Are the sideburns part of the face or the head, and what is the ruling on washing the hair of the sideburns when washing the face during wudu'?
The temples (sideburns) do not need to be washed with the face; rather, they should be wiped with the head, as they are part of it. Ibn Qudamah said: "As for the temples... they are part of the head." He supported this with the hadith narrated by Ar-Rubayyi' bint Mu'awwidh, reported by At-Tirmidhi and others, and graded as hasan by Al-Albani: "I saw the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) perform ablution, and he wiped his head, wiping what was in front of it, what was behind it, his temples, and his ears, all at once." It was not reported that he washed them with his face. The temple is the area between the eye and the ear, or the hair hanging over it.
Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026
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