Praise be to Allaah.
We do not know of anyone among the scholars who said that covering the head is obligatory for men, but a number of scholars have said that it is mustahabb, and they describe baring one’s head in front of people as being one of the things that undermine a man's status and character, especially if the man is elderly or is a scholar; if one of these people uncovers his head, that is worse than if anyone else does it.
The correct view is that it is not one of the things that undermine a man's status and character in all eras and in all environments, rather the ruling on that varies according to people’s customs.
Al-Shaatibi (may Allaah have mercy on him) divided people’s customs into two categories:
1 – Those concerning which there is shar’i evidence as to whether it is good or bad. In this case reference is to be made to sharee’ah, and what is customary among the people is of no importance.
For example, uncovering the ‘awrah is reprehensible according to sharee’ah, even though many people are accustomed to doing that.
Removing impurity is something that is good and is enjoined by sharee’ah, although many people do not pay attention to impurity on their clothes and do not protect themselves from that.
2 – Things which are customary among people and there is no shar’i evidence to prohibit it or enjoin it.
Such things are of two types:
(a) Established customs that do not change, such as the desire for food and drink.
(b) Customs that change, such as whether an action is regarded as good or bad, which varies from one society to another.
Al-Shaatibi described this type by saying, “Such as uncovering the head, which varies from one place to another; in the lands of the east (i.e. Egypt and lands to the east) it is reprehensible for people of prominent status, and in the lands of the west (i.e., North Africa and Islamic Spain) it is not reprehensible. The shar’i ruling varies accordingly; for people in the east it is to be regarded as undermining a man’s status and character, whereas for the people in the west it is not.
Al-Muwaaqifaat, 2/284
The point is that covering the head for men is one of the issues concerning which reference should be made to what is customary among the people. A man should do what is customary in the society in which he lives, so long as that does not go against sharee’ah, and so that he will not stand out by being different from them in his clothing etc in the manner that is forbidden in sharee’ah.
And Allaah knows best.
Praise be to Allaah.
It is not prescribed to wipe the face after making du’aa’. There are many ahaadeeth which describe how the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) called upon his Lord in du’aa’, and there is no proven report that he used to wipe his face after making du’aa’.
Those who say that the face should be wiped quoted some ahaadeeth as evidence, but upon further examination they are not saheeh, and do not support one another.
As for the views of the scholars who say that it is not allowed to wipe the face, they include the following:
1 – Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal said: It is not known that anyone used to wipe his face after making du’aa’ except al-Hasan.
Al-‘Ilal al-Mutanaahiyah, 2/840, 841
2 – Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah said: With regard to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) raising his hands when saying du’aa’, there are many saheeh ahaadeeth concerning this, but as for his wiping his face with his hands, there are only one or two hadeeths concerning that, and they cannot be taken as evidence.
Majmoo’ al-Fataawa, 22/519
3 – Al-‘Izz ibn ‘Abd al-Salaam said: No one wipes his face with his hands after saying du’aa’ except one who is ignorant.
Fataawa al-‘Izz ibn ‘Abd al-Salaam, p. 47
If it is not permitted to wipe the face after making du’aa’, it is more likely that the person who says du’aa’ should not be allowed to wipe his body either, or to kiss his eyes.
Rather the scholars stated that kissing the thumbs and placing them on the eyes is a bid’ah that was introduced by some of the Sufi tareeqahs, and there is a hadeeth concerning that which is falsely attributed to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him).
Shaykh Muhammad ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him) was asked about the ruling on wiping the face with the hands after making du’aa’. He replied:
Wiping the face with the hands after making du’aa’ is more likely to be not prescribed in Islam, because the ahaadeeth that have been narrated concerning that are da’eef (weak).
Shaykh al-Islam (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: They cannot be used as evidence. If we are not certain or we think it most likely that this is not prescribed, then it is better not to do it, because Islamic rulings cannot be proven on the basis of mere conjecture, unless we believe it to be mostly likely to be the case.
What I think about wiping the face with the hands after du’aa’ is that it is not Sunnah. As is well known, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) prayed for rain during his Friday khutbah and raised his hands, but it is not narrated that he wiped his face with them. Similarly in a number of ahaadeeth it says that the Prophet raised his hands, but there is no proof that he wiped his face. End quote.
Majmoo’ Fataawa Ibn ‘Uthaymeen, 14/question no. 781
And Allaah knows best.