How much of my head do I wipe in wudu?
It depends on the school, but wiping the whole head once is best. The Quran tells us to wipe our heads without giving a measurement. The Prophet ﷺ wiped his whole head, which is required by the Maliki and Hanbali schools. The Hanafis require about a quarter of the head, and the Shafi'is accept wiping even part of it.
What the Quran says
Allah mentions the head in the wudu verse, and notice that the verb is "wipe", not "wash":
Wiping means passing wet hands over the head. You do not pour water on it or scrub it. This is why the head is the lightest part of wudu.
How the Prophet ﷺ did it
Abdullah ibn Zayd described the Prophet's ﷺ wudu: he passed his wet hands over his head from the front to the back and then back to the front, starting from where he began (Sahih al-Bukhari 185). In another report of the same wudu, he wiped his head once (Sahih al-Bukhari 186). Note that the face and arms are washed three times, but the head is wiped once.
Step by step:
- Wet both hands.
- Place them on your forehead at the hairline.
- Slide them back to the nape of your neck, then bring them forward to where you started.
- Then wipe your ears, with the index fingers inside and thumbs behind.
The neck itself is not part of the head wipe. See Do I need to wipe my neck in wudu?
What each school requires
- Hanafi: at least a quarter of the head.
- Maliki and Hanbali: the whole head.
- Shafi'i: any part of the head, even a few hairs, as long as it counts as wiping.
If you wipe the whole head once, front to back and back again, your wudu is valid in every school.
Short hair, long hair and hijab
If you have short hair or a shaved head, wipe the hair or the skin. With long hair, wipe the top and the hair that falls naturally; you do not need to undo braids or buns. Women who wear hijab can slide a wet hand under the front edge of the scarf. The schools have different views on wiping over a scarf. See Can I wipe over my hijab in wudu?
Wiping the head is one of several required parts. See What are the obligatory parts of wudu?
- The head is wiped, not washed (Quran 5:6).
- The Prophet ﷺ wiped the whole head once, front to back and back again (Sahih al-Bukhari 185).
- Schools differ: a quarter, a part, or the whole head.
- Wiping the whole head satisfies every school.
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