Question:
In the shafi’i madhhab, is the wiping of the head during wudu done three times or once?
Answer:
It is sunnah to wipe the head thrice in ablution. (Fath al-Wahhab 1/14; al-Hawashy al-Madaniyyah 1/77; Tuhfat al-Muhtaj 1/230-31) Some early authorities held that the head should be wiped thrice, such as Said b. Jubayr, Ata, and Maysarah. (al-Talkhis al-Habir 1/147) Bayhaqi related from Qatadah < Anas,
أنه كان يمسح على رأسه ثلاثا ويأخذ لكل واحدة ماءا جديدا
“That he would wipe his head thrice, and take new water for each.” (Khilafiyyat 1/133)
Some of the Shafiyyah considered wiping three times as obligatory; the opinion has been transmitted on the authority of Shaykh Abu Hamid al-Isfarayni. (al-Talkhis al-Habir 1/147) Fawrani transmitted a similar view from Ibn Abi Layla. (Ibid) The Shafiyyah’s position is that wiping the head thrice while performing ablution is a sunnah. Hadith evidence is found in support of this view.
The Narrations of Uthman b. Affan
There is the hadith of Uthman,
أن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم توضأ فمسح رأسه ثلاثا
“That the Prophet (Salla Allah alayhi wa sallam) performed ablution, and wiped his head thrice.”
The narrations of Uthman have been related through various channels of transmission. Ten of those channels shall be presented here.
Channel of Transmission One
It has been related by Abu Dawud and Bazzar. (al-Bahr al-Zakhkhar #418 2/73-74; Sunan Abi Dawud #108 1/197-98) Both of them related it via Muhammad b. al-Muthanna < Dahhak b. Makhlad < Abd al-Rahman b. Wardan < Abu Salamat b. Abd al-Rahman < Humran b. Aban the mawla of Uthman < Uthman b. Affan.
Abu Dawud related from Hasan b. Ali al-Hulwani < Abd al-Razzaq < Mamar < Zuhri < Ata b. Yazid al-Laythi < Humran that,
رأيت عثمان بن عفان توضأ فأفرغ على يديه ثلاثا فغسلهما ثم تمضمض واستنثر ثم غسل وجهه ثلاثا وغسل يده اليمنى إلى المرفق ثلاثا ثم اليسرى مثل ذلك ثم مسح رأسه ثم غسل قدمه اليمنى ثلاثا ثم اليسرى مثل ذلك ثم قال رأيت رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم توضأ مثل وضوئي هذا…
“I saw Uthman b. Affan performing ablution. He poured over his hands thrice, then he washed them both, then he rinsed his mouth and nose. Thereafter, he washed his face thrice and washed his right arm to the elbow thrice, then the left in a like manner. Then, he wiped his head. Thereafter, he washed his right foot thrice followed by the left in a similar manner. Then, he said, ‘I saw Allah’s Messenger (Salla Allah alayhi wa sallam) perform ablution like this ablution of mine…”’
Following the hadith of Hasan b. Ali, Abu Dawud related from Muhammad b. al-Muthanna < Dahhak b. Makhlad < Abd al-Rahman b. Wardan < Abu Salamat b. Abd al-Rahman < Humran < Uthman b. Affan that,
توضأ فذكر نحوه ولم يذكر المضمضة والاستنشاق وقال فيه ومسح رأسه ثلاثا ثم غسل رجليه ثلاثا ثم قال رأيت رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم توضأ هكذا وقال من توضأ دون هذا كفاه
“He performed ablution, and mentioned its manner. He did not mention rinsing the mouth and nose. He said that he wiped his head thrice and then washed his feet thrice. Thereafter, he said that he saw Allah’s Messenger (Sall Allah alayhi wa sallam) perform ablution like this, and he said, ‘Whoever performs ablution less than this, it shall suffice him.”’
