187 - Muhammad ibn Nasr narrated to us, he said: Hassan narrated to us, he said: Sufyan said: "It suffices you of your head even if it is a single hair. If the rain touches you, it suffices you—even if you do not touch it with your hand—and if it touches your hair then... [apply it] to your face, it suffices you, and if it touches a single hair, it suffices him."

Chapter: Wiping the Ears

• Ahmad—may Allah have mercy on him—was asked about wiping the ears? He said: "I prefer that one takes new water for his ears, and it was mentioned regarding Ibn Umar that he used to do that."

188 - Hannad narrated to us, he said: Waki' narrated to us, from al-Umari, from Nafi', from Ibn Umar, that he, when he performed wudu', would insert his two index fingers into his ears and wipe behind his ears with his thumbs.

189 - Isa ibn Muhammad narrated to us, he said: Abu Qutaybah narrated to us, from Malik ibn Anas, from Nafi': Ibn Umar used to take water with his two fingers for his ears.

• I said to Ahmad: So he forgot to wipe his ears? It was as if he also leaned toward repeating [the wudu'], and he said: "Verily, the two ears are part of the head."

• And I heard Ishaq saying: "If you wipe your head and do not wipe your ears intentionally, it does not suffice you. And if you wipe your ears and do not wipe your head, it does not suffice you until you wipe your head. It is not permissible to abandon wiping the ears intentionally in any case. But if he forgot or was heedless of the position of the ears, we hope it is permissible. As for leaving them intentionally, he must repeat [the act], because the matter of the Muslims regarding their wudu' is upon the wiping of the ears, from the time of the Prophet—peace be upon him—to our day; no one among the people of knowledge disagrees that they must be wiped. So when the Sunnah is established regarding wiping them, it is not permissible for us to abandon them intentionally, unless he repeats [the wudu']. As for the forgetful person, it is permissible."