✍ Taken from: Fiqhi Ahkam wa Masāʾil in the Light of Qur’an and Hadith, Vol. 1, p. 23
Wiping over socks or footwear (such as leather socks) is only permissible when they are worn in a state of wudū’.
It is narrated in Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī and Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim that when Sayyidunā Mughirah bin Shuʿbah رضي الله عنه intended to remove the Prophet’s ﷺ leather socks for wudū’, the Prophet ﷺ said:
"Leave them, for I wore them in a state of purification (wudū')."
Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, Bāb Idhā Adkhala Rijlayhi wa Humā Ṭāhiratān – Ḥadīth 206
Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, Bāb al-Masḥ ʿala al-Khuffayn – Ḥadīth 274
Another narration states:
"أمرنا أن نمسح على الخفين إذا نحن أدخلنا هما على طهر"
“We were commanded to wipe over the socks when we had put them on in a state of purification.”
Musnad Aḥmad 4/240 – Also found in al-Tirmidhī, al-Nasāʾī, Ibn Mājah (abridged)
These narrations clarify that wiping is only valid if the socks were worn after performing wudū’.
If someone wears them without having wudū’, then masḥ (wiping) is not permissible.
The socks or footwear must be legally and lawfully obtained.
If they were stolen or unlawfully seized, then wiping over them is invalid.
Similarly, men are prohibited from wearing silk socks, and thus wiping over them is also impermissible.
✒ Because there is no concession in what is fundamentally forbidden.
It is a condition that the socks completely cover the part of the foot which is obligatory to wash in wudū’.
If they do not, then wiping over them is invalid.
Wiping over socks is permitted as a substitute for leather socks provided that:
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ wiped over socks and shoes, as authentically narrated:
Sunan Abī Dāwūd – Bāb al-Masḥ ʿala al-Jawrabayn – Ḥadīth 159
Jāmiʿ al-Tirmidhī – Bāb Mā Jāʾa fī al-Masḥ ʿala al-Jawrabayn wa al-Naʿlayn – Ḥadīth 99
Sunan Ibn Mājah – Bāb Mā Jāʾa fī al-Masḥ ʿala al-Jawrabayn wa al-Naʿlayn – Ḥadīth 559
Musnad Aḥmad 4/252
The authentic narration confirms that the Prophet ﷺ performed masḥ over socks.
However, the narration does not specify whether they were thick or thin.
Allah knows best. (Sarim)
The duration of wiping over socks is the same as leather socks:
➤ It is not necessary to wear shoes over the socks for masḥ to be valid.
➤ Once the duration starts with wiping over socks, then wearing or removing other items over them (like shoes) does not affect the duration or validity of the masḥ.
Wiping over a turban is permitted with two conditions:
① The turban must cover the part of the head that is usually kept covered.
② The turban must pass under the chin, or a part of it hangs down over the back (as a tail).
The author did not provide direct evidence for these two conditions.
However, many ḥadīth scholars have recorded the practice of wiping over the turban from the Prophet ﷺ:
Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī – Bāb al-Masḥ ʿala al-Khuffayn – Ḥadīth 205
Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim – Bāb al-Masḥ ʿala al-Nāṣiyah wa al-ʿImāmah – Ḥadīth 274 (81–83)
Sunan Abī Dāwūd – Bāb al-Masḥ ʿala al-ʿImāmah – Ḥadīth 150; Bāb al-Masḥ ʿala al-Khuffayn – Ḥadīth 146
Sunan al-Nasāʾī – Bāb al-Masḥ ʿala al-ʿImāmah maʿ al-Nāṣiyah – Ḥadīth 107, 108
Bāb Kayfa al-Masḥ ʿala al-ʿImāmah – Ḥadīth 109, 150
Furthermore, Sayyidunā ʿUmar رضي الله عنه said:
“Whoever does not consider wudū’ complete after wiping over a turban – may Allah not purify him.”
Conditions:
① The dressing should be directly over or very near the injured area
② If it exceeds the required area, the excess must be removed and the part underneath washed
Wiping in this case is allowed in both minor and major impurity
There is no time limit—it remains valid as long as the medical necessity continues
Sayyidunā Jābir رضي الله عنه reported:
A companion was struck on the head by a stone during travel. He needed ghusl and asked his companions if he could perform tayammum instead.
