the elbows and ankles when washing; rather, one need only reach them, because “up to” marks a limit. This is the more evident view. Nevertheless, including them in the washing is more cautious, as it removes the difficulty of precisely determining the boundary. Those who hold that washing them is obligatory say that “up to” means “with,” a usage found in Arabic. Allah, Almighty and Majestic, says:

“Who will be my helpers in Allah’s cause?” [Āl ʿImrān: 52]

That is, “with Allah.” He also says:

“Do not consume their wealth by adding it to your own.” [al-Nisāʾ: 2]

That is, “along with your own wealth.” Al-Mubarrid said that when a boundary is of the same kind as the thing bounded, it is included within it. Thus, when you say, “I sold the cloth from one edge to the other,” both edges are included in the sale. Those who maintain that “up to” means “with” in the verse on ablution would consequently have to require washing the arms up to the shoulders, since Arabic usage extends the word “hand” to the entire arm.

As for Allah’s words, Almighty and Majestic:

“Wipe over your heads” [al-Māʾidah: 6],

there is disagreement concerning the preposition bāʾ: some say that it indicates partiality, while others say that it denotes contact, not partiality. Mālik—may Allah Most High have mercy on him—held that the entire head must be wiped and that repetition is obligatory for anyone who does less, just as for someone who leaves part of his face unwashed. This is contrary to the position of Abū Hanīfah and al-Shāfiʿī. Muhammad ibn Maslamah said that wiping two-thirds of the head is sufficient, while Abū al-Faraj said that wiping one-third is sufficient. In one of the reports in al-ʿUtbiyyah, Ashhab said that no repetition is required of someone who wipes the front of his head.

The evidence supporting Mālik’s position is Allah’s saying, exalted is He:

“Wipe over your heads” [al-Māʾidah: 6],

just as He says concerning dry ablution:

“Wipe over your faces” [al-Māʾidah: 6].

Since it is not permissible in dry ablution to wipe only part of the face rather than the whole, [the same applies to the head. Likewise, when circumambulating the House, one may not confine the circumambulation to only part of it], even though Allah says in His Book:

“Let them circumambulate the Ancient House” [al-Hajj: 29].

For the preposition bāʾ here denotes contact, not partiality. Further evidence supporting this position is that an exception can validly be made in this construction. If you said, “Wipe over your head except for one-third of it,” that would be valid, just as if you had said