Amr bin Yahya al-Mazini reported from his father that he said to Abdullah bin Zayd bin Asim, who was the grandfather of Amr bin Yahya al-Mazini and one of the companions of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, "Can you show me how the Messenger of Allah ﷺ used to perform ablution?"Abdullah bin Zayd bin Asim replied, "Yes."He then called for water for ablution and poured some over his hand. He washed his hands twice, then rinsed his mouth and nose three times, then washed his face three times, then washed his arms up to the elbows twice each. Then he wiped his head with his hands, moving them forward and back. He began at the front of his head, moved them to the nape of his neck, then brought them back to the place where he started. Then he washed his feet.
عن عمرو بن يحيى المازني، عن أبيه، أنه قال لعبد الله بن زيد بن عاصم- وهو جد عمرو بن يحيى المازني، وكان من أصحاب رسول الله ﷺ-: هل تستطيع أن تريني كيف كان رسول الله ﷺ يتوضأ؟ فقال عبد الله بن زيد بن عاصم: نعم، فدعا بوضوء، فأفرغ على يده، فغسل يديه مرتين مرتين، ثم تمضمض واستنثر ثلاثا، ثم غسل وجهه ثلاثا، ثم غسل يديه مرتين مرتين إلى المرفقين، ثم مسح رأسه بيديه؛ فأقبل بهما وأدبر؛ بدأ بمقدم رأسه ثم ذهب بهما إلى قفاه ثم ردهما حتى رجع إلى المكان الذي بدأ منه، ثم غسل رجليه.
Malik bin Anas narrated it in the chapter on purification (1), and from him Bukhari narrated it in the chapter on wudu (185) and Muslim in the chapter on purification (235). Muslim also narrated it through a route other than Malik's. In it, "Then he put his hand in and drew it out and wiped his head," meaning with fresh water rather than the water left over on his hands. He narrated it through Khalid bin Abdullah, from Amr bin Yahya, except that Bukhari did not mention this addition in his narration from Khalid bin Abdullah, but did mention it in his narration from Wahib, from Amr bin Yahya, and in his narration from Sulayman bin Bilal, from Amr.Nawawi, may Allah have mercy on him, said in his commentary on Muslim (3/125), "This should not be taken as evidence that purification with used water is invalid, because this is simply a report about bringing fresh water for the head, and that does not necessarily mean it is required."In one narration, "Then he washed his hands three times." In another narration there is an addition, "he sniffed water into his nose," placed between "he rinsed his mouth" and "he blew it out." In another narration, "Then he washed his feet up to the ankles." In another narration he said, "This is how the Messenger of Allah ﷺ performed wudu."As for wiping the head, most narrations do not mention the number of times, except for the narration of Waheeb bin Khalid al-Bahili, their freedman, who explicitly stated that he wiped it once. It occurs in a narration of Nasai (99), with a good chain of transmission, that "he wiped his head twice," and it seems this is simply an explanation of the phrase, "then he moved his hands forward and back."Muslim said, Ishaq bin Musa narrated to me, Maen narrated to us, Malik bin Anas narrated to us, from Amr bin Yahya with this same chain, and he said, "He rinsed his mouth and blew it out three times," without saying "from a single handful." It is as though he is alluding to the hadith of Khalid bin Abdullah, from Amr bin Yahya, from his father, from Abdullah bin Zayd, who said, "I saw the Prophet ﷺ rinse his mouth and sniff water into his nose from a single handful, doing that three times." Tirmidhi narrated it (28) and said, hasan gharib.The hadith of Khalid bin Abdullah was narrated by both Bukhari and Muslim, and they both said "from a single handful," using the feminine form. This addition is sahih, and rarity does not preclude a hadith from being sahih, for Khalid bin Abdullah is trustworthy.As for what Hakim narrated (1511) with his chain, adding, "So he took water for his ears, separate from the water with which he had wiped his head," this is a mistake. The correct version is what appears in Sunan Abu Dawud (120), "He wiped his head with water other than what remained from his hands," and it is likewise found in Ibn Hibban (1085). That is why Hakim qualified it, saying, "This is a hadith sahih meeting the criteria of the two sheikhs, provided it is free of the issue with Ibn Abu Ubaydullah."I say, this Ibn Abu Ubaydullah is unknown, and he erred regarding the meaning of the hadith. That is why Ibn Qayyim said in his Zad (1/195), "It is not established from him that he took fresh water for them, rather that is only proven authentic from Ibn Umar."