They said: “No, you have water, so you must use it.”
So he bathed and died as a result.
When the incident was brought to the Prophet ﷺ, he said:
"قَتَلُوهُ قَتَلَهُمُ اللَّهُ، أَلَا سَأَلُوا إِذَا لَمْ يَعْلَمُوا؟ فَإِنَّمَا شِفَاءُ الْعِيِّ السُّؤَالُ، إِنَّمَا كَانَ يَكْفِيهِ أَنْ يَتَيَمَّمَ، وَيَعْصِبَ عَلَى جُرْحِهِ خِرْقَةً، ثُمَّ يَمْسَحُ عَلَيْهَا، وَيَغْسِلُ سَائِرَ جَسَدِهِ"
“They killed him—may Allah kill them! Why did they not ask when they didn’t know? Verily, the cure for ignorance is to ask. It would have been enough for him to do tayammum, bind a cloth over the wound, wipe over it, and wash the rest of his body.”
Sunan Abī Dāwūd – Bāb al-Jarīḥ Yatammam – Ḥadīth 336
Sunan Ibn Mājah – Bāb al-Jarīḥ Yaghshall Janābah fa-Khāfa ʿala Nafsihi – Ḥadīth 572
Al-Albānī رحمه الله graded it ḥasan except the part: "إِنَّمَا كَانَ يَكْفِيهِ..."
“This is what I have, and Allah knows best what is correct.”
❖ Conditions for Wiping (Masḥ) Over Socks and Footwear
Wiping over socks or footwear (such as leather socks) is only permissible when they are worn in a state of wudū’.
✿ 1. Evidence from the Prophet ﷺ
It is narrated in Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī and Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim that when Sayyidunā Mughirah bin Shuʿbah رضي الله عنه intended to remove the Prophet’s ﷺ leather socks for wudū’, the Prophet ﷺ said:
"Leave them, for I wore them in a state of purification (wudū')."
Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, Bāb Idhā Adkhala Rijlayhi wa Humā Ṭāhiratān – Ḥadīth 206 Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, Bāb al-Masḥ ʿala al-Khuffayn – Ḥadīth 274Another narration states:
"أمرنا أن نمسح على الخفين إذا نحن أدخلنا هما على طهر"
“We were commanded to wipe over the socks when we had put them on in a state of purification.”
Musnad Aḥmad 4/240 – Also found in al-Tirmidhī, al-Nasāʾī, Ibn Mājah (abridged) These narrations clarify that wiping is only valid if the socks were worn after performing wudū’. If someone wears them without having wudū’, then masḥ (wiping) is not permissible.❖ Conditions for Valid Masḥ
➤ 1. Socks Must Be Lawfully Acquired
The socks or footwear must be legally and lawfully obtained.
If they were stolen or unlawfully seized, then wiping over them is invalid. Similarly, men are prohibited from wearing silk socks, and thus wiping over them is also impermissible.✒ Because there is no concession in what is fundamentally forbidden.
➤ 2. Socks Must Cover the Obligatory Part of the Foot
It is a condition that the socks completely cover the part of the foot which is obligatory to wash in wudū’.
If they do not, then wiping over them is invalid.➤ 3. Wiping Over Socks (Jawrabayn) as Substitute for Leather Socks (Khuffayn)
Wiping over socks is permitted as a substitute for leather socks provided that:
- They are made of wool or similar material
- They are thick enough that the skin is not visible underneath
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ wiped over socks and shoes, as authentically narrated: Sunan Abī Dāwūd – Bāb al-Masḥ ʿala al-Jawrabayn – Ḥadīth 159 Jāmiʿ al-Tirmidhī – Bāb Mā Jāʾa fī al-Masḥ ʿala al-Jawrabayn wa al-Naʿlayn – Ḥadīth 99 Sunan Ibn Mājah – Bāb Mā Jāʾa fī al-Masḥ ʿala al-Jawrabayn wa al-Naʿlayn – Ḥadīth 559 Musnad Aḥmad 4/252 The authentic narration confirms that the Prophet ﷺ performed masḥ over socks. However, the narration does not specify whether they were thick or thin.Allah knows best. (Sarim)
❖ Duration of Masḥ Over Socks
The duration of wiping over socks is the same as leather socks:
- One day and one night for residents
- Three days and nights for travelers
➤ It is not necessary to wear shoes over the socks for masḥ to be valid.
