Hadithcore
Sahih al-Bukhari, 160
sahih

After performing the ablution 'Uthman said, "I am going to tell you a Hadith which I would not have told you, had I not been compelled by a certain Holy Verse (the sub narrator 'Urwa said:

This verse is: "Verily, those who conceal the clear signs and the guidance which we have sent down...)" (2:159). I heard the Prophet (ﷺ) saying, 'If a man performs ablution perfectly and then offers the compulsory congregational prayer, Allah will forgive his sins committed between that (prayer) and the (next) prayer till he offers it.

وَعَنْ إِبْرَاهِيمَ، قَالَ قَالَ صَالِحُ بْنُ كَيْسَانَ قَالَ ابْنُ شِهَابٍ وَلَكِنْ عُرْوَةُ يُحَدِّثُ عَنْ حُمْرَانَ،، فَلَمَّا تَوَضَّأَ عُثْمَانُ قَالَ أَلاَ أُحَدِّثُكُمْ حَدِيثًا لَوْلاَ آيَةٌ مَا حَدَّثْتُكُمُوهُ، سَمِعْتُ النَّبِيَّ صلى الله عليه وسلم يَقُولُ ‏

‏ لاَ يَتَوَضَّأُ رَجُلٌ فَيُحْسِنُ وُضُوءَهُ، وَيُصَلِّي الصَّلاَةَ إِلاَّ غُفِرَ لَهُ مَا بَيْنَهُ وَبَيْنَ الصَّلاَةِ حَتَّى يُصَلِّيَهَا ‏

‏‏.‏ قَالَ عُرْوَةُ الآيَةُ ‏{‏إِنَّ الَّذِينَ يَكْتُمُونَ مَا أَنْزَلْنَا مِنَ الْبَيِّنَاتِ‏}‏‏.‏

References2 variants
In-Book Reference
Book 4, Hadith 26
USC-MSA web (English) reference
Vol. 1, Book 4, Hadith 161 (deprecated numbering scheme)
Sharh · explanationclick to expand
The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) enjoined doing wudu’ well, and explained the goodness that there is in it, and the reward that results from it, in many hadiths, including this one. In this hadith, he explains that whoever does wudu’ well, then offers the prayer for which he did wudu’, Allah (may He be glorified and exalted) will forgive him [for his minor sins] between this prayer that he prayed and the following prayer, as is mentioned in other reports. So if a person does wudu’ well for the five daily prayers, he will be forgiven for the sins of that entire day. What is meant here is minor sins, as mentioned in the hadith narrated by Muslim from Abu Hurayrah, according to which the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) used to say: “The five daily prayers, one Jumu‘ah to the next, and one Ramadan to the next, expiates whatever sins come in between them, so long as major sins are avoided.” The caliph ‘Uthman ibn ‘Affan (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated this hadith after he did a complete wudu’, washing each part three times, then he narrated that he saw the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) doing wudu’ in this manner. Then ‘Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) said: Were it not for a verse, I would not have narrated it to you. In other words, were it not that Allah (may He be exalted) enjoined the one who acquired some knowledge to convey it, I would not have been keen to narrate this hadith to you. ‘Urwah said: The verse is the one in which Allah (may He be exalted) says: {Indeed, those who conceal what We sent down of clear proofs and guidance after We made it clear for the people in the Scripture - those are cursed by Allah and cursed by those who curse} [al-Baqarah 2:159]. This highlights the keenness of the Sahabah (may Allah be pleased with them) to convey the Sunnah and teach it to people, and it indicates how a ruler should play a role in carrying out the duty to preserve and promote Islam..
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