1/32. Chapter:
Sunan Abi Dawud 61 — Prayer Purification and the Start of Salah
The Obligatory Status Of Wudu'
Hadith About Prayer Purification: The Key to Salah
Sunan Abi Dawud : 61
Sunan Abi DawudHadith Number 61
حَدَّثَنَا عُثْمَانُ بْنُ أَبِي شَيْبَةَ، حَدَّثَنَا وَكِيعٌ، عَنْ سُفْيَانَ، عَنِ ابْنِ عَقِيلٍ، عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ ابْنِ الْحَنَفِيَّةِ، عَنْ عَلِيٍّ، رضى الله عنه قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم " مِفْتَاحُ الصَّلاَةِ الطُّهُورُ وَتَحْرِيمُهَا التَّكْبِيرُ وَتَحْلِيلُهَا التَّسْلِيمُ " .
Ali ibn AbuTalib Narrated from:
The key to prayer is purification; its beginning is takbir and its end is taslim.
Reference : Sunan Abi Dawud 61In-book reference : Book 1, Hadith 61English translation : Book 1, Hadith 61
Summary of Sunan Abi Dawud Hadith 61
The main lesson of this hadith about prayer purification is very clear: salah has a clean entry, a clear beginning, and a clear ending. The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم describes purification as the key to prayer. This makes wudu and taharah the doorway before a person stands for salah. The prayer then begins with takbir, the words that mark the start of worship. It ends with taslim, the salutation that marks leaving the prayer. The hadith does not list every act of salah. It gives a simple frame: prepare with purity, enter with Allahu Akbar, and close with salam. Each part is named with plain words.
What we learn from this hadith
- Purification is presented as the key before prayer.
- Takbir marks the beginning of the prayer.
- Taslim marks the end of the prayer.
- Salah has a defined start and finish.
