“During the time of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ we often did not find anything to eat, and if we did, we did not have handkerchiefs, except our hands, arms and feet. Then we would pray without performing ablution.”
كُنَّا زَمَانَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ وَقَلِيلٌ مَا نَجِدُ الطَّعَامَ فَإِذَا نَحْنُ وَجَدْنَاهُ لَمْ يَكُنْ لَنَا مَنَادِيلُ إِلاَّ أَكُفَّنَا وَسَوَاعِدَنَا وَأَقْدَامَنَا ثُمَّ نُصَلِّي وَلاَ نَتَوَضَّأْ قَالَ أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ غَرِيبٌ لَيْسَ إِلاَّ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ سَلَمَةَ
that he asked Jabir bin ʿAbdullah about performing ablution after taking a cooked meal. He replied, "It is not essential," and added, "We never used to get such kind of food during the lifetime of the Prophet except rarely; and if at all we got such a dish, we did not have any handkerchiefs to wipe our hands with except the palms of our hands, our forearms and our feet. We would perform the prayer thereafter with-out performing new ablution."
لاَ قَدْ كُنَّا زَمَانَ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ لاَ نَجِدُ مِثْلَ ذَلِكَ مِنَ الطَّعَامِ إِلاَّ قَلِيلاً فَإِذَا نَحْنُ وَجَدْنَاهُ لَمْ يَكُنْ لَنَا مَنَادِيلُ إِلاَّ أَكُفَّنَا وَسَوَاعِدَنَا وَأَقْدَامَنَا ثُمَّ نُصَلِّي وَلاَ نَتَوَضَّأُ