Is wiping over the socks permissible?

The Shaykh: So, what do you have?

The questioner: I have a question, O Shaykh.

The Shaykh: We must come so that we may benefit, if Allah wills.

The questioner: I came to be honored by your acquaintance, truly, with the brothers.

The Shaykh: May Allah honor you.

The questioner: The question in my mind reminded me of it.The Shaykh : Abu 'Uday? Is there a disagreement regarding wiping: is wiping over the socks permissible, as is the case with the leather socks (khuff), or is it not permissible? I read in the book "Al-Fiqh" on the four schools of jurisprudence, and they all say that among the conditions for wiping over the socks is that they must be sturdy, rigid, and strong, resembling the leather socks, and so on, and that the water, when wiping is performed, does not reach the skin. However, in one condition they agreed upon, there are four issues in which one proceeds.

The Shaykh: Such and such.

The questioner: Or a farsakh, or three miles, or something of that sort. I believe that this is what is realized in socks. My personal understanding was that I had abandoned wiping, so I do not know if this is correct or not? It has been two weeks.

The Shaykh: Subhan Allah, if someone asked you about wiping over the leather socks and then over the socks, is it the default ruling or a dispensation, what would be your answer?

The questioner: Regarding the leather socks.

The Shaykh: No, no, you are distinguishing. I gave you two examples: wiping over the leather socks or the socks, is it the default ruling or a dispensation, as far as you know?

The questioner: As a general Muslim, it is a dispensation.

The Shaykh: And so let it be for the general public, then. Now, is the dispensation, in your knowledge—and I hope you will be successful in answering the second question as you were successful in answering the first—does the dispensation usually require conditions that are required in the default rulings?

The questioner: Certainly not, because it is of a lower rank. Allah loves that His dispensations be fulfilled as He loves that His default rulings be fulfilled.

The Shaykh: It is another stage. Beautiful, but I saw that you, meaning, you forbade yourself this dispensation because of those conditions and restrictions. Do these conditions and restrictions befit the fact that the issue is a dispensation?

The questioner: By Allah, I forbade it for myself from one angle: I have time; I am not in a strait of time; I have ample time.

The Shaykh: Now you have deviated, and we do not want you to deviate.

The questioner : May Allah bless you.

The Shaykh: The dispensations do not require that one be free of other duties. Meaning, now, when a person is traveling, he has the default ruling and he has the dispensation. The default ruling is shortening the prayer, the dispensation is combining. He has time and he has leisure such that he is able not to combine, but nevertheless he combined. Is there any harm upon him?

The questioner : Not at all.

The Shaykh: So why do you strike examples and say that I found leisure in myself? The existence of leisure does not contradict utilizing the dispensation. Perhaps it has become clear to you?

The questioner : Yes, O my master.

The Shaykh : Then?

The questioner: I had a doubt regarding the issue of the leather sock; the leather sock has no disagreement, and the issue of the sock.

The Shaykh: I am speaking about the leather sock and the sock in general. If you do not like me to mix the leather sock with the sock, strike the leather sock and stick to the research on the sock. The whole discussion revolves around the leather sock and the sock. If you think—and I do not say if you think—that there is a difference between the leather sock and the sock, we strike the leather sock as we said, and we return and confine the discussion to what? To the sock. So why have you now turned away from the dispensation of Allah in which you mentioned the hadith? What is the exact reason?

The questioner: Yes, my lord, the other party in the discussion was more deeply versed in religion, perhaps a little more than me, so he told me that the word "sock" was never mentioned in the life of the Companions, nor the Successors, nor the Successors of the Successors. He convinced me with this, from the angle that he is more knowledgeable than me in the matter that the word "sock" was not mentioned; only "leather sock" was mentioned.

The Shaykh: Both of you are wrong, the one who denied it and the one who agreed; he is wrong. Because it is established from the Salaf—and I mean the first of the Salaf, who are the Companions, and especially Anas ibn Malik, then 'Umar ibn al-Khattab, and others—that they used to wipe over the socks. And from al-Hasan al-Basri, the great Successor, that he said—and this was a response to rejecting some of the conditions you read in that book or in others: "The socks of the Ansar were nothing but tattered." So denying that wiping over the socks came down is a reprehensible matter, whether it came from you or from someone else, because this is well known. And after this, I say: if there were no basis for wiping over the socks, whether from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) or from the Companions, the scholars would not have agreed on the legitimacy of wiping over the socks as they agreed on the legitimacy of wiping over the leather socks, even though they differed in the conditions of wiping over each of the leather socks or the socks. And it came in the Sunan of Abu Dawud and al-Tirmidhi from the hadith of al-Mughirah ibn Shu'bah (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: "The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)..." and in a narration: "I saw the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) wiping over the socks and the sandals." For your sake.

The questioner: May Allah prolong your life, if Allah wills.

The Shaykh: I mean, not just wiping over the leather socks, no, leather socks and socks and sandals. The point of this hadith is that this noble Companion, who was counted among the wise of the Arabs, said: "I saw the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) wiping over the socks and the sandals." And when a text like this text comes from the action of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), meaning absolutely, I saw him wiping over the socks, then at that time one should act upon this absolute text without straining to set conditions for it or seeking conditions for it, as the Jews did with Moses when they said: "What is its color? What is it?" If they had slaughtered it as they were told and taken the text in its absolute sense, they would have been at ease. But they were excessive, so they perished and tired themselves out. And therefore he (peace be upon him) said: So I will now strike imaginary examples to reach from them to the real examples, even though they resemble the first imaginary examples. I say: it is not for us to ask, what was the color of the socks over which the Messenger (peace be upon him) wiped? What was its fabric? Was it cotton or was it wool? And then this wool, was it from sheep or goats or camels or so on?

The questioner: The result is no wiping over the socks. May Allah bless you.

The Shaykh: And may He bless you. These are imaginary examples, of course, but they are real examples in that they were imposed and conditioned, as you had read: the socks must be thick, they must be fixed on the leg, one must be able to walk in them such and such a distance. This is the sister of that, exactly, but it is closer to reason somewhat, but it is the farthest thing from the Shari'ah. Because the one who legislated for us by his action (peace be upon him) wiping over the socks, if he had intended to set conditions for these socks that the general Muslims should adhere to and hold onto, and that it is not permissible for them to wipe over the socks except with them, he would have explained them to the people. Because Allah (Mighty and Majestic) said to him: And Allah (Mighty and Majestic) is more worthy of being as He said in His Book: So if Allah had intended these conditions, He would have conveyed them to His Prophet, and if He had conveyed them to His Prophet, he would have conveyed them to his Ummah, because he said in the authentic hadith: So the non-mention of these conditions in any of the hadiths of the Messenger (peace be upon him) first, and then from the athar of the Salaf who followed him in true following second, is the greatest proof that they are among the conditions about which the Messenger (peace be upon him) said: So wipe and do not worry.

The questioner: May Allah bless you.

The Shaykh: And enjoy the dispensation of Allah (Mighty and Majestic), whether you are busy or free. Yes.