حَدَّثَنَا ابْنُ صَاعِدٍ ، نا زُهَيْرُ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ ، وَالْحَسَنُ بْنُ أَبِي الرَّبِيعِ ، وَاللَّفْظُ لَهُ . حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الرَّزَّاقِ ، أَخْبَرَنَا مَعْمَرٌ ، عَنْ عَاصِمِ بْنِ أَبِي النَّجُودِ ، عَنْ زِرِّ بْنِ حُبَيْشٍ ، قَالَ : جِئْتُ صَفْوَانَ بْنَ عَسَّالٍ الْمُرَادِيَّ ، فَقَالَ : مَا جَاءَ بِكَ ؟ فَقُلْتُ : جِئْتُ أَطْلُبُ الْعِلْمَ ، قَالَ : فَإِنِّي سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ ، يَقُولُ : " مَا مِنْ خَارِجٍ يَخْرُجُ مِنْ بَيْتِهِ فِي طَلَبِ الْعِلْمِ إِلا وَضَعَتْ لَهُ الْمَلائِكَةُ أَجْنِحَتَهَا رِضَاءً بِمَا يَصْنَعُ " ، قَالَ : جِئْتُ أَسْأَلُكَ عَنِ الْمَسْحِ عَلَى الْخُفَّيْنِ ، قَالَ : نَعَمْ ، كُنْتُ فِي الْجَيْشِ الَّذِي بَعَثَهُمْ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ ، " فَأَمَرَنَا أَنْ نَمْسَحَ عَلَى الْخُفَّيْنِ إِذَا نَحْنُ أَدْخَلْنَاهُمَا عَلَى طُهْرٍ ثَلاثًا إِذَا سَافَرْنَا ، وَيَوْمًا وَلَيْلَةً إِذَا أَقَمْنَا ، وَلا نَخْلَعَهُمَا مِنْ بَوْلٍ وَلا غَائِطٍ وَلا نَوْمٍ وَلا نَخْلَعَهُمَا إِلا مِنْ جَنَابَةٍ " ، قَالَ : وَسَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ ، يَقُولُ : " إِنَّ بِالْمَغْرِبِ بَابًا مَفْتُوحًا لِلتَّوْبَةِ ، مَسِيرَتُهُ سَبْعُونَ سَنَةً ، لا يُغْلَقُ حَتَّى تَطْلُعَ الشَّمْسُ مِنْ نَحْوِهِ " .
Zirr bin Hubaish narrates that I presented myself before Sayyiduna Safwan bin Assal (may Allah be pleased with him). He inquired: "Why have you come?" I replied: "I have come to seek knowledge." So he said: "I heard the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) say that whoever leaves his house to seek knowledge, the angels, being pleased with his action, spread their wings for him." Zirr said: "I have come to ask about wiping over leather socks (khuffs)." So he replied: "I was part of the army which the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) sent on an expedition, and he instructed us that you may wipe over your leather socks for three days during travel and for one day and one night during residence, provided that you put them on while in a state of ablution, and we should not remove them when performing ablution after urinating, defecating, or sleeping; we would only remove them in the state of major ritual impurity (janabah)." Sayyiduna Safwan (may Allah be pleased with him) also mentioned: "I heard the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) say that in the west there is a door which is open for repentance, its width is the distance of seventy years' travel. It will not be closed until the sun rises from that direction."