Conditions of wiping over socks

Praise be to Allaah.  

Four conditions apply to wiping over the socks. 

The first condition:

That they should have been put on when one was in a state of tahaarah (purity, i.e., when one has wudoo’). The evidence for that is what the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said to al-Mugheerah ibn Shu’bah: “Don’t worry, because I put them one when I was clean.” 

The second condition:

That the khufoof (leather slippers which cover the ankle) or socks should be taahir (pure). If they are naajis (impure) then it is not permissible to wipe over them. The daleel for that is that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) led his companions in prayer one day wearing shoes, which he took off whilst he was praying. He said that Jibreel had told him that there was something dirty on them. This was narrated by Ahmad from the hadeeth of Abu Sa’eed al-Khudri (may Allaah be pleased with him) in his Musnad. This indicates that it is not permissible to pray wearing anything that is naajis, because if the naajis thing is wiped over, the person will be contaminated by that najaasah (impurity), so he cannot be considered to be taahir (pure). 

The third condition:

They may be wiped over when one is purifying oneself from minor impurity (i.e., doing wudoo’ after passing wind, urine or stools), not when one is in a state of janaabah (major impurity following sexual activity) or when ghusl is required. The evidence for that is the hadeeth of Safwaan ibn ‘Assaal (may Allaah be pleased with him) who said: “The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) commanded us, when we were travelling, not to remove our khufoof for three days and three nights, except in the case of janaabah. But we could keep them on and wipe over them in the case of stools, urine and sleeping.” This was narrated by Ahmad from the hadeeth of Safwaan ibn ‘Assaal (may Allaah be pleased with him) in his Musnad. So the condition is that wiping the socks may be done when purifying oneself (doing wudoo’) from minor impurity, and it is not permissible in the case of major impurity, because of the hadeeth which we have mentioned here. 

The fourth condition:

That the wiping may be done within the time specified by sharee’ah, which is one day and one night in the case of one who is not travelling, and three days and three nights in the case of one who is travelling. This is because of the hadeeth of ‘Ali ibn Abi Taalib (may Allaah be pleased with him) who said: “The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) stated one day and one night for the one who is not travelling, and three days and three nights for the one who is travelling, i.e., for wiping over the khufoof.” This was narrated by Muslim. This period starts from the first time one wipes over the socks when doing wudoo’ after some minor impurity, and it ends twenty-four later for the one who is not travelling, and seventy-two hours later for the one who is travelling.

So if we assume that a person purifies himself for Fajr prayer on Tuesday and remains taahir (pure, i.e., keeps his wudoo’) until ‘Isha prayer on Tuesday evening, then he sleeps and wakes up to pray Fajr on Wednesday, and he wipes his socks at five o’clock zawaali time , then the period begins from 5 a.m. on Wednesday and lasts until 5 a.m. on Thursday. If we assume that he wiped his socks before 5 a.m then he can pray Fajr on Thursday with this wiping and pray as much as he wants as long as he remains taahir, because according to the most correct scholarly opinion, wudoo’ is not broken when the time period for wiping over the socks expires.

That is because the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did not set a time limit for tahaarah, rather he set a time limit for wiping over the socks. Once that time limit expires, one cannot wipe over the socks again, but if a person remains in a state of tahaarah then his tahaarah is still valid, because this is what is implied by the shar’i evidence, and whatever is proven by shar’i evidence cannot be invalidated unless there is further shar’i evidence to that effect. There is no evidence to suggest that wudoo’ is broken when the time limit for wiping over the socks expires, because what the basic principle is that he remains as he is (i.e., taahir) until it becomes apparent that this is no longer the case.  

These are the conditions which apply to wiping over the khufoof. There are other conditions which were mentioned by some of the scholars, but some of these are subject to further debate. 

If he wipes over his socks then takes them off, is his wudoo’ invalidated thereby?

The scholars differed concerning the ruling on one who does wudoo’ and wipes over his socks, then takes them off. 

Some scholars say that it is sufficient for him to wash his feet, and his wudoo’ is completed thereby. 

This is a weak view, because wudoo’ requires continuity, i.e., there should not be a long time between the washing of the various parts, rather they should be washed one after another, in a continuous sequence. 

Hence Ibn Qudaamah (may Allaah have mercy on him) narrated in al-Mughni (1/367) that this view is based on the idea that there is no need for continuity in wudoo’, and this is weak. 

Others said that the person’s wudoo’ is invalidated thereby, and if he wants to pray he has to repeat his wudoo’. They quoted as evidence the fact that wiping takes the place of washing, and if the socks are removed the purity of the feet is no longer valid, because now they are unwashed and unwiped. If the purity of the feet is invalidated then the entire wudoo’ is invalidated because it cannot be divided up. This view was favoured by Ibn Baaz (may Allaah have mercy on him), as is stated in his Majmoo’ al-Fataawa, 10/113. 

