What is the ruling on wiping the face after prayer or recitation?
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Question:
What is the ruling on wiping the face after prayer or after recitation? I ask for clarification on this.
Answer:
There are no authentic hadiths regarding wiping the face; rather, there are hadiths that are not free from weakness. For this reason, the stronger and more correct view is that one should not wipe his face with his hands.
Some scholars have stated that there is no harm in doing so, because there are hadiths in this matter that support one another, even though they are weak, but they may strengthen one another, making them of the category of hasan (good), of the acceptable category, which is the fourth degree, meaning hasan li-ghayrihi (good for other reasons), as al-Hafiz Ibn Hajar (may Allah have mercy on him) mentioned in his book "Bulugh al-Maram" in the final chapter.
The point is that there are no authentic hadiths regarding wiping, so the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did not do it in the prayer for rain, nor in any of the other occasions where he raised his hands, such as his position at al-Safa and al-Marwah, at 'Arafah, at Muzdalifah, and at the jamarat (pillars), for they did not mention that he wiped his face with his hands when he made du'a. This indicates that the best course is to leave it off; this is what is best.
What is the ruling on wiping the face after prayer or after recitation? I ask for clarification on this.
Answer:
There are no authentic hadiths regarding wiping the face; rather, there are hadiths that are not free from weakness. For this reason, the stronger and more correct view is that one should not wipe his face with his hands.
Some scholars have stated that there is no harm in doing so, because there are hadiths in this matter that support one another, even though they are weak, but they may strengthen one another, making them of the category of hasan (good), of the acceptable category, which is the fourth degree, meaning hasan li-ghayrihi (good for other reasons), as al-Hafiz Ibn Hajar (may Allah have mercy on him) mentioned in his book "Bulugh al-Maram" in the final chapter.
The point is that there are no authentic hadiths regarding wiping, so the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did not do it in the prayer for rain, nor in any of the other occasions where he raised his hands, such as his position at al-Safa and al-Marwah, at 'Arafah, at Muzdalifah, and at the jamarat (pillars), for they did not mention that he wiped his face with his hands when he made du'a. This indicates that the best course is to leave it off; this is what is best.
Source
binbaz.org.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.