AsalamuAlaykum Sheikh. I’m a male with long hair that I usually use wax to hold back. I’ve been working on making wudhu properly and I was just told that the Hanbali opinion seems to imply that the scalp must be wiped fully in wudu. Does use of waterproof wax mean all of my wudu were invalid?
Alaikum assalam
What you have heard is not entirely correct.
If you use a liquid oil, then it does not prevent the wudu in our mathhab. The Prophet had long hair, and he oiled it every few days. Water is denser than oil so if you wipe over your head the water will eventually go under the oil, and the oil will stay on top.
If you use non liquid oil, such as wax, which is waterproof, then it may prevent the water from touching the hair at all. One narration in the mathhab is that imam Ahmed said wiping some of the hair is sufficient, especially for women, for the report that Aisha used to wipe the front of her hair only in wudu. That's because the back of their hair would be usually oiled, waxed, or wrapped.
Therefore, if you only wax the back of your hair, or some of your hair, and you wipe on the front and middle, or the parts that are not waxed, that should still be fine. If you wax all of it, you must run your fingers through your hair and make sure the water you wipe reaches the hair or the scalp. No need to wash or remove the wax.
What you have heard is not entirely correct.
If you use a liquid oil, then it does not prevent the wudu in our mathhab. The Prophet had long hair, and he oiled it every few days. Water is denser than oil so if you wipe over your head the water will eventually go under the oil, and the oil will stay on top.
If you use non liquid oil, such as wax, which is waterproof, then it may prevent the water from touching the hair at all. One narration in the mathhab is that imam Ahmed said wiping some of the hair is sufficient, especially for women, for the report that Aisha used to wipe the front of her hair only in wudu. That's because the back of their hair would be usually oiled, waxed, or wrapped.
Therefore, if you only wax the back of your hair, or some of your hair, and you wipe on the front and middle, or the parts that are not waxed, that should still be fine. If you wax all of it, you must run your fingers through your hair and make sure the water you wipe reaches the hair or the scalp. No need to wash or remove the wax.
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mohamed abdullah