Yet others said that his wudoo’ is not invalidated thereby unless he breaks his wudoo’ in some other way (by breaking wind etc). This was the view of a number of the salaf, including Qataadah, al-Hasan al-Basri and Ibn Abi Layla. It was supported by Ibn Hazm in al-Muhalla (1/105), and was the view favoured by Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah and Ibn al-Mundhir. Al-Nawawi said in al-Majmoo’ (1/557): this is the strongest view. 

They quoted a number of things as evidence for that: 

1 – That purity is not invalidated except by hadath (breaking one's wudoo’ by breaking wind etc.) and taking off the socks is not hadath. 

2 – The purity of one who wipes over his socks is established by shar’i evidence, and it cannot be ruled to be invalid except by further shar’i evidence, and there is no evidence to indicate that purity is invalidated by taking off the socks. 

3 – The analogy with shaving the hair after doing wudoo’. If a person does wudoo’ and wipes over his hair, then shaves his head, he remains in a state of purity and it is not invalidated by that. The same applies to one who wipes over his socks then takes them off. 

Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen said: 

If a person takes off his socks after wiping over them, his wudoo’ is not invalidated thereby, and he may pray as he likes until he breaks his wudoo’ (hadath), according to the correct view.  

End quote, from Majmoo’ Fataawa Ibn ‘Uthaymeen, 11/193.

Is wudoo’ broken by taking off one's socks

If he takes off his leather slippers (khufoof) or socks after wiping over them that does not invalidate his wudoo’, according to the correct scholarly view, because when a person wipes over his socks, he has completed his wudoo’ according to what is implied by the shar’i evidence. So if he takes them off, this wudoo’ is still valid according to the shar’i evidence and cannot be broken except by something for which there is shar’i evidence. There is no evidence to indicate that taking off leather slippers or socks that have been wiped invalidates wudoo’. On this basis, then, his wudoo’ remains valid. This was the view favoured by Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah and a group of the scholars.

But if he puts his socks back on after that and breaks his wudoo’, then he wants to wipe over them again, that is not allowed, because he has to put the socks on after doing wudoo’ in which he washed his feet, according to what was stated by the scholars. And Allaah knows best.

In order to be allowed to wipe over one’s socks, they have to have been put on at the same time, after completing wudoo’ or ghusl

Praise be to Allaah.

You cannot wipe over your socks in this case, because you put the first sock on before completing the act of purification (wudoo’ or ghusl).

Ruling on wiping over socks that have holes or are very thin

Praise be to Allaah.

It is permissible to wipe over them instead of washing one's feet when doing wudoo’, if they were put on when one was in a state of tahaarah (purity), unless the holes are bigger than is ordinarily acceptable, or the socks are so thin that the feet would be judged to be naked because they show the colour of skin beneath them.

Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah, 5/246.

One who wipes his socks although he was not in a state of tahaarah (purity) when he put them on

Praise be to Allaah.

You must repeat and make up those prayers which you did when you were wiping your socks although you had not been in a state of tahaarah when you put them on.

Wudoo’ is a prerequisite for wiping on socks

Praise be to Allaah.

It is not permissible for the person to pass wet hands over the socks unless he put them on in a state of purity. You can find the evidence in the following Hadith narrated by Al-Mughirah Ibn-Shu’bah, may Allaah be pleased with him, in which he said:

"I was traveling with our Prophet Muhammad SAW (peace be upon him) and the Prophet SAW asked me saying, "Have you got any water?" I said, "Yes" … and poured out water so that the Prophet SAW washed his face and hands... and his arms then wiped his head. Then I bent over to pull off his khuff (a type of thick sock) but the Prophet SAW said "Leave them for I put on my khuff in a state of purification" then he wiped over them. (narrated by Al-Bukhari, Fath ul-Baari No. # 5353)

Ibn Hajar, may Allaah bless him, quoted the following in his explanation of the portion of this Hadith in which the Prophet’s SAW said "I put them on a state of purification":

Al-Hamidy related in his Musnad that the Prophet SAW was asked whether one could pass wet hands over the khuff, the Prophet SAW answered saying: "Yes if the person puts them on in a state of purification."

Ibn Khuzayma said that according to Hadith narrated by Safwan Ibn Assal, "the Prophet SAW ordered us to wipe over khuff if we put them on in a state of purification, for 3 days during traveling and for one day and night in residency".

Safwan’s hadith, although it is sahih, does not meet the conditions defined by Al-Bukhari. But al-Mughirah’s hadith is in agreement with it in its indication of the stipulation of being in a pure state before putting on the socks.

