Drying the limbs after doing wudoo’
Question

                Is it permissible to dry oneself with a towel or handkerchief after doing wudoo’?.
Praise be to Allah.It is permissible, after 
    doing wudoo’, to dry the parts of the body washed in wudoo’, because the 
    basic principle is that this action is permissible. 
Ibn Qudaamah (may Allaah 
    have mercy on him) said in al-Mughni (1/195): There is nothing wrong 
    with drying the limbs with a towel after getting them wet during ghusl and 
    wudoo’. This is what was narrated from Imam Ahmad. It was also narrated that 
    ‘Uthmaan, al-Hasan ibn ‘Ali, Anas and many other scholars used a towel after 
    doing wudoo’, and this is the more correct opinion, because the basic 
    principle is that it is permissible. End quote. 
Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may 
    Allaah have mercy on him) was asked about the ruling on drying the parts of 
    the body that are washed in wudoo’ 
He replied: There is 
    nothing wrong with drying them, because the basic principle is that it is 
    not disallowed. The basic principle concerning anything other than acts of 
    worship, such as contracts and actions, is that it is permissible and 
    allowed, unless there is evidence that it is not allowed. 
If someone were to say: How 
    would you respond to the hadeeth of Maymoonah (may Allaah be pleased with 
    her), where she says: The Prophet  (peace and blessings of Allaah be 
    upon him) did ghusl, and I brought the towel to him but he refused it and 
    started to wipe the water with his hand?  
The answer is that this 
    action on the part of the Prophet  (peace and blessings of Allaah be 
    upon him) was a specific case which may be interpreted in several ways: 
    either it was for a reason to do with the towel, or because it was not 
    clean, or he did not want to wet it with the water because doing so was not 
    appropriate. There are several possibilities, but the fact that she brought 
    the towel to him indicates that it was his habit to dry himself, otherwise 
    she would not have brought it to him. End quote. 
Majmoo’ Fataawa Ibn 
    ‘Uthaymeen (11/93). 
And Allaah knows best.