Bazzar’s wording is,
رأيت عثمان توضأ فغسل يديه ثلاثا وغسل وجهه ثلاثا وغسل ذراعيه ثلاثا ومسح رأسه ثلاثا وغسل رجليه…
“I saw Uthman perform ablution. He washed his hands thrice, washed his face thrice, washed his arms thrice, wiped his head thrice, washed his feet…”
Also, Daraqutni related the hadith. (Sunan al-Daraqutni 1/158)
All of the narrators of the hadith are to Bukhari and Muslim’s standard with the exception of Ibn Wardan, only Abu Dawud related from him. He is Abu Bakr Abd al-Rahman b. Wardan al-Ghifari al-Makki. Both Abu Hatim al-Razi and Yahya b. Main accepted him and vindicated his status as a reliable narrator. Abu Hatim said, “ma bi hadithihi bas.” And, Ibn Main said, “salih.” (Tahdhib al-Kamal #3988 17/477) Daraqutni said, “salih.” (Tahrir Taqrib al-Tahdhib 2/356) Hafiz Ibn Hajar said that he is “maqbul.” (Taqrib al-Tahdhib #4038) Others have assessed that he ranks in a higher category declaring him to be, “saduq hasan al-hadith.” (Tahrir Taqrib al-Tahdhib 2/356) Ibn al-Mulaqqin said, “saduq.” (al-Badr al-Munir 2/172) Abu Dawud did not discuss him, hence, he would have considered him to either relate at the level of hasan or sahih.
Channel Two
Abu Dawud related it as follows, Harun b. Abd al-Rahman < Yahya b. Adam < Israil < Amir b. Shaqiq b. Jamrah < Shaqiq b. Salamah who said,
رأيت عثمان بن عفان رضى الله عنه غسل ذراعيه ثلاثا ثلاثا ومسح برأسه ثلاثا ثم قال رأيت رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم فعل هذا
“I saw Uthman b. Affan, Allah be pleased with him, washing his arms thrice and wiping his head thrice. Thereafter, he said, ‘I saw Allah’s Messenger (Salla Allah alayhi wa sallam) do this.”’
Daraqutni also related this hadith. (Sunan al-Daraqutni 1/158) All of the narrators in the isnad can be found in the books of Bukhari and Muslim with the exception of Harun (who is exclusive to Muslim) and Amir b. Shaqiq. Hafiz Ibn Hajar said that Amir b. Shaqiq is, “layyin al-hadith.” (Taqrib al-Tahdhib #3093) Ibn Hibban mentioned Amir in Kitab al-Thiqat. (7/249) Nasai said, “laysa bihi bas.” (Tahdhib al-Kamal 14/41) As well, Amir is found in the books of Abu Dawud, Tirmidhi, and Ibn Majah. (Ibid) Abu Hatim said, “laysa bi qawi.” Ibn Main said, “daif.” (al-Jarh wa al-Tadil 6/322) However, no reason for vilification [jarh] has been given; and, it is a known principle amongst the hadith scholars that if vilification is made without reason, then it is not accepted. (al-Raf wa al-Takmil 80) Hafiz Bayhaqi mentioned this channel of transmission and then cited his teacher, Hakim Naysaburi as saying (Khilafiyyat 1/309),
لا أعلم في عامر طعنا بوجه من الوجوه
Channel Three
< Muhammad b. Abd Allah b. Abi Maryam who said,
دخلت على ابن دارة فقال رأيت عثمان دعا بوضوء فمضمض ثلاثا واستنشق ثلاثا وغسل وجهه ثلاثا وذراعيه ثلاثا ومسح برأسه ثلاثا وغسل قدميه ثم قال من أحب أن ينظر إلى وضوء رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم فهذا وضوء رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم
“I entered upon Ibn Darah, and then he said, “I saw Uthman call for ablution water. Then he rinsed his mouth thrice, his nose thrice, washed his face thrice, his arms thrice, wiped his head thrice, and washed his feet. Thereafter, he said, ‘Whoever likes to see the ablution of Allah’s Messenger (Salla Allah alayhi wa sallam), this is his ablution.”’
