(a) Sayyidah Rubayyi' bint Mu'awwidh bin Afra' (may Allah be pleased with her) says that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) used to come to us. The narrator says: Sayyidah Rubayyi' (may Allah be pleased with her) narrated that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said to me: "Pour water for me." So I poured water for him into a small vessel, and he took one mudd and a third, or (one mudd and) a quarter, of water. Then he said: "Pour water over my hands." Then he washed his palms three times and said: "Put it (the vessel) down." She says: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) performed ablution while I was watching. He (peace and blessings be upon him) washed his face three times, rinsed his mouth and sniffed water into his nose once, and washed his right and left hands three times. Then he wiped his head twice: he began from the back of his head and brought (his hands) to the front, then again began from the back of his head and brought them to the front. Then he wiped the outer and inner parts of his ears, and washed his right and left feet three times.
(b) Others narrated it from Bishr without mentioning his words: "then the back of his head, then its front."
(c) It is narrated from Sayyiduna Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) that he used to wipe his head three times, taking fresh water each time.
Hadith Referenceالسنن الكبرى للبيهقي / كتاب الطهارة / 300