In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. All praise belongs to Allah, Lord of the Worlds. Prayers and salutations be upon the Master of the Messengers ﷺ, and upon his family and Companions. There is no power nor strength except through Allah, the Mighty, the Wise.
On the authority of al-Mughīra b. Shuʿba (may Allah be pleased with him) who related that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ performed wuḍūʾ and wiped over his socks and sandals. Narrated by Abū Dāwūd §159, al-Tirmidhī §99, and Ibn Māja §559.
The fuqahāʾ are in agreement on the permissibility of wiping over socks. This practice has been transmitted from nine of the noble Companions: ʿAlī, Ibn Masʿūd, Ibn ʿUmar, Anas, ʿAmmār b. Yāsir, Bilāl, al-Barāʾ, Abū Umāma, and Sahl b. Saʿd (may Allah be pleased with them all). It has likewise been reported from the Successors and leading fuqahāʾ, including Saʿīd b. al-Musayyab, ʿAṭāʾ, al-Ḥasan, Saʿīd b. Jubayr, al-Nakhaʿī, al-Aʿmash, al-Thawrī, al-Ḥasan b. Ṣāliḥ, Ibn al-Mubārak, Abū Ḥanīfa, al-Shāfiʿī, Zufar, Aḥmad, Isḥāq, Abū Thawr, Abū Yūsuf, and Muḥammad (may Allah have mercy on them all).
But what kind of sock is intended? The sock referred to in these reports was, in their usage, equivalent to the leather sock [khuff], serving the same function on a man’s foot, such that he would walk to-and-fro while wearing it.
Note here that the scholars have established a principle that the customary usage [ʿurf] by which words are interpreted and restricted is the contemporaneous custom (i.e., the custom prevailing in the time of the Prophet ﷺ), such that it is treated as though it were explicitly stated. Understandings from later, emergent customs cannot have any bearing upon earlier statements or be imposed upon them, and conversely that previous wording is not to be applied to contemporary customs.
Accordingly, the fuqahāʾ stipulated conditions for the type of sock over which wiping is permissible:
- It must be thick and opaque (not transparent), and there is no objection to its being made of leather or other material. The Mālikī scholars further stipulated that it must be leathered both on its outer side (facing upward) and its inner side (facing the ground).
- It must have a sole on the bottom. The two leading Ḥanafī authorities (i.e., ImāmMuḥammad and Imām Abū Yūsuf) as well as the Ḥanbalī scholars permitted wiping over socks without soles if they are made of thick material.
- It must fully cover the area required to be washed (i.e., the foot up to the ankles).
- It must be possible to walk continuously in them for the distance normally required by a traveler for his needs when stopping and setting out again; according to the Ḥanafīs, this is the distance of a farsakh (approximately 5-6 km).
- It must prevent water from breaching the material it is made of.
- It must remain in place by itself without being fastened by straps or ties.
Accordingly, it is impermissible to wipe over foot-wrappings or weak, thin socks woven from wool, cotton, linen, and the like. The same applies to the light, thin socks common in our time, because the aforementioned conditions are not fulfilled in them. Whoever wipes over such socks does not have a valid wuḍūʾ, and consequently his prayer is invalid as well, and it is not permissible to pray behind such a person if he is an imām. This is agreed upon by the schools.
Etiquette:
Purification from minor ritual impurity is subject to a severe warning when neglected.
On the authority of our master ʿAbd-Allāh b. ʿAmr (may Allah be pleased with them both),who said: “Once, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ journeyed behind us during a trip we had undertaken and caught up with us while we were performing wuḍūʾ. While we were wiping over our feet, he called out in a loud voice—two or three times: ‘Woe to the heels from the Fire!’” Narrated by Bukhārī §60 and Muslim §241.
On the authority of Shabīb b. Abī Rūḥ (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: “The Messenger of Allah ﷺ led the Fajr prayer and recited ‘Sūra al-Rūm’ therein, but his recitation became confused. When he finished the prayer, he said: ‘What is the matter with men who attend the prayer with us without proper purification? It is (presence of) those who cause confusion in our prayer. Whoever attends the prayer with us, let him perfect his purification.’” Narrated by Imām Aḥmad in his ‘Musnad’ §23072.
On the authority of our master Ibn Masʿūd (may Allah be pleased with him), who related that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “Once, a servant among Allah’s servants was commanded to be struck in his grave with one hundred lashes. He continued to beseech and supplicate until it was reduced to a single lash, and his grave was filled with fire. When the punishment was lifted from him and he regained consciousness, he said: ‘Why was I flogged?’ They replied: ‘Because you prayed a prayer without purification and passed by an oppressed person without helping him.’” Narrated by al-Ṭaḥāwī in ‘Sharḥ Mushkil al-Āthār’ §3185.
Many worshippers are negligent in these matters; therefore, such issues should be widely publicised and taught to them. In earlier times, some mosques would appoint a learnedindividual to stand by the place of wuḍūʾ at the times of the five daily prayers in order to instruct people concerning what they neglect from the requirements in their wuḍūʾ.
And Allah knows best.
