Permissibility of Wiping Over Socks
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
We heard a fatwa regarding wiping over socks that you do not stipulate that the sock must be thick. Then we heard from some of the noble brothers that you retracted this fatwa. We want the truth in this matter, may Allah bless you?
The truth, in my view, is that I did not retract it, and I still issue the ruling that there is no harm in a person wiping over a thin sock.
The questioner: Even if it is transparent?The Shaykh: Even if it is transparent, because there is no evidence stipulating that it must be covering. Consequently, the scholars who hold the view of stipulation differed, saying: If water does not enter through it, but because of its transparency it reveals what is behind it, as if it were plastic in the present day,Some scholars say: wiping over it is not permissible. This is the well-known view of Imam Ahmad’s school according to his followers.And some of them say: It is permissible. This is the view of the Shafi'is, and none of them have clear evidence.The Shafi'is say: It is permissible because water cannot reach from behind it. Therefore, its obligation is not washing in this case. And these people say: Wiping over it is not valid because it reveals the skin. In our view, neither side has evidence, and it is permissible to wipe over thin and thick socks.
The questioner: Even if it has a tear?The Shaykh: Even if there is a tear in it.
The truth, in my view, is that I did not retract it, and I still issue the ruling that there is no harm in a person wiping over a thin sock.
The questioner: Even if it is transparent?The Shaykh: Even if it is transparent, because there is no evidence stipulating that it must be covering. Consequently, the scholars who hold the view of stipulation differed, saying: If water does not enter through it, but because of its transparency it reveals what is behind it, as if it were plastic in the present day,Some scholars say: wiping over it is not permissible. This is the well-known view of Imam Ahmad’s school according to his followers.And some of them say: It is permissible. This is the view of the Shafi'is, and none of them have clear evidence.The Shafi'is say: It is permissible because water cannot reach from behind it. Therefore, its obligation is not washing in this case. And these people say: Wiping over it is not valid because it reveals the skin. In our view, neither side has evidence, and it is permissible to wipe over thin and thick socks.
The questioner: Even if it has a tear?The Shaykh: Even if there is a tear in it.