Wiping Over Socks and Leather Socks (Khuff) is Sunnah

Hadith Reference:​

Ṣafwān bin ʿAssāl (رضي الله عنه) narrated:
"The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) instructed us, while we were traveling, not to remove our leather socks (khuff) for three days and nights, except in the case of major impurity (janābah). However, for minor impurities such as urination, defecation, or sleep, there was no need to remove them."

[Jāmiʿ al-Tirmidhī: 96]

Authenticity & References:

• Musnad Imām Aḥmad bin Ḥanbal (4/239-240)
• Sunan al-Nasāʾī (1/84)
• Jāmiʿ al-Tirmidhī (96) – Tirmidhī declared it Hasan Ṣaḥīḥ
• Sunan Ibn Mājah (478)
• Ṣaḥīḥ Ibn Khuzaymah (196)
• Ṣaḥīḥ Ibn Ḥibbān (179)
• Sunan al-Bayhaqī (1/114)
• Sunan al-Dāraquṭnī (1/197)
• Imām al-Bukhārī said this is the strongest hadith on this topic.

Another narration from ʿUrwah bin al-Mughīrah, from his father (رضي الله عنه) states:
"I was on a journey with the Prophet (ﷺ), and as I reached to remove his leather socks, he said: ‘Leave them, for I put them on while in a state of purity,’ and then he wiped over them."

[Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī: 206, 5799 | Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim: 274]

Narration from ʿAlī (رضي الله عنه):
Shurayḥ bin Hāniʾ reported:
"I went to ʿĀʾishah (رضي الله عنها) to ask about wiping over socks, and she advised me to ask ʿAlī (رضي الله عنه) because he traveled with the Prophet (ﷺ). So we asked him, and he said: ‘The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) set a time limit of three days and nights for a traveler and one day and night for a resident (for wiping over socks).’”

[Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim: 272]

A narration from ʿUmar (رضي الله عنه) states:
"When one of you performs wudu and wears socks, he may wipe over them and pray in them, and he should not remove them unless he is in a state of major impurity (janābah).”

[Sunan al-Dāraquṭnī (1/203) – This hadith is Shaadh (irregular)]

Key Lessons Derived from the Hadith:​

➊ Wiping over socks (khuff) and fabric socks (jawrab) is Sunnah. It is permissible to wear them for warmth or due to necessity (such as illness or injury). One must wear them after performing wudu.

• A resident may wipe over them for one day and one night (24 hours).
• A traveler may wipe over them for three days and nights (72 hours).
• The socks should not be too thin or transparent so that the skin is visible.

➋ If one becomes junub (requires ghusl), the socks must be removed, even if they were worn only for an hour. If they are removed voluntarily, the validity of wiping ends.

➌ Wiping over socks is not invalidated by minor impurities (urination, defecation, or sleep).

• The correct way to wipe: Wet the hand and pass it over the top of the sock from the toes to the shin.
• One should not wipe the underside (sole) of the socks.

➍ If there is an injury on the foot, one can wipe over the bandage instead of washing the wound.

➎ Serving elders and scholars is an honorable deed. It is permissible to help someone remove their socks or shoes out of respect, just as ʿUrwah (رضي الله عنه) tried to remove the Prophet’s (ﷺ) socks out of service and love.

➏ Traveling with a companion is recommended. The hadith indicates that one should not travel alone without necessity.

[This content has been taken from the book Ḍiyāʾ al-Islām fī Sharḥ al-Imām bi-Aḥādīth al-Aḥkām by Shaykh Taqī al-Dīn Abī al-Fatḥ, translated by Mawlānā Maḥmūd Aḥmad Ghaḍanfar.]