Imam Ahmad related it from Safwan b. Isa < Muhammad b. Abd Allah b. Abi Maryam. (Musnad 1/61)
Also, Daraqutni related it from Husayn b. Ismail < Muhammad b. Abd Allah al-Mukharrimi < Safwan b. Isa < Muhammad b. Abd Allah b. Abi Maryam < Ibn Darah the mawla of Uthman. (Sunan al-Daraqutni 1/160) Ibn Hibban mentioned Ibn Darah in Kitab al-Thiqat. (#2744 4/247) Hafiz Ibn Hajar said Ibn Darah is “majhul al-hal.” (al-Talkhis al-Habir 1/146) Regarding Muhammad b. Abd Allah b. Abi Maryam, Abu Hatim al-Razi said, “shaykh madani salih.” Ibn al-Qattan said, “lam yakun bihi bas.” (al-Jarh wa al-Tadil #1660 7/306) Ibn Hibban mentioned him in Kitab al-Thiqat. (#10659 7/419) Zarqani, in his commentary on Malik’s Muwatta, mentioned that he was one of Imam Malik’s teachers. (3/296)
Channel Four
< Ishaq b. Yahya < Muawiyat b. Abd Allah b. Jafar b. Abi Talib < his father Abd Allah < Uthman b. Affan,
أنه توضأ فغسل يديه ثلاثا كل واحدة منهما واستنثر ثلاثا ومضمض ثلاثا وغسل وجهه ثلاثا وغسل ذراعيه كل واحدة منهما ثلاثا ثلاثا ومسح برأسه ثلاثا وغسل رجليه ثلاثا ثلاثا كل واحدة منهما ثم قال رأيت النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم يتوضأ هكذا
“That he performed ablution, and washed his hands thrice each, he rinsed his mouth thrice, rinsed his nose thrice, washed his face thrice, washed each one of his arms thrice each, wiped his head thrice, and washed his feet thrice each. Thereafter, he said, ‘I saw the Prophet (Salla Allah alayhi wa sallam) perform ablution like this.”’
Daraqutni related this hadith from Husayn b. Ismail < Muhammad b. Ismail b. Yusuf al-Sulami < Ayyub b. Sulayman b. Bilal < Abu Bakr < Sulayman b. Bilal < Ishaq b. Yahya. (Sunan al-Daraqutni 1/157) Thereafter, he said that there is no disagreement in it, however, Ishaq b. Yahya is, “laysa bi qawi.” Ishaq is Abu Muhammad Ishaq b. Yahya b. Talhat b. Ubayd Allah. (Lisan al-Mizan #2291 7/175) Ibn al-Mulaqqin mentioned that Ishaq is found in the books of Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah. (al-Badr al-Munir 2/176) Also, Ibn Hibban included him in his Kitab al-Thiqat (#6652 6/45) and said,
يخطىء ويهم قد أدخلنا إسحاق بن يحيى هذا في الضعفاء لما كان فيه من الإيهام ثم سبرت أخباره فإذا الاجتهاد أدى إلى أن يترك ما لم يتابع عليه ويحتج بما وافق الثقات بعد أن استخرنا الله تعالى فيه
Ahmad b. Hanbal said, “munkar al-hadith laysa bi shay.” Ibn Main said, “daif la yuktabu hadithuhu.” (al-Jarh wa al-Tadil #835 2/237) Nasai said, “madani matruk al-hadith.” (Tarikh Dimashq 8/297) Bukhari said, “yatakallamun fi hifzihi.” (Mizan al-Itidal #802 1/204)
Channel Five
< Salih b. Abd al-Jabbar < Ibn al-Baylamani < his father < Uthman b. Affan,
أنه توضأ بالمقاعد والمقاعد بالمدينة حيث يصلى على الجنائز عند المسجد فغسل كفيه ثلاثا ثلاثا واستنثر ثلاثا وتمضمض ثلاثا وغسل وجهه ثلاثا ويديه إلى المرفقين ثلاثا ومسح برأسه ثلاثا إلخ