➤ Once the duration starts with wiping over socks, then wearing or removing other items over them (like shoes) does not affect the duration or validity of the masḥ.
❖ Wiping Over Turbans (ʿImāmah)
Wiping over a turban is permitted with two conditions:
① The turban must cover the part of the head that is usually kept covered.
② The turban must pass under the chin, or a part of it hangs down over the back (as a tail).
The author did not provide direct evidence for these two conditions.However, many ḥadīth scholars have recorded the practice of wiping over the turban from the Prophet ﷺ:
Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī – Bāb al-Masḥ ʿala al-Khuffayn – Ḥadīth 205 Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim – Bāb al-Masḥ ʿala al-Nāṣiyah wa al-ʿImāmah – Ḥadīth 274 (81–83) Sunan Abī Dāwūd – Bāb al-Masḥ ʿala al-ʿImāmah – Ḥadīth 150; Bāb al-Masḥ ʿala al-Khuffayn – Ḥadīth 146 Sunan al-Nasāʾī – Bāb al-Masḥ ʿala al-ʿImāmah maʿ al-Nāṣiyah – Ḥadīth 107, 108 Bāb Kayfa al-Masḥ ʿala al-ʿImāmah – Ḥadīth 109, 150Furthermore, Sayyidunā ʿUmar رضي الله عنه said:
“Whoever does not consider wudū’ complete after wiping over a turban – may Allah not purify him.”
❖ No Masḥ in the State of Major Impurity (Janābah)
- Masḥ is only valid in minor impurity (ḥadath aṣghar)—i.e., when performing wudū’.
- In major impurity (ḥadath akbar) such as janābah (ritual impurity):
- Wiping over socks or turbans is not permitted.
- One must remove them and perform ghusl, washing the entire body and necessary limbs.
❖ Masḥ Over Bandages and Plasters
- It is permissible to wipe over bandages or casts placed for medical reasons:
- e.g., wooden splints, gauze, plasters, or ointments on wounds
Conditions:① The dressing should be directly over or very near the injured area
② If it exceeds the required area, the excess must be removed and the part underneath washed
Wiping in this case is allowed in both minor and major impurity There is no time limit—it remains valid as long as the medical necessity continues✿ Evidence: The Case of the Wounded Companion
Sayyidunā Jābir رضي الله عنه reported:
A companion was struck on the head by a stone during travel. He needed ghusl and asked his companions if he could perform tayammum instead.
They said: “No, you have water, so you must use it.”
So he bathed and died as a result.
When the incident was brought to the Prophet ﷺ, he said:
"قَتَلُوهُ قَتَلَهُمُ اللَّهُ، أَلَا سَأَلُوا إِذَا لَمْ يَعْلَمُوا؟ فَإِنَّمَا شِفَاءُ الْعِيِّ السُّؤَالُ، إِنَّمَا كَانَ يَكْفِيهِ أَنْ يَتَيَمَّمَ، وَيَعْصِبَ عَلَى جُرْحِهِ خِرْقَةً، ثُمَّ يَمْسَحُ عَلَيْهَا، وَيَغْسِلُ سَائِرَ جَسَدِهِ"
“They killed him—may Allah kill them! Why did they not ask when they didn’t know? Verily, the cure for ignorance is to ask. It would have been enough for him to do tayammum, bind a cloth over the wound, wipe over it, and wash the rest of his body.”
Sunan Abī Dāwūd – Bāb al-Jarīḥ Yatammam – Ḥadīth 336 Sunan Ibn Mājah – Bāb al-Jarīḥ Yaghshall Janābah fa-Khāfa ʿala Nafsihi – Ḥadīth 572Al-Albānī رحمه الله graded it ḥasan except the part: "إِنَّمَا كَانَ يَكْفِيهِ..."
Conclusion
- Wiping is permissible over socks, turbans, and medical dressings with valid conditions
- Lawful acquisition, full coverage, and proper wearing in a state of wudū’ are essential
- No wiping is allowed in the state of janābah—ghusl is required
- Wiping over bandages is allowed even in major impurity due to necessity
“This is what I have, and Allah knows best what is correct.”
