What is the evidence that washing the hands, mouth, and nose before washing the face in ablution is a Sunnah and not obligatory? Is there a hadith indicating that the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, omitted washing them three times during his ablution? If not, how do we prove that the verse of ablution has not been abrogated, or that the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, did not always specify washing them (three times), considering that everything the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, did or said is presumed to be obligatory until proven otherwise?

Washing the hands is a sunnah (recommended act) in wudu' (ablution) by scholarly consensus, except for someone waking up from sleep, regarding which there is a difference of opinion. The evidence for this is the absence of a command for it in the Qur'an and Sunnah. As for rinsing the mouth (madhmadah) and sniffing water into the nose (istinshaq), there is a difference of opinion concerning them. Those who deem them obligatory argue that they are part of the face and cite prophetic hadiths that command them. Those who do not deem them obligatory interpret the command as a recommendation, citing the Prophet's (peace be upon him) saying to the Bedouin: "Perform wudu' as Allah has commanded you," for the verse did not mention madhmadah and istinshaq. As for using the verse {And We did not send any messenger except to be obeyed by permission of Allah} [An-Nisa': 64] as evidence for the obligation of every action performed by the Prophet (peace be upon him), no scholar has used it in this manner. Obedience to him (peace be upon him) is achieved through belief in him and compliance with his commands and prohibitions, and it is not necessary that everything he did be obligatory for his Ummah.