Daraqutni related this hadith from Husayn b. Ismail < Shuyab b. Muhammad al-Hadrami < Rabi b. Sulayman al-Hadrami < Salih. (Sunan al-Daraqutni 1/160)
Ibn al-Baylamani is Muhammad b. Abd al-Rahman. Although both Abu Dawud and Ibn Majah relate from him, he is weak. Ibn Adi reported that Bukhari said, “Abd al-Rahman b. al-Baylamani an Abihi munkar al-hadith.” (Kamil 6/179) Also, Bukhari stated,
كل من قلت فيه منكر الحديث لا يحل الرواية عنه
“Whoever I say regarding him, “munkar al-hadith,” it is not permissible to narrate from him.” (al-Raf wa al-Takmil 208)
His father is Abd al-Rahman, and is found in the four books. Ibn Hibban mentioned him in Kitab al-Thiqat as the mawla of Umar b. al-Khattab. (#4000 5/91) Ibn Hibban also stated that his son, Muhammad, would falsify things and them attribute to his father. (Ibid)
Channel Six
< Hisham b. Urwah < his father < Humran < Uthman,
أنه أتى بماء فمضمض واستنشق وغسل وجهه ثلاثا ويديه ثلاثا ثلاثا ومسح برأسه ثلاثا حتى أتى على الوضوء وقال هكذا رأيت رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم يتوضأ
“That he took water, rinsed his mouth and nose, washed his face thrice, his hands thrice, wiped his head thrice, until he completed ablution. Then, he said, ‘Like this I saw Allah’s Messenger (Salla Allah alayhi wa sallam) perform ablution.”’
Bazzar related it from Ubayd b. Ismail al-Habbari < Abu Usamah < Hisham. (al-Bahr al-Zakhkhar #423 2/76)
Channel Seven
Layth b. Sad < Khalid < Said b. Abi Hilal < Ata b. Abi Rabah,
أن عثمان رضى الله عنه أتى بوضوء…ثم مسح برأسه ثلاثا حتى قفاه…
At the end of the hadith, Uthman ascribed the manner of his making ablution to the Prophet (Salla Allah alayhi wa sallam). Bayhaqi indicated toward there being discontinuance in the isnad between Ata and Uthman. (al-Sunan al-Kubra 1/63)
Channel Eight
Uthman,
توضأ ثلاثا ثلاثا وقال هكذا رأيت رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم توضأ
“Performed ablution thrice, thrice, and then said, ‘Like this I saw Allah’s Messenger (Salla Allah alayhi wa sallam) perform ablution.”’
Bazzar related it from Muhammad b. al-Muthanna and Amr b. Ali both of them < Uthman b. Umar < Fulayh b. Sulayman < Said b. al-Harith < Kharijat b. Zayd b. Thabit < his father < Uthman. (al-Bahr al-Zakhkhar #343 2/7) Thereafter, Bazzar stated (Ibid),
وهذا الحديث حسن الإسناد ولا نعلم روى زيد بن ثابت ، عن عثمان حديثا مسندا إلا هذا الحديث ولا له إسناد عن زيد بن ثابت إلا هذا الإسناد
“This hadith is hasan al-isnad. We are not aware of Zayd b. Thabit narrating from Uthman a hadith musnad besides for this hadith. And, there is not an isnad for it from Zayd b. Thabit besides this isnad.”
Ibn al-Mulaqqin mentioned (al-Badr al-Munir 2/178),
وقد تقدم في الحديث الثلاثين أن مسلما والبيهقي روياه أيضا
Channel Nine
< Abd al-Karim < Humran who said,
توضأ عثمان فغسل وجهه ثلاثا ويديه ثلاثا ومسح برأسه وغسل رجليه ثلاثا ثلاثا
“Uthman performed ablution, he washed his face thrice, his hands thrice, wiped his head, and washed his feet thrice.”
