Caution: Translations of Quran and Ḥadīth may lead to possible misapplications and misinterpretations. This site is intended for students of sacred knowledge that are proficient in comprehending classical Arabic and have a strong foundation in Islamic sciences. Also note that religious injunctions rely on several aspects beyond what one may glean through reading individual aḥādīth.
ahmad:918ʿAbdullāh > Isḥāq b. Ismāʿīl > Sufyān > Abū al-Sawdāʾ > Ibn ʿAbd Khayr > Abīh Qālaraʾayt ʿAlī Tawaḍḍaʾ Faghasal Ẓuhūr Qadamayh

I saw ‘Ali ؓ do wudoo’, and he washed the tops of his feet and said: Were it not that I saw the Messenger of Allah ﷺ wash the tops of his feet, I would have thought that the bottoms of the feet were more deserving of being washed.  

أحمد:٩١٨حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ اللهِ حَدَّثَنَا إِسْحَاقُ بْنُ إِسْمَاعِيلَ حَدَّثَنَا سُفْيَانُ عَنْ أَبِي السَّوْدَاءِ عَنِ ابْنِ عَبْدِ خَيْرٍ

عَنْ أَبِيهِ قَالَرَأَيْتُ عَلِيًّا تَوَضَّأَ فَغَسَلَ ظُهُورَ قَدَمَيْهِ وَقَالَ لَوْلَا أَنِّي رَأَيْتُ رَسُولَ اللهِ ﷺ يَغْسِلُ ظُهُورَ قَدَمَيْهِ لَظَنَنْتُ أَنَّ بُطُونَهُمَا أَحَقُّ بِالْغَسْلِ  


See similar narrations below:

Collected by Aḥmad, Nasāʾī's Kubrá
ahmad:1014ʿAbdullāh > Isḥāq b. Ismāʿīl > Sufyān > Abū al-Sawdāʾ > Ibn ʿAbd Khayr from his father > Raʾayt ʿAlī Tawaḍḍaʾ Faghasal Ẓuhūr Qadamayh

I saw ‘Ali ؓ doing wudoo’. He washed the tops of his feet and said: Were it not that I saw the Messenger of Allah ﷺ washing the tops of his feet I would have thought that the bottoms of the feet were more deserving of being washed.  

أحمد:١٠١٤حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ اللهِ حَدَّثَنِي إِسْحَاقُ بْنُ إِسْمَاعِيلَ حَدَّثَنَا سُفْيَانُ عَنْ أَبِي السَّوْدَاءِ عَنْ ابْنِ عَبْدِ خَيْرٍ عَنْ أَبِيهِ قَالَ

رَأَيْتُ عَلِيًّا تَوَضَّأَ فَغَسَلَ ظُهُورَ قَدَمَيْهِ وَقَالَ لَوْلا أَنِّي رَأَيْتُ رَسُولَ اللهِ ﷺ يَغْسِلُ ظُهُورَ قَدَمَيْهِ لَظَنَنْتُ أَنَّ بُطُونَهُمَا أَحَقُّ بِالْغَسْلِ  

nasai-kubra:119Isḥāq b. Ibrāhīm > Sufyān > Abū al-Sawdāʾ > Ibn ʿAbd Khayr from his father > Tawaḍḍaʾ ʿAlī Faghasal Ẓuhūr Qadamayh

[Machine] And he said, "If I hadn't seen the Messenger of Allah, ﷺ , washing the backs of his feet, I would have thought their bellies were more deserving."  

الكبرى للنسائي:١١٩أَخْبَرَنَا إِسْحَاقُ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ قَالَ أَخْبَرَنَا سُفْيَانُ عَنْ أَبِي السَّوْدَاءِ عَنِ ابْنِ عَبْدِ خَيْرٍ عَنْ أَبِيهِ قَالَ تَوَضَّأَ عَلِيٌّ فَغَسَلَ ظُهُورَ قَدَمَيْهِ

وَقَالَ «لَوْلَا أَنِّي رَأَيْتُ رَسُولَ اللهِ ﷺ يَغْسِلُ ظُهُورَ قَدَمَيْهِ لَظَنَنْتُ أَنَّ بُطُونَهُمَا أَحَقُّ»