Should the hair adjacent to the ear be washed with the face, or wiped with the head? And is it obligatory for water to reach the entire palm of the hand when wiping the head? What is the ruling on wiping the ears by inserting the index fingers into the ear canal and rotating the finger without tracing the inner folds of the ear, and is it sufficient to insert the index fingers without rotating them? Is it a condition to wipe the entire outer ear? And how should an ear infection resulting from water entering the ear be dealt with?
The cure for obsessive thoughts (waswas) is to ignore them and not pay them any mind. The hair in front of the ear, referred to as "az-zulf," if it means "al-'idhar" (the hair growing on the prominent bone opposite the ear canal), then it is part of the face and must be washed. However, if it means "as-sudgh" (the hair opposite the top of the ear), then it is part of the head and should be wiped with it. When wiping the head, water must be applied to the palms of both hands with fresh water, and it does not matter if the hands touch clothing after fulfilling the obligation.
Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026
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