• I heard Ishaq ibn Ibrahim say—in Persian—: "If there remained a spot in the wudu' area the size of a needle's head that the water did not reach, he must repeat it."

A man came to him and showed him the tip of his finger, which had a small piece of straw on it. He said: "I performed wudu' and this straw was stuck to my finger, is my prayer valid?" He said: "If you know that the water did not reach what is underneath the straw, it does not suffice you."

• Ishaq was asked—another time—about a man who performed wudu', and there remained a portion of the wudu' areas the size of a lentil that the water did not reach? He said: "He washes that spot, and he washes the wudu' members that follow that spot, and he repeats." I said: "What if the wudu' has dried?" He said: "[Whether it has] dried or not dried."

Chapter: One Who Breaks His Wudu' Before Completing It

• I asked Ishaq ibn Ibrahim, I said: "A man breaks his wudu' in the midst of his wudu', before he completes it?" He said: "He must restart the wudu' entirely, firmly."

• I asked Ishaq—another time—I said: "A man performed wudu' and had a nosebleed before he completed his wudu'?" He said: "He restarts the wudu'." I said: "Does he return to the beginning of the wudu'?" He said: "Yes."

Chapter: The Amount of Water for Wudu' and Ghusl

• I heard Ahmad ibn Hanbal say—regarding the hadith of 'Aisha that the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, used to perform wudu' with a mudd—; he said: "The mudd is one and a third ritl, provided that the wudu' is [done] once [for each part]; excluding the istinja'."

• And I heard Ishaq say: "A mudd of water suffices you for wudu', and a sa' for the ghusl of janaba, and that is only by way of recommendation. So whoever increases or decreases from a mudd or a sa', there is no harm in that, provided that his wudu' or his ghusl is not less than once, or more than three times."