حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو سَعِيدٍ حَدَّثَنَا سُلَيْمَانُ بْنُ بِلَالٍ عَنْ عَمْرٍو يَعْنِي ابْنَ أَبِي عَمْرٍو عَنْ عِكْرِمَةَ عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ وَسَأَلَهُ رَجُلٌ عَنْ الْغُسْلِ يَوْمَ الْجُمُعَةِ أَوَاجِبٌ هُوَ قَالَ لَا وَمَنْ شَاءَ اغْتَسَلَ وَسَأُحَدِّثُكُمْ عَنْ بَدْءِ الْغُسْلِ كَانَ النَّاسُ مُحْتَاجِينَ وَكَانُوا يَلْبَسُونَ الصُّوفَ وَكَانُوا يَسْقُونَ النَّخْلَ عَلَى ظُهُورِهِمْ وَكَانَ مَسْجِدُ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ ضَيِّقًا مُتَقَارِبَ السَّقْفِ فَرَاحَ النَّاسُ فِي الصُّوفِ فَعَرِقُوا وَكَانَ مِنْبَرُ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَصِيرًا إِنَّمَا هُوَ ثَلَاثُ دَرَجَاتٍ فَعَرِقَ النَّاسُ فِي الصُّوفِ فَثَارَتْ أَرْوَاحُهُمْ أَرْوَاحُ الصُّوفِ فَتَأَذَّى بَعْضُهُمْ بِبَعْضٍ حَتَّى بَلَغَتْ أَرْوَاحُهُمْ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَهُوَ عَلَى الْمِنْبَرِ فَقَالَ يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ إِذَا جِئْتُمْ الْجُمُعَةَ فَاغْتَسِلُوا وَلْيَمَسَّ أَحَدُكُمْ مِنْ أَطْيَبِ طِيبٍ إِنْ كَانَ عِنْدَهُ
مسند امام احمد بن حنبل · Hadith 2419
It was narrated from Tkrimah that a man asked Ibn 'Abbas (RA) about doing ghusl on Friday: is it obligatory? He said: No, but whoever wishes may do ghusl, and i will tell you how ghusl was first prescribed. The people were poor and they used to wear wool, and they would carry water to the palm trees on their backs. The mosque of the Prophet (PBUH) was small, with a low ceiling, so the people in their woollen garments would start to sweat. The minbar of the Prophet (PBUH) was short; it only had three steps. So the people would sweat in their wool, and their smell and the smell of the wool would become prominent, and thus they bothered one another, until the smell reached the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) when he was on the minbar. So he said: "O people, when you come to jumu'ah do ghusl and let one of you put on the best perfume he has."
Translated by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan · Reviewed by Islamic University of Madinah · Published March 2020