Ruling When in Doubt About the Start Time of Wiping Over Socks
Source: Fatāwā Arkān-e-Islām
Question:
If a person becomes doubtful about when the wiping over socks began, what should he do in such a case?
Answer:
Al-ḥamdu lillāh, waṣ-ṣalātu was-salāmu ʿalā Rasūlillāh, ammā baʿd!
If a person is uncertain about the exact time when he began wiping over his socks — for example, he does not know whether he started wiping at the time of Ẓuhr prayer or at the time of ʿAṣr prayer — then he must act upon certainty.
✿ Since the basic assumption is that wiping has not yet occurred, he will count the start time of wiping from ʿAṣr prayer.
✿ The juristic principle here is: “Everything remains upon its original state.” In this case, the original state is no wiping.
Evidence for the Principle:
This principle is proven from the following ḥadīth:
It was mentioned to the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ about a man who, during prayer, feels as though he might have experienced something (i.e., his ablution might have broken). The Prophet ﷺ said:
«لَا يَنْصَرِفْ حَتَّی يَسْمَعَ صَوْتًا اَوْ يَجِدَ رِيْحًا»
(Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī – Kitāb al-Wuḍūʾ, Bāb: Lā yatawaḍḍaʾ min al-shakk ḥattā yastaīqina, Ḥadīth: 137; Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim – Kitāb al-Ḥayḍ, Bāb: al-Dalīl ʿalā anna man tayqana al-ṭahārah thumma shakka fī al-ḥadath falahu an yuṣallī bi-ṭahāratihi tilka, Ḥadīth: 361)
“Do not leave (the prayer) unless you hear a sound or detect a smell.”
This means that until there is a definite sign, one does not act based merely on doubt.
ھذا ما عندي، والله أعلم بالصواب
