I came to the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) with the intention of embracing Islam. He commanded me to take a bath with water and the leaves of a lote tree
Authenticعن قيس بن عاصم رضي الله عنه قال: أتيتُ النبيَّ صلى الله عليه وسلم أُريدُ الإسلامَ، فأَمَرَني أن أغتَسِلَ بماءٍ وسِدرٍ.
Qays ibn ‘Āsim (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: I came to the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) with the intention of embracing Islam. He commanded me to take a bath with water and the leaves of a lote tree.
Explanation
Qays ibn 'Āsim came to the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) with the intention to embrace Islam. So, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) instructed him to bathe with water and lote tree leaves, which are used for cleaning and have a good scent.
Benefits
- It is prescribed for a disbeliever who wants to enter Islam to take a bath.
- Islam is honorable and careful about both the body and the spirit.
- Mixing water with other pure materials does not affect its state of purification.
- Modern detergents, like soap, can take the place of the lote trees.
Source · Narrated by Abu Dāwūd, At-Tirmidhi, and An-Nasā’i
From the Hadith Encyclopedia (hadeethenc.com).