Wiping the Head in Wudu: Accommodating Women’s Long Hair
Question: During Wudu (ablution), when wiping the head, one should move their hands from the front where the hair starts to the back of the neck and then return to the front. However, many women, including myself, only move their hands to the back due to tied hair and do not return them to the front. If we do return them, it is not done properly. Women’s hair is long and often tied, making it difficult. Does this affect the validity of our Wudu? And if we move our hands lightly to the front, the hair gets messed up, so we move them back again to fix the hair. Does this affect the method of wiping?
Answer: The basic principle for wiping the head is that women, like men, should move their wet hands from the front of the head to the back of the neck and then return to the front. However, there is also a practice of the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) where he wiped the head from the top downwards in the direction of the hair without moving back against the direction of the hair. Rabi’ bint Mu’awwidh bin ‘Afra (رضي الله عنها) narrated:
أنَّ رسولَ اللَّهِ صلَّى اللَّهُ عليهِ وسلَّمَ توضَّأَ عندَها فمسحَ الرَّأسَ كلَّهُ مِن قرنِ الشَّعرِ كلِّ ناحيةٍ لمنصبِّ الشَّعرِ لا يحرِّكُ الشَّعرَ عن هيئتِهِ (Sahih Abi Dawood: 128)
"The Prophet (ﷺ) performed Wudu at her place and wiped his entire head, starting from the top and moving downwards in the direction of the hair without disturbing its original state."
Based on this Hadith, it is permissible for women to wipe their head from the front to the back of the neck once, which is sufficient. It is not necessary to return the hands to the front, especially considering the difficulty with long hair. However, ensure that the entire head is wiped up to the neck. If it is easy to return the hands from the back to the front, you may do so. If the hair gets tangled and you fix it immediately, it does not affect the validity of the Wudu.
Sheikh Maqbool Ahmed Salafi
Jeddah Dawah Center – Al-Salamah – Kingdom of Saudi Arabia