Ibn Majah

Commentary:
(1)
This narration is authentic. Imam Ibn Taymiyyah rahimahullah has also affirmed its authenticity and mentioned an incident from his own travels in which he too, out of necessity, had to act upon this issue. However, this narration apparently seems to be in contradiction with the ahadith of the previous chapter, but the scholars have reconciled between them in such a way that the ahadith in which a fixed period for wiping over the leather socks (khuffayn) is mentioned are to be acted upon when it is not difficult or burdensome for the traveler to remove the socks after three days and nights. However, if the journey is long and there is a risk of being left behind by the caravan, or removing the socks would cause hardship and difficulty, then wiping over the socks will be permissible for an indefinite period, just as ‘Uqbah ibn ‘Amir radi Allahu anhu did. ‘Umar radi Allahu anhu praised him by saying (Asabta as-Sunnah) — “You have attained the Sunnah of the Prophet.” And Allah knows best.

(2)
‘Uqbah ibn ‘Amir radi Allahu anhu had brought the glad tidings of Damascus. For details, see: (Silsilat al-Ahadith as-Sahihah: 6/239, Hadith: 2622)

Note:
In the benefits of Sunan Abu Dawud, under the hadith of Ubayy ibn ‘Ammarah radi Allahu anhu, its weakness has indeed been clarified, but the incident of ‘Uqbah ibn ‘Amir radi Allahu anhu and ‘Umar radi Allahu anhu could not be mentioned therein. According to this, in times of necessity, it is permissible to wipe over the socks for more than three days.