Again, at the end of the hadith the action is ascribed to the Prophet (Salla Allah alayhi wa sallam). Bazzar has related this hadith from Muhammad b. Marzuq < Abd Allah b. Raja < Abd al-Aziz al-Majishun < Abd al-Karim. (al-Bahr al-Zakhkhar #441 1/88)
Channel Ten
< Abd Allah b. Ubayd b. Umayr < Abu Alqamah the mawla of Ibn Abbas < Uthman,
أنه دعا بوضوء وعنده ناس من أصحاب رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم فأفرغ بيده اليمنى على اليسرى وغسلهما ثلاثا ومضمض ثلاثا واسنتشق ثلاثا وغسل وجهه ثلاثا ويديه إلى المرفقين ثلاثا ثم مسح برأسه وغسل رجليه فأنقاهما ثم قال رأيت رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم توضأ مثل هذا الوضوء
“That he called for ablution water whilst there were with him some companions of Allah’s Messenger (Salla Allah alayhi wa sallam). Then, he poured with his right hand on his left and washed them both thrice. He rinsed his mouth thrice and his nose thrice, he washed his face thrice, and his arms with the elbows thrice. Thereafter, he wiped his head and washed his feet. Then, he said, ‘I saw Allah’s Messenger (Salla Allah alayhi wa sallam) perform ablution like this ablution.”’
Bazzar related it from Muhammad b. Marzuq < Muhammad b. Bakr al-Bursani < Ubayd Allah b. Abi Ziyad al-Qaddah < Abd Allah. (al-Bahr al-Zakhkhar #443 2/89)
Comments on the Hadith of Uthman
Imam Nawawi mentioned,
حديث عثمان هذا رواه أبو داود بإسناد حسن قال وذكر أيضا الشيخ أبو عمرو ابن الصلاح أنه حديث حسن وربما ارتفع من الحسن إلى الصحة بشواهد وكثرة طرقه فإن البيهقي وغيره رووه من طرق كثيرة غير طريق أبي داود
“This hadith of Uthman has been related by Abu Dawud with a hasan isnad. As well, Shaykh Ibn al-Salah mentioned that it is a hadith hasan. Perhaps its grade advanced from hasan to sahih on account of the corroborating narrations and multiple channels of transmission, as various authorities, like Bayhaqi and others, have related it via channels other than Abu Dawud.” (Sharh al-Muhadhdhab 1/498)
Abu Dawud stated (Sunan Abi Dawud 1/198)
أحاديث عثمان الصحاح كلها تدل على مسح الرأس أنه مرة فإنهم ذكروا الوضوء ثلاثا قالوا فيها ومسح رأسه لم يذكروا عددا كما ذكروا في غيره
It should be noted that there is no contradiction. What has been established is that the hadith of Abu Dawud is hasan. Abu Dawud said, “Ahadith Uthman al-Sihah,” meaning, “Uthman’s sahih narrations.” Abu Dawud did not deny the hadith’s hasan grade. Additionally, to consider the hadith admissible as evidence on the virtue of a single channel of transmission may be questionable. Be that as it may, the hadith has been transmitted through various channels, more then one of them reaching the level of hasan. Furthermore, many of the prominent sahih hadith do not explicitly mention a number of wipes; while they do mention that the head was wiped. Moreover, they do not negate a number of wipes. Bayhaqi mentioned,
ما روي في حديث عثمان وغيره من المسح مرة واحدة فليس فيه نفي عدد وفيما رويناه إثباته سنة والأولى بنا الجمع بين الخبرين
“What has been narrated in the hadith of Uthman and the others regarding wiping the head is a single wipe, even so, there is not in it any negation of a number. In what we have related is the confirmation of a sunnah. It is best, according to us, to search for an understanding that reconciles the two narrations.” (Khilafiyyat 1/328-29)
It is a principle amongst the Shafiyyah that when hadiths contradict, the first approach is to try and reconcile the narrations by searching for an understanding that embraces the seemingly conflicting narrations. Therefore, possibly the hadiths that indicate to a single wipe are specific to explain what is obligatory, and the hadiths that indicate to three wipes are specific to explain what is sunnah. Zarkashi mentioned,
