What is the ruling on washing the face during wudu' if some head hair or sideburns (al-sawaalif) grow within the face area? And is it obligatory to wash the entire strand of hair, regardless of its length?

The obligation in ablution (Wudu') is to wash the entire face. If hair grows on the forehead, it is obligatory to wash this hair and what is beneath it if the skin is visible. This extends beyond the usual hairline and falls within the definition of the face. As for "al-tahdhif" (the hair at the temples), it is considered part of the head's hair, not the face. It is obligatory to convey water to the thin hair growing on the face during ablution.

Al-Buhuti clarified the boundary of the face as "from the usual hair-growing areas of the head, for most people." Thus, there is no consideration for the bald person whose hair grows on his forehead, nor for the receding hairline person whose hair has receded. "Al-tahdhif, which is the hair extending to the sides of the forehead," is not included in the face.

Al-Buhuti also stated: "And the light" hair on the face that shows the skin "must be washed along with what is beneath it"; because what does not conceal the skin resembles what has no hair on it, and the hair must be washed as an appendage to the area.