to the nape of the neck, then brings his hands back to where he began so that the entire head is covered. Mālik sees no particular merit in wiping the head three times, just as, in his view, one wipes the face and hands only once in tayammum, and likewise when wiping over leather socks; repeating the wipe carries no added virtue.

For the rest of the limbs, however, one should not stop at two washes, because the excellence lies in three. The best form of wuduʾ is three washes for each part; anything beyond that, once the limb has already been thoroughly washed, is considered misconduct and an innovation. Ablution performed twice for each limb is better than once, and a single thorough wash is still sufficient.

He also washes his feet three times—or until they are completely clean—ensuring they are fully covered with water and including the ankles, the two protruding bones at the junction of the leg and foot. If an amputee still has any part of the ankle, he must wash what remains; the same ruling applies to the elbows: whatever portion is left must be washed, and if nothing remains, the obligation is lifted. Interlacing the fingers and toes is preferable, yet if he simply submerges them he can be sure the water has reached between them, especially when he rubs them against one another.

Observing the prescribed order in wuduʾ is a sunnah—some say merely recommended—and the settled position of Mālik is that it is sunnah. If a person performs the ablution out of order and realizes this before praying, Mālik obliges him to repeat it in the correct sequence. Should he recall it only after the prayer, he need not repeat that prayer but must follow the proper order in future ablutions; this is the rule for sunnah acts. Earlier, however, Mālik had regarded following the order as obligatory.