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Fatwa CenterScholars’ opinion on one who cannot wash his ears due to illness
Question
I have a problem: during ablution. I cannot wipe my ears with water because it causes me constant pain and also I have a severe allergy to water entering my ears, even if is a small amount. Is there a solution for my condition?
Answer
All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, is His Slave and Messenger.
The majority of Muslim scholars, including Imaams Maalik and Abu Haneefah, Ash-Shaafi‘i and Ahmad 
ruled that wiping over the ears during ablution is a Sunnah and not obligatory.
Hence, there is no blame upon the questioner to give up wiping over her ears if it is proven to bring harm to her. Allaah The Exalted Says (what means): {and has not placed upon you in religion any difficulty.} [Quran 22:78]
The adopted opinion of the Hanbali school of Fiqh in this regard is that wiping over the ears during ablution is obligatory since the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said: “The ears are part of the head.” [Ahmad, Abu Daawood and At-Tirmithi]
Accordingly, if wiping over your ears would bring harm to you, then you should perform dry ablution; you should wash all the other organs of ablution with water and then apply dry ablution to your ears.
Allaah Knows best.
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