Re: Namaaz and Nailpolish
a number of scholars would disagree, though it being sunnah may be the majority view
Ibn Rushd writes, “Those who expressed this opinion [that wiping the ears is obligatory] are a group from among [Imam] Malik’s followers, as he considered the ears a part of the head. [Imam] Abu Hanifa and his followers considered their wiping as obligatory, and said that they are to be wiped along with the head with the same water. Al Shafi’i considered their wiping as sunna and stipulated the renewal of water for them. This opinion [that it is sunnah] was held by another group of [Imam] Malik’s followers and they maintained that it is [Imam] Malik’s opinion..” (The Distinguished Jurist’s Primer 1/p.10)
are the ears part of the head and so obligatory to wash along with the head, or are they part of the face and hence obligatory to wash with the face? or neither?
disagreement in part stems from the understanding of and authenticity of the hadith, “The ears are part of the head” - Musnad Ahmed, Ibn Majah etc., reported by some eight companions
al Tirmidhi writes in his Sunan (34) after quoting the above hadith:
“Qutayba said: ‘I do not know whether this is a saying of the Prophet (saw) or that of Abu Amamah [note: but Abu Amamah is not the only one who reports it].’”
al Tirmidhi then writes:
“Many of the people of knowledge from the companions of the Prophet (saw) and those after them have acted according to this - that the ears are part of the head. This is [also] the saying of Sufyan al Thawri, Ibn al Mubarak, al Shafi’i [but for him they are sunnah to wash], Ahmed [ibn Hanbal] and Ishaq [ibn Rahawiyya]. Some of the people of knowledge said: ‘What is at the front (or facing) part of the ears is part of the face, and what is at the back (or rear) is part of the head’. Ishaq said: ‘In preference, their front parts are washed with the face, and their rear parts with the head.’”