—as is obvious.

His remark: “It is not soundly reported that the head was wiped more than once.”

I reply: On the contrary, it is authentically reported in the ḥadīth of ʿUthmān (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet ﷺ wiped his head three times. Abū Dāwūd transmitted it through two good chains and there is a third chain that is likewise good. I dealt with these isnāds in some detail in Ṣaḥīḥ Abī Dāwūd, nos. 95–98. Al-Ḥāfiẓ said in Fatḥ al-Bārī: “Abū Dāwūd narrated it by two routes, one of which Ibn Khuzaymah and others judged sound; the report of ʿUthmān affirms wiping the head three times, and an additional detail conveyed by a trustworthy narrator is acceptable.” He also mentioned in al-Talkhīṣ that Ibn al-Jawzī, in Kashf al-Mushkil, inclined toward declaring the repetition authentic.

I say: This is the correct position, for the narration of a single wipe—even though more numerous—does not contradict the narration of three wipes. The question concerns a sunnah that may be performed at times and omitted at others. This is likewise the view chosen by al-Ṣanʿānī in Subul al-Salām; consult it if you wish.

His statement under no. 10: “The Prophet ﷺ was brought one-third of a mudd of water and performed wuḍū…”—narrated by Ibn Khuzaymah.

I say: In Bulūgh al-Marām and elsewhere, the wording cited from Ibn Khuzaymah is “two-thirds” (dual form), and the same appears in al-Mustadrak of al-Ḥākim and the Sunan of al-Bayhaqī. It therefore seems that what is printed in the book is a typographical error that should be corrected. Al-Ṣanʿānī said: “Two-thirds of a mudd is the smallest amount with which the Prophet ﷺ is reported to have performed wuḍū, whereas the ḥadīth stating that he performed it with one-third of a mudd has no basis.”

Subsequently—praise be to Allah—Ṣaḥīḥ Ibn Khuzaymah was published, and I found the ḥadīth therein (1/6; 2/118) with the dual wording. It is also cited in Ṣaḥīḥ Abī Dāwūd, 84. Allah grants success.