The tradition has also been reported through a different chain of narrators. This version has:The Muslims stood up and struck the earth with their palms, but did not get any earth (in their hands). He (Ibn Wahb) then narrated the rest of the tradition in like manner, but he did not mention the words "shoulders" and "armpits". Ibn al-Laith said: (They) wiped above the elbows.
حَدَّثَنَا سُلَيْمَانُ بْنُ دَاوُدَ الْمَهْرِيُّ، وَعَبْدُ الْمَلِكِ بْنُ شُعَيْبٍ، عَنِ ابْنِ وَهْبٍ، نَحْوَ هَذَا الْحَدِيثِ قَالَ قَامَ الْمُسْلِمُونَ فَضَرَبُوا بِأَكُفِّهِمُ التُّرَابَ وَلَمْ يَقْبِضُوا مِنَ التُّرَابِ شَيْئًا فَذَكَرَ نَحْوَهُ وَلَمْ يَذْكُرِ الْمَنَاكِبَ وَالآبَاطَ . قَالَ ابْنُ اللَّيْثِ إِلَى مَا فَوْقَ الْمِرْفَقَيْنِ .
AbuDaud
Purification (Kitab Al-Taharah) • Hadith 319