Description of Passing the Hands over the Head whilst Performing Wudu

By Shaykh

Muhammad Nasir uddeen al-Albaani

Translated by

Umm Yahya

Muhammad Nasir- Deen Al-Albaani (d.1420A.H) -Rahimullaah- was asked:

Questioner:

I hear that some of the people of knowledge say that a woman who has long hair and makes Wudhu and wants to pass her wet hands over her head must begin from the front and pass her hands over her head until she reaches her neck. She then moves her hands back to the front (of her forehead) and it is not obligatory for her to pass her hands over all of her hair, even if her hair reaches the middle of her back. So what is the description of a woman with long hair when making Wudhu with relation to her passing her hands over her hair?

May Allah reward you with good.

Shaykh Al-Albaani answered:

‘The case is as mentioned in the question, we know from some of the people of knowledge, that a woman must begin wiping her head from her forehead to the back where the hairline finishes at the back of the head, and this is regardless of whether it is a man or a woman, she then moves the palms of her hands back to her forehead.

This is what is obligatory upon her, without doing anything extra.

Comments:

‘Amr bin AbdulMuna’im Saleem adds some notes to this answer:

‘As is verified in the hadeeth pertaining to the description of Wudhu of the Messenger of Allaah -sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam- in Saheeh Bukhari and Muslim. From the hadeeth of Abdullaah Bin Zaid -Radi Allaahu anhu-  ‘…then he -sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam-   passed his hands over his head from the front of the head to the back with his hands, he began at the forehead and then took them until the beginning of the neck, he then returned his hands to the place that they began from.’

[From: Jamia’ Masail an-Nisa’ p. 35 collected by ‘Amr bin AbdulMuna’im Saleem]