What are the rulings on wiping over leather socks?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner : What are the rulings on wiping over leather socks?
The Shaykh : Wiping over leather socks has one ruling: if a person puts them on while in a state of ritual purity with water, it is permissible for him to wipe over them, but with three conditions:
The first condition is what we mentioned, which is that he must have put them on while in a state of ritual purity with water. The evidence for this is what is established in the two Sahihs from the hadith of al-Mughirah ibn Shu'bah (may Allah be pleased with him) that he poured water for the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) to perform ablution, so the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) performed ablution. Al-Mughirah reached for his leather socks to take them off, but the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:Sahih al-Bukhari 206 So he wiped over them. His saying (peace and blessings be upon him): is the reason for his saying: and the ruling follows its cause in existence and absence. This indicates that if a person puts them on while in a state of ritual purity, it is permissible for him to wipe over them, and if he puts them on while not in a state of ritual purity, he does not wipe over them.
The second condition is that this must be for minor ritual impurity, not major ritual impurity, based on the hadith of Safwan ibn 'Asal: His saying: indicates that it is not permissible to wipe over them while in a state of major ritual impurity; rather, it is obligatory to take them off.
The third condition is that it must be within the time limit prescribed by the Shari'ah, which is one day and one night for the resident, and three days and their nights for the traveler. For the resident, it is one day and one night, beginning from the first time he wipes, not from the occurrence of ritual impurity after putting them on, and not from the time of putting them on. This is because the texts state that one wipes for a day and a night, and wiping is not realized except by its actual occurrence. So the time preceding the wiping is not counted from the time limit set by the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). If, for example, a man performed ablution for the Fajr prayer, then remained in a state of purity and his ablution was broken two hours before the Zuhr prayer, then he performed ablution for the Zuhr prayer and wiped, the beginning of the time limit would be from his wiping when he wiped for the Zuhr prayer, not from the ritual impurity that occurred two hours before Zuhr. In this case, the wiping would be completed for a day and a night if he is a resident, and three days and their nights if he is a traveler.
It has become well-known among some people that a person wipes five times if he is a resident, and this is not correct. Rather, he wipes for a day and a night as stated in the text. And this person wipes and may pray more than five prayers. If, for example, he wiped at twelve noon, and then on the second day he wiped at twelve noon minus a quarter hour, and then remained in a state of purity until he prayed 'Isha', in this case he would have prayed nine prayers: Zuhr, 'Asr, Maghrib, and 'Isha of the first day, and Fajr, and Zuhr, 'Asr, Maghrib, and 'Isha of the second day. This is because if the time limit is completed and you have wiped before it was completed and you remained in a state of purity, your purity is not broken.
And the statement of those who say that purity is broken by the completion of the time limit has no evidence for it. The original state is the continuation of purity until evidence arises for its breaking, because the legal maxim is: *What is established by evidence is not removed except by evidence*. And it has not been reported from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) that the purity of one whose time for wiping is completed is broken. So if that is not reported, it is obligatory that the ablution remains as it is. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) only set a time for wiping, and did not set a time for purity. If the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) had set a time for purity, purity would have been broken by the completion of the day and night, but he only set a time for wiping. Yes, if a person wipes after the completion of the time limit, even if he did so out of forgetfulness, it is obligatory for him to repeat the ablution and take off his leather socks and wash his feet. Even if he prays with this ablution that was after the completion of the time limit and he wiped in it, it is obligatory for him to repeat the prayer, even if he did so out of forgetfulness. As for if he is a traveler, he wipes for three days and their nights, and the beginning of the time limit is, as I mentioned, from the first time he wipes. Then, if he wipes while a resident and then travels, he completes the wiping of a resident for a day and a night. But if he put on the leather socks while a resident and did not wipe except while traveling, he completes three days. And if he began wiping while traveling and then arrived in his home, he does not wipe except the wiping of a resident. If the time limit for the resident's wiping has ended, it is obligatory for him to take them off and wash his feet when he performs ablution. And if it has not ended, he completes it with the wiping of a resident for a day and a night from the first time he wiped.
