Does Long Sideburn Hair That Falls past the Jaw Need to Be Washed in Wudu?

Answered by Ustadh Sufyan Qufi

Question

When performing wudu, does long sideburn hair that falls past the jaw need to be washed with the face?

Answer

In the name of Allah, the Most Compassionate, Most Merciful,

I pray this finds you in the best of states.

No, you don’t need to wash any hair that goes beyond the face limit when it comes to the validity of your wudu. [Shurunbulali, Nur al-Idah]

The limit of the face are defined as in length from the bottom of the chin to the top of the forehead and in width from ear to ear. [Ibid]

This ruling is deduced from the meaning of the word “wajh” (face) in Arabic which goes down to what part of the head is facing someone you are talking with. [Marghinani, Hidaya]

Allah (Most High) says: “O believers! When you rise up for prayer, wash your faces and your hands up to the elbows, wipe your heads, and wash your feet to the ankles.” [Quran, 5:6]

And Allah knows best.
Wassalam
[Ustadh] Sufyan Qufi
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Abdul-Rahim Reasat

Ustadh Sufyan Qufi is an advanced seeker of knowledge, originally from Algeria, who grew up in France. He began searching far and wide for answers to the fundamental questions of life and was disappointed at the answers he found. Then he connected with various traditional teachers and gradually connected with SeekersGuidance. He embarked on his journey of learning through the various teachers at SeekersGuidance, including his mentor Shaykh Faraz Rabbani. He studied numerous texts in Islamic Law, Theology, Hadith, and other areas with Shaykh Faraz Rabbani and other teachers, including Shaykh Abdurrahman al-Sha‘ar, Shaykh Ali Hani, and others. He is an active instructor at SeekersGuidance and answers questions through the SeekersGuidance Answers Service.