Washing palms with arms is obligatory in ablution
25-4-2013 | IslamWeb
Question:
Assalamu 'Alaykum. in this hadith it appears to me that it is enough to wash the arm (in wudu) with 1 handful of water; "He then, took another handful (of water) and did like this (gesturing) joining both hands, and washed his face, took another handful of water and washed his right forearm. He again took another handful of water and washed his left forearm, ... and said, "I saw Allah's Messenger (sallallahu 'alaihi wa sallam) performing ablution in this way." " [S al-Bukhari chapter- Wudu', hadith 7]. But when I do this, then it appears to me that it is not enough water to cover the palms again, which are already covered with water from washing the palms at the beginning of wudu. in other words, I begin wudu', I wash my palms 1st, then comes mouth with nose, then face, and then when I want to wash my arms with palms, it looks to me that it is not enough water to cover the palms again, which are already covered with water. also when I would wash my left arm I would feel that the right one is drying up and maybe became dry. can you help? I want to follow the sunnah and I know that the deen is easy.
Answer:
All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, is His Slave and Messenger.
Washing the palms at the beginning of ablution is a recommended act while washing them along with the forearms (up to the elbows) is obligatory. A recommended act cannot replace the obligatory one. Accordingly, washing your palms at the beginning of ablution does not replace washing them when washing the arms to the elbows. So, whoever does only that, his ablution is not valid.
As for your statement "it appears to me from the Hadeeth of Ibn ‘Abbaas 
that it is enough to wash the forearm with one handful of water....", then the answer can be that the Hadeeth of Ibn ‘Abbaas does not have the word forearm at all; but rather, it states that he washed with that handful of water his right and left hands (up to the elbow), and this includes the palms, i.e. he 
washed his hand from the tips of the fingers of the palm up to the elbow.
As for saying that this is not enough for you, then the answer is that the Hadeeth of Ibn ‘Abbaas does not indicate that using a single handful of water is obligatory and enough. So, you should not have that confusion; rather, it implies it is permissible to wash the hand up to the elbow only once and to use little water in ablution. But, if one handful of water is not enough for you and you cannot use it properly as Ibn ‘Abbaas used to do, then you have to wash it another time because Allaah The Almighty ordered you to wash the hand (up to the elbow) as a whole and did not order you to use only one handful of water, and if there are some people who can wash their hands wholly with only one handful of water, then those who cannot do that should not confine themselves to it. Rather, if you are keen on following the Sunnah as you have stated, then you should wash that limb thrice for that is the state to which the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, adhered most and by doing so, it is more likely to perform proper ablution. There is absolutely no doubt that religion is easy while hardship comes from not understanding it and things become difficult because of that misunderstanding.
Concerning what you have stated that the right arm becomes dry when you start washing the left one, this is really strange under normal circumstances and conditions. Supposing that it is the case, there is nothing wrong at all. That is because saying that continuation when performing ablution is obligatory in the sense that it is not permissible to delay the washing of one limb until the limb before it has dried, is a controversial issue among the scholars. The Fiqh Encyclopedia reads: "The Hanafi scholars, the Shaafi‘i scholars, in the new sound opinion of Imaam Ash-Shaafi'i 
the Maaliki scholars, in one opinion of Imaam Maalik and the Hanbali scholars, in a narration from Imaam Ahmad viewed that it is recommended. The same opinion had been adopted by ‘Abdullaah ibn ‘Umar from the companions and Al-Hasan, Sa‘eed ibn Al-Musayyab and Ath-Thawri, 
from the Taabi'is (the generation that followed the generation of the Companions). On the other hand, the Maaliki scholars, according to the well-known opinion of Imaam Maalik, and Shaafi‘i scholars, according to the old opinion of Imaam Ash-Shaafi‘i, and the Hanbali scholars, according to their school of Fiqh, said that it is obligatory. ‘Umar ibn Al-Khattaab and Al-Awzaa‘i had adopted that opinion." [End quote]
Anyway, as long as you started washing the left hand (up the elbow) immediately after finishing the right one, then continuity has been fulfilled, regardless the right one has dried or not. Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen said: "Some scholars, and it is a narration reported from Imaam Ahmad said that what counts regarding the long interruption (while performing ablution) is what is known by custom, not by the dryness of the organs. Thus, ablution should be done continuously in the sense that if people say that that man did not interrupt his ablution and that he has done it continuously, then he is considered as they say…" [End quote]
Moreover, dryness that occurs quickly due to a matter beyond one's ability such as the blowing wind or the like does not affect the validity of ablution. Therefore, Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen said, after stating that the continuation when performing ablution means not delaying the washing of one limb until the limb before it has dried: "This is on condition that this occurs in moderate time without the existence of blowing wind." We have explained that in Fatwa 139853; so you may refer to it.
Allaah Knows best.