Benefit of Ablution

Humran bin Aban states, “Once Hazrat Uthman (ra) bin Affan asked for water to be brought for ablution. He rinsed his mouth and cleaned his nose with the water. He then washed his face three times, washed his arms three times and performed masah over his head and feet, after which he laughed. He then asked his companions, ‘Will you not ask the reason why I laughed?’ They asked, ‘O Leader of the Faithful! Why did you laugh?’ Hazrat Uthman (ra) stated, ‘I saw the Holy Prophet (sa) when he was near this place; he asked for water to be brought and performed the ablution in the same manner as I just did. He then laughed, and then asked his companions, “Will you not enquire as to the reason why I laughed?” We said, “O Messenger (sa) of Allah! Why did you laugh?” The Holy Prophet (sa) said, “When a person requests for water and then washes their face, Allah the Almighty forgives all the sins committed by their face. Then when they wash their arms, the same happens, i.e. sins are forgiven, the same is the case when they perform masah over their head and similar is the case for when they wash their feet.”’”

(Ahmad bin Hanbal, Musnad Ahmad bin Hanbal, Vol. 1, Musnad Uthman (ra) bin Affan, Hadith 415[Beirut, Lebanon: A‘lam al-Kutub, 1998], 201.)

In actuality, this narration should have been mentioned alongside the previous narration regarding ablution. Nonetheless, it has been narrated here.