Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,

As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.  (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)

One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

Dear Burhan Bhai, Assalam-o-eleikum,

Is it necessary to wipe the neck and the space between the fingers of the hand while doing "masah"? 

(There may be some grammatical and spelling errors in the above statement. The forum does not change anything from questions, comments and statements received from our readers for circulation in confidentiality.)

Answer:

Wipe neck in wudu

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is no one (no idol, no person, no grave, no prophet, no imam, no dai, nobody!) worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 5 Surah Maidah verse 6 (part):

6 O ye who believe! When ye prepare for prayer wash your faces and your hands (and arms) to the elbows; rub your heads (with water); and (wash) your feet to the ankles.

Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 3.155 Narrated by Humran

I saw Uthman (r.a.) performing ablution; he washed his hands thrice, rinsed his mouth and then washed his nose by putting water in it and then blowing it out, and washed his face thrice, and then washed his right forearm up to the elbow thrice, and then the left-forearm up to the elbow thrice, then smeared his head with water, washed his right foot thrice, and then his left foot thrice and said, "I saw Allah's Messenger (saws) performing ablution similar to my present ablution.”

Allah Subhanah has commanded the believers to wash their hands in wudu, and since the fingers form a part of one’s hands, it is absolutely obligatory to wash one’s hands in a manner whereby no part of one’s hands are left dry. It is indeed obligatory that the space between one’s fingers must not be left untouched by water when doing one’s wudu.

If while wiping (massa) one’s head, which is obligatory while performing wudu, one’s happens to touch the back of one’s neck, there is no harm; but it is neither a condition of wudu, nor necessary, nor a Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (saws) to wipe one’s neck while performing the wudu.

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me alone. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

Your brother and well wisher in Islam,

Burhan