I went out with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ on Monday heading to Quba. When we reached the tribe of Banu Salim, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ stopped at the door of Itban and called out to him. He came out dragging his lower garment, and the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, "We have rushed the man."Itban said, "Messenger of Allah, what do you say about a man who withdraws hastily from his wife without ejaculating? What is required of him?"The Messenger of Allah ﷺ replied, "Water is only required because of water."
خرجت مع رسول الله ﷺ يوم الاثنين إلى قباء، حتى إذا كنا في بني سالم وقف رسول الله ﷺ على باب عتبان، فصرخ به، فخرج يجر إزاره، فقال رسول الله ﷺ: أعجلنا الرجل… فقال عتبان: يا رسول الله! أرأيت الرجل يعجل عن امرأته ولم يمن، ما عليه؟ قال رسول الله ﷺ: إنما الماء من الماء.
Muslim narrated it in the chapter on menstruation (343) from Abdul-Rahman bin Abu Saeed, from his father. He also narrated it from Abu Salama bin Abdul-Rahman, from Abu Saeed, without mentioning the story, only mentioning the wording of the hadith, which is, "Water is only required because of water."In another version, found both in Muslim and in Bukhari's chapter on wudu (180), from Hakam, from Zakwan, from Abu Saeed Khudri, who said that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ passed by a man from the Ansar and sent for him. The man came out with his head dripping, and the Prophet said, "Perhaps we rushed you?" He said, "Yes, Messenger of Allah!" The Prophet said, "If you are rushed or fall short, then ghusl is not required of you, but wudu is required of you." The wording given here is Muslim's.His saying "aqhatta" comes from qaht, which means the absence of rain. It is said that a man "aqhata" when he has intercourse but does not ejaculate, which carries the same meaning as iksal (withdrawal without ejaculation), as in the hadith of Ubayy bin Kaab.As for his saying, "Water is only required because of water," the first mention of water refers to the purifying water, and the second refers to semen. This provides an argument for those who did not consider ghusl obligatory merely from the meeting of the two circumcised parts. However, this is abrogated by the hadith of Ayesha and others, in which the Prophet ﷺ said, "When he sits between her four limbs, and the circumcised part touches the circumcised part, then ghusl becomes obligatory." This will be discussed in the chapter that follows.