Time for Wiping Over Socks – Complete Explanation
Question:
When does the time for wiping over socks begin?
Answer:
الحمد لله، والصلاة والسلام علىٰ رسول الله، أما بعد!
This topic is among the important jurisprudential issues that every Muslim needs to know, therefore we will present the answer to this question in detail, InshaAllah.
Wiping Over Socks: Evidence from the Quran and Sunnah
Evidence from the Holy Quran:
Allah Almighty says in the Holy Quran:
﴿يـأَيُّهَا الَّذينَ ءامَنوا إِذا قُمتُم إِلَى الصَّلوةِ فَاغسِلوا وُجوهَكُم وَأَيدِيَكُم إِلَى المَرافِقِ وَامسَحوا بِرُءوسِكُم وَأَرجُلَكُم إِلَى الكَعبَينِ﴾
“O you who have believed, when you rise to [perform] prayer, wash your faces and your elbows to the wrists and wipe over your heads and wash your feet to the ankles.”
- If “أَرْجُلَكُمْ” is read with a kasra under the lam, then it will be in conjunction with “بِرُءُوْسِكُمْ“, meaning wiping will be done over the feet.
- If it is read with a fatha, then its conjunction will be with “وُجُوْهَكُمْ“, meaning the feet will be washed.
Clarification from the Sunnah:
- If barefoot, washing is obligatory.
- If wearing socks, wiping is permissible.
Wiping Over Socks: Proof from Ahadith
Wiping over the socks is established with Tawatur from the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. Scholars have counted these narrations as mutawatir, as stated in a poem:
مِمَّا تَوْاتَرَ حَدِيْثُ مَنْ كَذَبْ وَمَنْ بَنٰی لِلّٰهِ وَاحْتَسَبْ
وَرُوْيَةٍ، شَفَاعَةٍ وَالْحَوْضِ وَمَسْحِ خُفَّيْنِ وَهٰذِی بَعْضُ
“Among the mutawatir hadiths is the one in which the Prophet ﷺ said that whoever deliberately attributes a lie to me should consider his abode Hell, and the hadith in which it is stated that whoever builds a house for the sake of reward from Allah, Allah will build his house in Paradise. Also, the hadiths about the vision of Allah, intercession, the Pond of Kawthar, and wiping over the socks are mutawatir. These are some examples of mutawatir hadiths.”
Among these mutawatir hadiths, wiping over the socks is also included. The practice of the Prophet ﷺ is established through the narration of Hazrat Mughirah bin Shu’bah رضي الله عنه:
«دَعْهُمَا فَإِنِّي أَدْخَلْتُهُمَا طَاهِرَتَيْنِ»
Meaning: “Leave them, I wore them while in a state of purity.”
Conditions for wiping over the socks
- Must be worn in a state of complete purity
Meaning it is necessary to be free from minor and major ritual impurity. - The wiping must be done within the prescribed time
This will be explained later. - Wiping must be done in the state of ablution
Wiping cannot be done in the state of major impurity (janabah).
It is narrated from Hazrat Safwan bin Assal (RA):
«كَانَ رَسُولُ اللّٰهِ يَأْمُرُنَا إِذَا كُنَّا سَفَرًا أَنْ لَا نَنْزِعَ خِفَافَنَا ثَلَاثَةَ أَيَّامٍ وَلَيَالِيَهُنَّ إِلَّا مِنْ جَنَابَةٍ»
Duration of Wiping
- For a resident: One day and one night (24 hours)
- For a traveler: Three days and three nights (72 hours)
This duration is not related to the number of prayers, but rather to the time.
When does the duration of wiping begin?
The duration begins from the time of the first wiping:
- Not from the time of wearing the socks.
- Nor from the time ablution breaks.
Evidence:
The Shariah mentions wiping and its existence is only through actual wiping.
The hadith states that a resident wipes for one day and one night, and a traveler wipes for three days and three nights.
Example:
1. Made wudu at Fajr time and wore socks.
2. Wudu remained until Zuhr.
3. After Asr (at five o’clock), made wudu for Maghrib and performed masah.
4. Now can perform masah until five o’clock the next day.
If on the next day, at quarter to five, wudu is made and masah performed, then one can also pray Maghrib and Isha prayers.
It is proven from this:
– The duration of masah is not related to the number of prayers.
– After the duration ends, masah becomes invalid.
– But if masah was done within the duration and wudu remains intact, then purity remains until wudu breaks.
Further clarification for a traveler
If a person wears socks as a resident and then starts traveling, and performs masah during the journey, then:
– He can perform masah according to the traveler’s duration, i.e., three days and three nights.
This is the correct opinion, not that the duration starts from becoming without wudu after wearing socks.
Effects of removing the sock
By removing the sock:
– Masah becomes invalid
– Purity remains intact
Evidence:
It is narrated from Hazrat Safwan bin Assal (RA):
«أَمَرَنَا رَسُولُ اللّٰهِ أَنْ لَا نَنْزِعَ خِفَافَنَا»
Meaning: “The Messenger of Allah ﷺ commanded us not to remove the socks.”
- If the socks are removed after wiping, then it will be necessary to wash the feet again with a new ablution.
- However, the previous state of purity will remain as long as it is not broken by any legal cause.
Summary
- Permission for wiping begins from the time of the first wiping.
- Removing the sock ends the wiping, but does not end the purity.
- The ablution will remain valid as long as there is no cause in Shariah that breaks the ablution.
هٰذَا مَا عِنْدِي وَاللّٰهُ أَعْلَمُ بِالصَّوَابِ
