Senior Colorado Imam Karim AbuZaid, during a call in show, gives clear clarification regarding the permissibility of using a towel after symbolic ritual of washing before prayer. It was uploaded to the Imam’s YouTube channel on April 6 2021.
Question: Is it okay to dry your face arms after making wudu? (Symbolic washing)
Answer: It is permissible. What is the base for that? Is you know…. When the Prophet PBUH at one time he made wudu and she was standing there holding a towel, a piece of cloth, in order to dry his hands after wudu. You see look how Bukhari understood this hadith. Do you know what Bukari said? This is an evidence that you could dry your body parts after wudu. Why? If it was not permissible then his wife would not have strood up with a towel. You’re getting that? Even though the Prophet said NO I am not going to dry my limbs. You see this is how you look at the evidence.
Further clarification on this issue
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Question
Is it permissible to dry oneself with a towel or handkerchief after doing wudoo’?.
Answer
Praise be to Allah.
It is permissible, after doing wudoo’, to dry the parts of the body washed in wudoo’, because the basic principle is that this action is permissible.
Ibn Qudaamah (may Allaah have mercy on him) said in al-Mughni (1/195): There is nothing wrong with drying the limbs with a towel after getting them wet during ghusl and wudoo’. This is what was narrated from Imam Ahmad. It was also narrated that ‘Uthmaan, al-Hasan ibn ‘Ali, Anas and many other scholars used a towel after doing wudoo’, and this is the more correct opinion, because the basic principle is that it is permissible. End quote.
Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him) was asked about the ruling on drying the parts of the body that are washed in wudoo’
