By contrast, Imam Malik and Imam Ahmad maintained that wiping the whole head is obligatory, as this is firmly established by the Prophet’s own practice (Allah bless him and grant him peace) in sound and fair hadiths.

Shaykh al-Islam said, “No report at all states that he ﷺ restricted himself to wiping only part of the head.”

Ibn al-Qayyim likewise observed, “Not a single authentic hadith indicates that he ever limited himself to wiping part of the head.” He added: “Allah the Exalted says, ‘…and wipe your heads’ (5:6); the particle bi- does not signify ‘part of’ but rather connotes attachment. Whoever thinks it implies partiality has erred against the masters of the Arabic language.”

Note
Several narrations describe how the head was wiped; among them are:
1 – The hadith of ʿAli: “He wiped his head once.” (Abu Dawud 115; al-Tirmidhi 32)
2 – The hadith of ʿAbd Allah ibn Zayd: “He moved his hands forward and back.” (Muslim 235)
3 – Another version: “He began at the front of his head, brought his hands to the nape, then returned them to the place where he had started.”
4 – The hadith of al-Rubayyiʿ bint Muʿawwidh: “He wiped his head, beginning with the back of it and then the front.” (Abu Dawud 129)

There are other reports as well, which led al-Sanʿani to say, “The differences in wording should be understood as reflecting different occasions.”

I say: The variety of narrations shows that it is permissible to wipe in any manner transmitted; the sole obligation is that the entire head be covered. One should nonetheless give preference to the soundest and best-attested reports so that they predominate in one’s ablution.

Ibn al-Qayyim stated, “It has not been established that he took fresh water for his ears.”

Al-Hafiz said, “What is reliably preserved is that he wiped his head with water other than the residue on his hands, and the ears are part of the head, as the hadith declares.”

Accordingly, the Shaykh chose the view that the ears are wiped with the same water used for the head—this being the position held by the majority of scholars.