And Allah Knows Best

Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid

How to wipe over the slippers or socks

With regard to the beginning of the period when one may wipe over the slippers or socks, it begins from the first time one wipes over them after breaking one’s wudoo’, not from the moment one puts them on.

The way in which one wipes over them is to put one’s wet fingers on the toes then pass them over the feet to the shin; the right foot should be wiped with the right hand and the left foot with the left hand. The fingers should be spread when wiping and it should not be repeated. 

(See al-Mulakhkhas al-Fiqhi by al-Fawzaan, 1/43). 

Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: “This means that what should be wiped is the top of the sock, passing one's fingers from the toes to the shin only, and one should wipe with both hands over both feet together, i.e., the right hand should wipe the right foot and the left hand should wipe the left foot at the same time, just as one wipes the ears, because this is the apparent meaning of the Sunnah, as al-Mugheerah ibn Shu’bah said, ‘Then he wiped them both.’ He did not say that he started with the right, rather that he ‘wiped them both’. So this is the apparent meaning of the Sunnah. If we assume that he cannot use one of his hands then he should start with the right before the left. Many people wipe the right foot with both hands then the left foot with both hands, but there is no basis for this as far as I know. No matter how it is done, wiping the top of the slipper (or sock) is sufficient but what we have said here is best.” 

(See Fataawa al-Mar’ah al-Muslimah, vol. 1, p. 250) 

You should not wipe the sides or back of the sock because there is no report concerning that. 

Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen said: “Someone may say that it is the bottom of the slipper or sock that should be wiped, because this is what is in contact with dust and dirt. But if we think about it we will see that wiping the top of the sock is what makes sense, because this wiping is not for the purpose of cleaning, rather it is an act of worship; if we were to wipe the bottom of the sock that would make it more dirty.” And Allaah knows best. 

See al-Sharh al-Mumti’ by Ibn ‘Uthaymeen, vol. 1, p. 213.

Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid

Is it better to wipe over the socks or to wash the feet?

The majority of scholars, including Abu Haneefah, Maalik and al-Shaafa’i, are of the view that it is better to wash the feet. They said: that is because the basic principle is washing the feet, so that is better. 

See al-Majmoo’, 1/502 

Imam Ahmad was of the view that wiping over the socks is better. He gave the following evidence for that: 

1 – It is easier, and the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was never given the choice between two things but he chose the easier of the two, so long as it was not a sin; if it was a sin he would be the furthest removed of the people from it. Narrated by al-Bukhaari (3560) and Muslim (2327). 

2 – It is a concession, and the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Allaah loves concessions to be taken as He hates sin to be committed.” Narrated by Ahmad, 5832; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Irwa’ al-Ghaleel, 564. 

3 – Wiping over the socks involves being different from the people of bid’ah who reject it, such as the Khaarijis and Raafidis. 

There are many ahaadeeth from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) which indicate that he did both: he washed his feet and he wiped over his khuffayn (leather slippers). This led some scholars to say that wiping and washing are the same. This was the view favoured by Ibn al-Mundhir (may Allaah have mercy on him). 

Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah and his student Ibn al-Qayyim were of the view that either may be better depending on the circumstances of his feet. If a person is wearing socks it is better to wipe over them, and if his feet are bare, it is better to wash them, and he should not put socks on in order to wipe over them. 

This is indicated by the hadeeth of al-Mugheerah ibn Shu’bah (may Allaah have mercy on him) who wanted to take off the Prophet’s khuffayn in order to wash his feet. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said to him: “Leave them, for I put them on pure,” so he wiped over them.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 206; Muslim, 274. This indicates that wiping is better for one who is wearing socks. 

This is also indicated by the report narrated by al-Tirmidhi (96) from Safwaan ibn ‘Assaal (may Allaah be pleased with him) who said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to tell us when we were travelling not to take off our kufoof for three days and nights, except in the case of janaabah, but if one defecated, urinated or slept (there was no need to take them off). Classed as hasan by al-Albaani in Irwa’ al-Ghaleel, 104. The command to wipe indicates that it is better, but that applies to one who is wearing socks. 

Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah said: 

Conclusion: what is better for each one is that which is suited to his circumstances. For the one whose feet are bare, it is better for him to wash them, and he should not put on socks so that he can wipe over them, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to wash his feet when they were bare, and he would wipe over them if he was wearing khufoof. End quote from al-Insaaf, 1/378 

Ibn al-Qayyim said in Zaad al-Ma’aad (1/199): 

He is not required to do more than is required with regard to the situation of his feet. If he is wearing khufoof, he should wipe over them and not take them off, and if his feet are bare he should wash them, and he should not put on socks so that he can wipe over them. This is the most correct opinion concerning the issue of whether wiping or washing is better. This is the view of our Shaykh (i.e., Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah). End quote.