فعله صلى الله عليه وسلم إنما يحمل على بيان الجواز في شيء يتكرر فعله كثيرا فيفعله مرة أو مرات على الوجه الجائز لبيان الجواز ويواظب غالبا على فعله على أكمل وجوهه كالوضوء مرة ومرتين وثلاثا كله ثابت والكثير أنه صلى الله عليه وسلم توضأ ثلاثا ثلاثا
“His (Salla Allah alayhi wa sallam) performance of an action serves as evidence, affirming permissibility in a thing. Perhaps his action is frequently repeated, accordingly, he did a thing once or more than once in a merely permissible manner in order to demonstrate permissibility. Generally, he would persist in doing an action in the most perfect of its forms; like ablution once, twice, and thrice, all of them are established, whilst most frequently he would perform ablution thrice, thrice.” (al-Bahr al-Muhit 3/258)
This approach accommodates the narrations mentioned where the Prophet (Salla Allah alayhi wa sallam) is reported to have wiped his head once or twice. For instance,
Hafiz Ibn Hajar mentioned some of the channels of transmission for what specifies a single wipe. (al-Talkhis al-Habir 1/215-16)
Ibn Majah related through Abu Hayyah < Ali,
أن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم مسح رأسه مرة
“That Allah’s Messenger (Salla Allah alayhi wa sallam) wiped his head one time.” (Sunan Ibn Majah #436)
Tabarani related a hadith on the authority of Anas with the wording,
مسح برأسه مرة
“He wiped his head one time.” (al-Mujam al-Kabir #2905)
Nasai related from Muhammad b. Mansur < Sufyan < Amr b. Yahya < his father < Abd Allah b. Zayd who said (Sunan al-Nasai #172),
رأيت رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم توضأ فغسل وجهه ثلاثا ويديه مرتين وغسل رجليه مرتين ومسح برأسه مرتين فرض الوضوء
Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah related through the channel of Abd Allah b. Muhammad b. Aqil < Rubayyi bint Muawwidh,
أنه صلى الله عليه وسلم مسح رأسه مرتين
“That he (Salla Allah alayhi wa sallam) wiped his head twice.” (Sunan Ibn Majah #432; Sunan al-Tirmidhi #31)
Other Narrations Specific to Wiping Thrice
Besides the narrations of Uthman, there are also narrations that come from Ali that the head should be wiped thrice. Bayhaqi related from Husayn b. Muhammad al-Tusi < Abd Allah b. Umar < Shuayb b. Ayyub < Abd al-Hamid al-Himmani < Abu Hanifa < Khalid b. Alqamah < Abd Khayr,
أن علي بن أبي طالب رضى الله عنه دعا بماء فتوضأ فغسل كفيه ثلاثا ثلاثا وتمضمض واستنشق ثلاثا وغسل وجهه ثلاثا وغسل يديه ثلاثا ثلاثا ومسح برأسه ثلاثا وغسل قدميه ثلاثا ثلاثا ثم قال هكذا رأيت رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم فعل
“That Ali b. Abi Talib called for ablution water to make ablution. Then, he washed his hands thrice, rinsed his mouth and nose thrice, washed his face thrice, washed his arms thrice, wiped his head thrice, and washed his feet thrice. Thereafter, he said, ‘Like this I saw Allah’s Messenger (Salla Allah alayhi wa sallam) do.”’ (Khilafiyyat 1/311-16)
Bayhaqi mentioned after relating this hadith,
هكذا رواه الحسن بن زياد اللؤلؤي عن أبي حنيفة ومسح برأسه ثلاثا
Bayhaqi related from Abu al-Hasan b. Abdan < Ahmad b. Ubayd al-Saffar < Abbas b. al-Fadl and Ibrahim b. al-Mundhir < Ibn Wahb < Ibn Jurayj < Muhammad b. Ali b. Husayn < from his father < from his grandfather,
أنه توضأ فغسل وجهه ثلاثا وغسل يديه ثلاثا ومسح برأسه ثلاثا وغسل رجليه ثلاثا وقال هكذا رأيت رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم توضأ
“That he performed ablution and washed his face thrice, washed his hands thrice, wiped his head thrice, washed his feet thrice, and then said, ‘Like this I saw Allah’s Messenger (Salla Allah alayhi wa sallam) perform ablution.”’ (Ibid, 319)
