching the penis of another is a sin, and is more conducive to desire and the emission of discharge. A person's need necessitates touching his own penis; if it is invalidated by touching one's own penis, it is more so by touching the penis of another. This is an admonition that takes precedence over the argument, and in some versions of the report of Busrah: "Whoever touches the penis, let him perform wudu'."

Section: There is no difference between the penis of a child and an adult. This is the view of 'Ata', al-Shafi'i, and Abu Thawr. From al-Zuhri and al-Awza'i: There is no wudu' for one who touches the penis of a child, because it is permissible to touch it and look at it; it has been narrated from the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) that he kissed al-Hasan (16), and it was narrated that the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) touched al-Hasan and did not perform wudu'. Our argument is the generality of his saying: "Whoever touches the penis..."