the understanding of the ḥadīth: And since the ḥadīth is authentic, it indicates two issues in fiqh, on which the scholars have differed in their views. As for the first issue: Is wiping the ears an obligation or a sunnah? The Ḥanbalīs adopted the former view. Their evidence is this ḥadīth, as it explicitly includes the ears with the head, indicating that their ruling in wiping is the same as that of the head. The majority, however, hold that wiping them is only a sunnah, as mentioned in "al-Fiqh ʿalá al-Madhāhib al-Arbaʿah" (1/56). We did not find any valid evidence for them to oppose this ḥadīth except for al-Nawawī's statement in "al-Majmūʿ" (1/415) that it is weak through all its chains! And if you know that this is not the case, and that some of its chains are authentic, which al-Nawawī did not come across, and others are authentic due to supporting evidence, you can understand the weakness of this argument and the necessity of adhering to what the ḥadīth indicates regarding the obligation of wiping the ears and that they are like the head in this regard. And you have as a role model in this school of thought the Imām of the Sunnah, Abū ʿAbd Allāh Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal, and among his predecessors in this were a group of Companions, some of whom were named during the ḥadīth's verification, and al-Nawawī attributed it (1/413) to most of the predecessors. As for the other issue: Is it sufficient to use the water of the head for wiping the ears, or is new water necessary? The first view was adopted by the three Imāms, as mentioned in "Fayḍ al-Qadīr" by al-Munāwī, where he said in the explanation of the ḥadīth: "(The ears are part of the head) not of the face nor independent, meaning there is no need to take separate new water for them other than the water of the head in ablution, rather it suffices to wipe them with the moisture of the head's water, otherwise it would only be an explanation of creation, and the Prophet ﷺ was not sent for that purpose, and this is the view of the three Imāms."