The Shaykh : Wiping over leather socks has one ruling: if a person puts them on while in a state of ritual purity with water, it is permissible for him to wipe over them, but with three conditions:
The first condition is what we mentioned, which is that he must have put them on while in a state of ritual purity with water. The evidence for this is what is established in the two Sahihs from the hadith of al-Mughirah ibn Shu'bah (may Allah be pleased with him) that he poured water for the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) to perform ablution, so the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) performed ablution. Al-Mughirah reached for his leather socks to take them off, but the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
He ordered me to leave them as he had put them after performing ablution
دعهما فإني أدخلتهما طاهرتينFor I put them on in a state of purity
فإني أدخلتهما طاهرتينLeave them
دعهماThe second condition is that this must be for minor ritual impurity, not major ritual impurity, based on the hadith of Safwan ibn 'Asal:
The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) commanded us, when we were traveling, not to take off our leather socks for three days and their nights, except from major ritual impurity, but from defecation, urination, and sleep
أمرنا رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم إذا كنا سفراً ألا ننزع خفافنا ثلاثة أيام ولياليهن إلا من جنابة، ولكن من غائط وبول ونومExcept from major ritual impurity
إلا من جنابةThe third condition is that it must be within the time limit prescribed by the Shari'ah, which is one day and one night for the resident, and three days and their nights for the traveler. For the resident, it is one day and one night, beginning from the first time he wipes, not from the occurrence of ritual impurity after putting them on, and not from the time of putting them on. This is because the texts state that one wipes for a day and a night, and wiping is not realized except by its actual occurrence. So the time preceding the wiping is not counted from the time limit set by the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). If, for example, a man performed ablution for the Fajr prayer, then remained in a state of purity and his ablution was broken two hours before the Zuhr prayer, then he performed ablution for the Zuhr prayer and wiped, the beginning of the time limit would be from his wiping when he wiped for the Zuhr prayer, not from the ritual impurity that occurred two hours before Zuhr. In this case, the wiping would be completed for a day and a night if he is a resident, and three days and their nights if he is a traveler.
It has become well-known among some people that a person wipes five times if he is a resident, and this is not correct. Rather, he wipes for a day and a night as stated in the text. And this person wipes and may pray more than five prayers. If, for example, he wiped at twelve noon, and then on the second day he wiped at twelve noon minus a quarter hour, and then remained in a state of purity until he prayed 'Isha', in this case he would have prayed nine prayers: Zuhr, 'Asr, Maghrib, and 'Isha of the first day, and Fajr, and Zuhr, 'Asr, Maghrib, and 'Isha of the second day. This is because if the time limit is completed and you have wiped before it was completed and you remained in a state of purity, your purity is not broken.
And the statement of those who say that purity is broken by the completion of the time limit has no evidence for it. The original state is the continuation of purity until evidence arises for its breaking, because the legal maxim is: *What is established by evidence is not removed except by evidence*. And it has not been reported from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) that the purity of one whose time for wiping is completed is broken. So if that is not reported, it is obligatory that the ablution remains as it is. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) only set a time for wiping, and did not set a time for purity. If the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) had set a time for purity, purity would have been broken by the completion of the day and night, but he only set a time for wiping. Yes, if a person wipes after the completion of the time limit, even if he did so out of forgetfulness, it is obligatory for him to repeat the ablution and take off his leather socks and wash his feet. Even if he prays with this ablution that was after the completion of the time limit and he wiped in it, it is obligatory for him to repeat the prayer, even if he did so out of forgetfulness. As for if he is a traveler, he wipes for three days and their nights, and the beginning of the time limit is, as I mentioned, from the first time he wipes. Then, if he wipes while a resident and then travels, he completes the wiping of a resident for a day and a night. But if he put on the leather socks while a resident and did not wipe except while traveling, he completes three days. And if he began wiping while traveling and then arrived in his home, he does not wipe except the wiping of a resident. If the time limit for the resident's wiping has ended, it is obligatory for him to take them off and wash his feet when he performs ablution. And if it has not ended, he completes it with the wiping of a resident for a day and a night from the first time he wiped.