How Should I Wipe My Head during Wudu With a Headband?

Answered by Ustadha Shazia Ahmad

Question

I am a female who wears a headband while doing wudu. How should I wipe my head in that condition?

Answer

This integral of ablution (wudu) is discussed in the Reliance of the Traveller. It says:

“Then one wipes the head with wet hands, beginning at the front of the head, sliding the paired hands back to the nape of the neck, and then returning them to where one began, (O: This is an explanation of the best way, for otherwise, fulfilling the obligation does not depend on starting at the front, but may be from any part of the head.) One does this three times. […]”

Each of the following suffices as wiping the head:

1. to place the hand on the head without moving it so that one wets any of what is referred to as “wiping the head,” the minimum of which is part of a single hair, provided this part does not hang below the limits of the head;
2.  to drip water on the head without making it flow over it;
3. or to wash the head.

If it is difficult to remove one’s turban, then after wiping the minimum of the head required, one may finish by wiping the turban.

Conclusion

As you can see, it is sufficient to wet a part of one hair; you can do this by sticking a finger or hand in to wipe the hair under your headband.

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 aqida, 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.