Ibn al-Mulaqqin mentioned that Bayhaqi said,
وأحسن ما روي عن علي فيه ما رواه عنه ابنه الحسن بن علي فذكره بإسناد عنه وذكر مسح الرأس ثلاثا وقال هكذا رأيت النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم توضأ وإسناده حسن
“The best of what is related from Ali is what his son Hasan [it comes in al-Sunan al-Kubra as Husayn, and Bayhaqi mentioned the narration in his Khilafiyyat as coming through Husayn] related from him. Then, he mentioned with an isnad from him that he wiped his head thrice, and said, ‘Like this I saw the Prophet (Salla Allah alayhi wa sallam) perform ablution,’ and its isnad is hasan.”’ (al-Badr al-Munir 1/182)
Bukhari related from Muhammad b. Ali < Abu Hafs b. Ali < Abu Asim < Ibn Jurayj < Shaybah,
أن محمد بن علي أخبره عن حسين بن علي أخبره أنه رأى عليا توضأ ثلاثا قال رأيت أباك يفعله
“That Muhammad b. Ali informed him from Husayn b. Ali who informed him that he saw Ali performing ablution thrice. Ali said, ‘I saw your father [meaning the Prophet (Salla Allah alayhi wa sallam)] do it.” (al-Tarikh al-Kabir 2/2/242)
Daraqutni related through Muhammad b. Abd al-Rahman b. al-Baylamani < his father < Ibn Umar < the Prophet (Salla Allah alayhi wa sallam) who said,
من توضأ فغسل كفيه ثلاثا واستنثر ثلاثا وغسل وجهه ويديه ثلاثا ثلاثا ومسح رأسه ثلاثا وغسل رجليه ثلاثا ثلاثا ثم قال أشهد أن لا إله إلا الله وأن محمدا عبده ورسوله قبل أن يتكلم غفر له ما بين الوضوءين
“Whoever performed ablution by washing his hands thrice, rinsing his nose thrice, washing the his face thrice, wiping his head thrice, and washing his feet thrice, and thereafter says, “I testify that there is no god but Allah and Muhammad is his servant and messenger,” before he speaks shall have forgiven that which is between the two ablutions.” (Sunan al-Daraqutni 1/161)
The issue of Ibn al-Baylamani relating from his father has been presented above.
In Conclusion
Imam Nawawi mentioned,
ومنها حديث أبي رافع وابن أبي أوفى أن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم توضأ ومسح رأسه ثلاثا…واعتمد الإمام الشافعي في استحباب التثليث في المسح حديث عثمان الثابت في مسلم وغيره من الأحاديث المتقدمة أن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم توضأ ثلاثا ثلاثا ووجه الدلالة منه أن قوله توضأ يشمل الغسل والمسح
“From them are the narrations of Abu Rafi and Ibn Abi Awfa that the Prophet (Salla Allah alayhi wa sallam) performed ablution and wiped his head thrice…Imam Shafi relied, for the recommended nature of wiping thrice, on the established hadith of Uthman in Muslim (and other sources) and from the other narrations that the Prophet performed ablution thrice, thrice. And, the implication is that the statement, “performed ablution,” encompasses both washing and wiping.” (Sharh al-Muhadhdhab 1/498-99)
There are narrations that the Prophet (Salla Allah alayhi wa sallam) wiped his head once, twice, and thrice. The different narrations may have influenced different opinions. Baghawi mentioned that the scholars have differed as to whether or not wiping the head thrice in ablution is considered as a sunnah. (Sharh al-Sunnah 1/318-19) Many great scholars opined that it is sunnah to wipe only once. This was the opinion of Imam Malik, Imam Abu Hanifa, and Imam Ahmad b. Hanbal. (Ibid) Imam Shafi’s opinion is that it is sunnah to wipe the head thrice in ablution. (Ibid)
Ibn al-Mulaqqin’s al-Badr al-Munir and Hafiz Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani’s al-Talkhis al-Habir have been perused for some of the information herein; they are excellent sources for further reading, Allah bless them and benefit us through their knowledge.
Allah knows best.
Shafiifiqh.com Fatwa Dept.