(peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) performed wudu at her home, and she wiped her entire head (11) from the parting of the hair on every side to where the hair ends, without moving the hair from its state. Narrated by Abu Dawud. Ahmad was asked: How does a woman wipe [her head]? He said: Like this, and he placed his hand on the center of her head, then drew it to the front, then lifted it and placed it where he started, then drew it to the back. And however she wipes, after encompassing the required amount, it suffices her.

Section: It is not a Sunnah to repeat the wiping of the head, according to the correct view of the Madhhab. This is the opinion of Abu Hanifah and Malik, and it was narrated from Ibn Umar, his son Salim, al-Nakha'i, Mujahid, Talhah ibn Musarrif, and al-Hakam. Al-Tirmidhi said: The practice of most of the scholars among the companions of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and those after them is according to this.

From Ahmad, it is [also] narrated that repeating it is a Sunnah. This is permitted by the statement of al-Khiraqi due to his saying: "Three times is better." This is the Madhhab of al-Shafi'i. It was narrated from Anas. Ibn Abd al-Barr said: All of them say: Wiping the head is a single wipe. Al-Shafi'i said: He should wipe his head three times because Abu Dawud (13) narrated from Shaqiq ibn Salamah (14), who said: I saw Uthman ibn Affan wash his forearms three times and wipe his head three times. Then he said: I saw the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) do the same. The like of this was narrated from more than one of the companions of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). Uthman, Ali, Ibn Umar, Abu Hurayrah, Abd Allah ibn Abi Awfa, Abu Malik, al-Rubayyi', and Ubayy ibn Ka'b narrated that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) performed wudu [washing limbs] three times each (15). In the hadith of Ubayy, he said: "This is my wudu.