Al-Miqdam bin Madikarib reported: I saw the Messenger of Allah ﷺ perform ablution. When he reached the stage of wiping his head, he placed his palms on the front of the head. Then he moved them until he reached the nape. He then returned them to the place from where he had started.
Hadith Referenceسنن ابي داود / كتاب الطهارة / 122
Hadith Gradingالألبانی:صحيح | زبیر علی زئی:حسن, الوليد بن مسلم صرح بالسماع عند الطحاوي في معاني الآثار (1/32) وسنده صحيح وحريز بن عثمان وعبد الرحمن بن ميسرة صرح بالسماع كما تقدم (121) وانظر الحديث الآتي (122، 135) ولبعض الحديث شواهد عند أحمد (1/123 ح 1005) وغيره
Benefits and Issues: Wiping the neck separately is not established; rather, what is established is to move the hands up to the nape while wiping the head, and this very act is Sunnah and rewardable. Taking the hands back once and then returning them to the starting place is all considered a single wiping (masah).
Source: Sunan Abu Dawood – Commentary by Shaykh Umar Farooq Saeedi, Page: 122
Narrated Al-Miqdam ibn Madikarib al-Kindi: The ablution water was brought to the Messenger ﷺ and he performed ablution; he washed his hands up to wrists three times, then washed his forearms three times. He then rinsed his mouth and snuffed up water three times; then he wiped his head and ears inside and outside.
Hafiz Zubair Ali Zai
Wiping the Inside and Outside of the Ears 9: Then wipe both your ears (inside and outside) once. [النسائي 1/73 ح101 وسنده حسن، سنن ابي داود: 121 وسنده حسن، 137 وسنده حسن، ابن خزيمه: 151، 167 وسنده حسن والزيادة منه، عامر بن شقيق حسن الحديث وثقه الجمهور، مصنف ابن ابي شيبه 1/ 18 ح 176 وسنده حسن، السنن الكبريٰ للنسائي: 161]
Sayyiduna Abdullah ibn Mas'ud and Sayyiduna Anas ibn Malik (radi Allahu anhuma) used to wipe the inside and outside of their ears. [السنن الكبريٰ للبيهقي ج 1 ص 64 وسنده صحيح]
. . . For the original article, see . . . Tahqiqi wa Ilmi Maqalat by Shaykh Hafiz Zubair Ali Zai rahimahullah (Volume 2, pages 200 to 204)
Source: Research and Scholarly Articles by Shaykh Zubair Ali Zai, Page: 200