Should I Wash the Beard Hairs under My Chin for Ablution?

Answered by Ustadha Shazia Ahmad

Question

I have a thin beard. Some of my beard hairs of mine start from the boundary of the face, and then they move towards the bottom of the chin. Should I wash these beard hairs? Technically, even though they originate from the face, they extend towards the bottom of the chin. When I wash my face, only the part on the facial hair gets washed. Should I take extra water under the chin so as to wash the beard hair that extends under the chin?

Answer

Thank you for your question. May Allah reward you for your sincerity and seeking out correct knowledge and applying it to the best of your ability.

Hair below the Chin

It says in the Reliance of the Traveller:

It is obligatory to wash all facial hair inner, outer, and the skin beneath, whether the hair is thick or thin-such as eyebrows, mustache, and so forth; except for the beard, since:

1. if it is thin, its inner and outer hair and the skin beneath must be washed;
2. but if thick, then the outer hair is enough, though it is recommended to saturate it by combing it from beneath with wet fingers. It is obligatory to cause the water to flow over the outer (hair of the) part of the beard that hangs below the chin (though not its inner hair), (…)

Please see the video of Habib `Umar’s ablution in this link:
Washing the Face in Wudu

May Allah give you the best of this world and the next.
[Ustadha] Shazia Ahmad
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Ustadha Shazia Ahmad lived in Damascus, Syria for two years where she studied aqidah, fiqh, tajweed, tafsir, and Arabic. She then attended the University of Texas at Austin, where she completed her Masters in Arabic. Afterward, she moved to Amman, Jordan where she studied fiqh, Arabic, and other sciences. She later moved back to Mississauga, Canada, where she lives with her family.