Sunan ad-Darimi

Hadith Commentary:
1.
Imam Humaydi rahimahullah has narrated this hadith in his Musnad with the following words: Hazrat Mughirah bin Shu’bah radi Allahu anhu says, “I said: O Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam! Can we wipe (do masah) over the leather socks (khuffayn)?” He replied, “Yes, provided that they were put on in a state of ablution (wudu).” (Musnad al-Humaydi: 2/235)
Similarly, Imam Ibn Khuzaymah rahimahullah has narrated in his Sahih that Hazrat Safwan bin Assal al-Muradi said: “The Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam commanded us to wipe over the leather socks when they were put on after performing ablution.”
From these ahadith, it is clear that wiping is permissible only when the socks are worn after performing ablution.
(Sahih Ibn Khuzaymah: 1/96)

2.
According to the aforementioned hadith, it is necessary for wiping over the socks that they are worn on pure (clean) feet. However, there is a difference of opinion regarding the standard of this purity and cleanliness. According to the Zahiris, it is only necessary that the feet be free from visible impurity; it is not necessary for them to be free from ritual impurity (hadath). This means that if there is no visible impurity on the feet and the socks are put on, then wiping over them is permissible. However, according to the majority (jumhur), it is necessary for wiping that at the time of wearing the socks, the feet are free from both visible impurity and ritual impurity (hadath).
Then, among the majority, there is a difference as to whether complete purification (taharah kamilah) is required at the time of wearing the socks or at the time of hadath. According to the Shafi’is, it is necessary for wiping that complete purification is present at the time of wearing the socks, but the Hanafis stipulate that complete purification must be present at the time of hadath.
This is clarified as follows: If a person washes only his feet and puts on the socks, and then completes the rest of the ablution, then due to the lack of sequence (tartib), according to the Shafi’is, this person’s ablution is not valid, nor is wiping over the socks permissible.
However, according to the Hanafis, sequence (tartib) is not necessary in ablution.
Therefore, according to them, such a person’s ablution is complete and wiping over those socks is also permissible.
But from the ahadith, it is evident that for wiping, it is necessary to complete the ablution and then put on the socks.
As clarified in the following hadith:
It is narrated from Hazrat Abu Bakrah radi Allahu anhu, who reports from the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam that he permitted the traveler to wipe over the socks for three days and three nights, and the resident for one day and one night, provided that he performs ablution, then puts them on.
(Sahih Ibn Khuzaymah: 1/69)

Hafiz Ibn Hajar rahimahullah, under the heading “Benefit,” has written regarding a particular issue about wiping over the socks: If, after wiping and before the duration of wiping is completed, the socks are removed, there are three positions regarding this:
1. Among those who stipulate a time limit, Imam Ahmad and Ishaq, etc., say that his ablution is nullified and he must perform ablution again.
2. The scholars of Kufa, Imam Muzani, Abu Thawr, Imam Malik, and Layth say (provided not much time has passed), only the feet should be washed; there is no need to repeat the entire ablution.
3. Hasan al-Basri and Ibn Laila are of the opinion that even washing the feet is not necessary.
They have made an analogy with wiping over the head: if a person wipes over his head and then shaves his hair, it is not necessary to wipe over the head again.
Hafiz Ibn Hajar rahimahullah says that this analogy is questionable.
(Fath al-Bari: 1/505)
This analogy is invalid because the head is fundamental for wiping, whether there is hair or not, whereas wiping over the socks is a substitute for washing the feet, not the original act.
Therefore, this particular issue cannot be analogized to that.
Thus, when the socks are removed, the ablution becomes invalid.
Merely washing the feet is not sufficient, because by doing so, the condition of continuity (muwalat), i.e., washing the limbs in succession, is lost.
And Allah knows best.
However, Hafiz Ibn Hazm rahimahullah and Imam Ibn Taymiyyah rahimahullah and others hold the position that if a person wipes over the socks and then removes them, his ablution remains valid.
He does not need to wash his feet.
(al-Muhalla Ibn Hazm: 2/105)

4.
Imam Ibn Taymiyyah rahimahullah writes that if a person wipes over the socks or turban and then removes them, or the duration of wiping ends, his ablution does not break, nor is it obligatory for him to wipe over the head or wash the feet again.
(al-Ikhtiyarat:
No. 15)
These scholars have presented as evidence for their position an action of Hazrat Ali radi Allahu anhu: once he performed ablution, wiped over his shoes, then entered the mosque, removed his shoes, and performed prayer. (al-Sunan al-Kubra lil-Bayhaqi: 1/288)
In the opinion of the present writer, caution demands that such a person should perform ablution again.
And Allah knows best.

Hadith Commentary: Benefits and Issues:
(1)
It is established from the narration of Mughirah bin Shu‘bah (radi Allahu anhu) that a senior person can take service from a junior, and he may also pour ablution (wudu) water over the limbs of ablution.
(2)
Socks (khuffayn) should be worn after the ablution (wudu) has been completed. If someone wears a sock on the right foot after washing it, and then washes the left foot and wears the sock, this action is not correct. This is the position of Imam Malik (rahimahullah), Shafi‘i (rahimahullah), and Ahmad (rahimahullah). According to Imam Abu Hanifah (rahimahullah), this action is valid, and in this case, wiping (masah) over the socks will be permissible. (Sharh al-Nawawi: 1/134)

Lexical Explanation:
«فَأَهْوَيْتُ» I extended my hands, or it means that I bent down from the standing position.
«لِأَنْزِعَ» is in the meaning of «أُخْرِجَ», that I may remove.
«خُفَّيْهِ» Your leather socks (muwz).
«دَعْهُمَا» is in the meaning of «اُتْرُكْ», that is, leave the leather socks.
«طَاهِرَتَيْنِ» The event is occurring. The meaning is that both feet were inserted in a state of purity, therefore do not remove the leather socks. And in a narration of Abu Dawud, it is stated: When I inserted my feet into the leather socks, at that time they were pure. [سنن أبى داود، الطهارة، باب المسح على الخفين، حديث : 151]

Benefits and Issues:
➊ This hadith proves that wiping over leather socks (masah on khuffayn) is only valid and permissible when they have been worn after performing ablution (wudu).
➋ In Abu Dawud and Muwatta Imam Malik, it is explicitly mentioned that this incident occurred at the time of the Fajr prayer during the expedition of Tabuk. [سنن أبى داود، الطهارة، باب المسح على الخفين، حديث : 149، الموطأ للإمام مالك، الطهارة، باب ماجاء فى المسح على الخفين، حديث : 41]