There is no doubt that the last opinion is the sounder one, for its proofs are strong and, to the best of my knowledge, face no opposing evidence. Allah knows best.

The scholars are unanimous that wiping the head is obligatory, and they likewise agree that wiping the whole head is recommended. Their dispute concerns only whether wiping part of it is sufficient or whether the entire head must be wiped.

Al-Thawri, al-Awzaʿi, Abu Hanifah, and al-Shafiʿi allow one to confine the wiping to part of the head, though they differ about the minimum area that suffices. Malik and Ahmad, however, insist that the whole head must be wiped.

The first group base their view on the verse, “Wipe over your heads” (Q 5:6), arguing that the preposition bi- in biruʾusikum denotes partiality. They also cite Muslim’s report from al-Mughirah: “The Prophet performed ablution and wiped over the forelock and over the turban.”

Those who require wiping the entire head reply with numerous hadiths, all describing the Prophet’s ablution—among them the present report and the narration collected by all the major compilers: “He wiped his head with both hands, bringing them forward and back: he began at the front of his head, moved them to the nape, then returned them to the place from which he had started.”

They answer the partial-wiping evidence by saying that the preposition bi- is never used in Arabic for the sense of “some of”; rather, in the verse it conveys attachment—“attach the wiping to your heads.” This, they maintain, is the literal meaning of bi-. When Naftawayh and Ibn Durayd were asked whether bi- could mean “some of,” they knew of no such usage. Ibn Burhan remarked, “Whoever claims that bi- signifies partiality has attributed to the experts of Arabic something they do not acknowledge.”

Ibn al-Qayyim said, “Not a single authentic hadith states that the Prophet ever contented himself with wiping only part of his head.”

Lessons derived from the hadith

1. It is prescribed to wash the hands three times before inserting them into the vessel of water when beginning ablution.
2. One should begin on the right when taking water for washing the limbs.
3. Rinsing the mouth, inhaling water into the nose, and expelling it, in this order, are legislated. There is no disagreement about their legitimacy; the dispute concerns whether they are obligatory, and the correct view has already been mentioned.
4. The face is to be washed three times. Its limits are from the hairline to the chin lengthwise and from ear to ear breadthwise. The mouth and the nose are likewise washed thrice, for they are included in the Arabic concept of “face”—that which confronts another.
5. The hands, including the elbows, are to be washed three times.