‘Do not urinate in stagnant water, then perform ablution from it.’ Agreed upon (35). He prohibited ablution from stagnant water after urinating in it and did not distinguish between small or large quantities. This is because it is water into which an impurity has fallen, and there is no security against its spreading, so it becomes impure because of it (36), just like a small quantity.
Our evidence is the report of the two qullahs and the well of Bida’ah, both of which we have already mentioned. For the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: ‘Water is purifying and nothing makes it impure,’ despite them saying to him: ‘Do we perform ablution from the well of Bida’ah, even though it is a well into which used menstrual pads, the flesh of dogs, and stench are thrown?’ And the well of Bida’ah does not reach the limit they have mentioned.
Abu Dawud said: ‘I measured the well of Bida’ah with my cloak; I spread it over it and then measured it. Its width was six cubits. I asked the person who opened the garden gate for me: Was its structure changed from how it was? He said: No. I asked its caretaker about its depth, [and I said: How much water is usually in it? He said: Up to the pubic area] (37). I said: And when it decreases? He said: Below the private parts’ (38). Because it is water that reaches the amount of two qullahs, it resembles water that exceeds ten cubits. Their report is general, and our report is specific, so it must be given precedence.
Second, their report must necessarily be restricted, for it is agreed that water exceeding the limit they mentioned does not prevent performing ablution from it. Since it is necessary to restrict it, restricting it using the words of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) is more appropriate than restricting it based on opinion and whim without any foundation to return to, nor any evidence to rely upon. Furthermore, the limit they mentioned is an estimation whose method is through authoritative textual evidence (tawqif), and it cannot be reached except by a text or consensus, and they possess neither a text nor consensus. Moreover, their report is specific to urine, and we hold this view according to one of the two narrations, restricting the ruling to what is covered by the text, which is urine; because it has a level of persistence and diffusion in water that other things do not have, as we shall mention, if Allah the Almighty wills.
(35) The ḥadīth regarding the prohibition of urinating in stagnant water was mentioned previously on page 32, and with this wording it was extracted by al-Tirmidhī, in: Chapter: The Dislike of Urinating in Stagnant Water, from the Chapters of Purification. ʿĀriḍat al-Aḥwadhī 1/86. And al-Nasāʾī in: Chapter: Mention of the Prohibition of the junub from Bathing in Stagnant Water, from the Book of Ghusl. al-Mujtabā 1/162. And Imām Aḥmad, in al-Musnad 2/259, 265, 529, 532. (36) In the original: "bihi". (37) In the Sunan: "He said: The most the water reaches in it is to the pubic area". See Sunan Abī Dāwūd 1/16. (38) The end of Abū Dāwūd's speech.
يَبُولَنَّ أحَدُكُمْ في الْمَاءِ الدِّائِمِ ثُمَّ يَتَوَضَّأ مِنْهُ". مُتفَّقٌ عليه (٣٥)، فنَهى عن الوضوءِ من الماء الرَّاكِد بعد البَوْلِ فيه، ولم يُفرِّقْ بين قليلهِ وكثيرهِ، ولأنه ماءٌ حَلَّتْ فيه نجاسةٌ لا يُؤْمَنُ انْتِشارُها إليه، فينْجُسُ بها (٣٦) كاليَسِيرِ.
ولنا خَبرُ القُلَّتَيْن، وبئرِ بُضاعةَ، اللذان ذكرْناهُما؛ فإنَّ النبيَّ -صلى اللَّه عليه وسلم- قال: "الْمَاءُ طَهُورٌ لَا يُنَجِّسُهُ شَىْءٌ"، مع قولِهم له: أنتوضأُ مِن بئرِ بُضاعةَ وهى بئرٌ يُلْقَى فيها الحِيَضُ ولحومُ الكلابِ والنَّتَنُ؟ وبئر بُضاعةَ لا يبلُغ الحَدَّ الذي ذكروه.
قال أبو داود: قَدَّرْتُ بئر بُضاعةَ بردَائِى، مَدَدْتُه عليها، ثم ذَرَعْتُه، فإذا عَرْضُها سِتَّةُ أذْرُعٍ، وسألتُ الذي فتَح لي باب البستان: هل غُيِّر بِناؤُها عما كانت عليه؟ قال: لا. وسألتُ قَيِّمَها عن عُمْقِها، [فقلتُ: أكثرُ ما يكون فيها الماء؟ قال: إلى الْعَانةِ] (٣٧). قلت: فإذا نَقَصَ. قال: دون العَوْرَةِ (٣٨). ولأنه ماء يبلُغ القُلَّتَيْن، فأشْبَهَ ما زاد على عشرةِ أذْرُعٍ، وحديثُهم عامٌّ وحديثُنا خاصٌّ، فيجب تقديمُه.
الثانى، أنَّ حديثَهم لا بُدَّ مِن تَخْصيصِه، فإنَّ ما زاد على الحدِّ الذي ذكروه لا يمْنَعُ مِن الوضُوءِ به اتِّفاقًا، وإذا وجَب تخْصيصُه كان تخْصِيصُه بقولِ النبيِّ -صلى اللَّه عليه وسلم- أوْلَى مِن تَخْصيصِه بالرَّأْىِ والتَّشَهىِّ من غيرِ أصْلٍ يُرْجَعُ إليه، ولا دليلٍ يُعْتمَد عليه، ولأنَّ ما ذكروه مِن الحدِّ تقديرٌ طريقُه التَّوْقِيفُ، لا يُصارُ إليه إلَّا بنَصٍّ أو إجْماعٍ، وليس معهم نَصٌّ ولا إجماعٌ، ولأنَّ حديثَهم خاصٌّ في البَوْلِ، ونحن نقول به على إحْدَى الرِّوايتَيْن، ونَقْصُرُ الحُكْمَ علَى ما تناولَه النَّصُّ، وهو البولُ؛ لأنَّ له من التَّأْكيد والِانْتشارِ في الماء ما ليس لغيرِه، على ما سنذكرُه إن شاء اللَّه تعالى.
(٣٥) تقدم حديث النهى عن البول في الماء الدائم، في صفحة ٣٢، وبهذا اللفظ أخرجه الترمذي، في: باب كراهية البول في الماء الراكد، من أبواب الطهارة. عارضة الأحوذى ١/ ٨٦. والنسائي في: باب ذكر نهى الجنب عن الاغتسال في الماء الدائم، من كتاب الغسل. المجتبى ١/ ١٦٢. والإمام أحمد، في المسند ٢/ ٢٥٩، ٢٦٥، ٥٢٩، ٥٣٢.(٣٦) في الأصل: "به".(٣٧) في السنن: "قال: أكثر ما يكون فيها الماء إلى العانة". انظر سنن أبي داود ١/ ١٦.(٣٨) آخر كلام أبي داود.
