I put on socks and forgot during wudu whether I had put them on while in a state of purity or not, so what is required of me?
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The questioner : I put on socks and forgot during wudu whether I had put them on while in a state of purity or not, so what is required of me?
The Shaykh : It is obligatory for you to take them off and wash your feet, because this is a doubt regarding the presence of the condition, and the original state is non-existence. Therefore, it is not permissible for you to wipe over the socks while you are in doubt about whether you put them on while in a state of purity or not.
Wiping over the leather socks is permissible by the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him):
As for the Book of Allah, it is in the saying of Allah the Exalted:[Al-Ma'idah 5:6] according to the reading with the genitive case, because in His saying: there are two readings: a reading with the accusative case: which is then conjoined to His saying: and thus becomes washed, and a reading with the genitive case: and thus becomes conjoined to His saying: and becomes wiped. The Sunnah has clarified when the foot is to be washed and when it is to be wiped; it is washed when it is uncovered and wiped when it is covered by socks or leather socks.
As for the Sunnah, this has been mass-transmitted from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) through his words and actions. Among those who narrated this from him is Ali ibn Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him). Some scholars have composed two verses that include some of what was mass-transmitted from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) regarding the Sunnah, saying:
"Among the mass-transmitted matters is the hadith of the liar, and of the one who built a house for Allah and counted it as a good deed,
and the vision of intercession, the Pond, and wiping over the leather socks, and these are some of them."
Imam Ahmad (may Allah have mercy on him) said: "I have no doubt in my heart regarding wiping; there are forty hadiths from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and his Companions on this."
However, there are conditions that must be met for the permissibility of wiping:
The first condition is that they must be put on while in a state of purity. This is based on the statement of al-Mughirah ibn Shu'bah (may Allah be pleased with him): "I was with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) on a journey. I performed wudu and reached out to remove his leather socks, but he said: If he had put them on while not in a state of purity, wiping over them would not be permissible.
The second condition is that the wiping must be within the specified time, which is one day and one night for the resident and three days and their nights for the traveler. This period begins from the first wiping after a state of ritual impurity, not from the time of putting them on, nor from the state of ritual impurity after putting them on until one wipes. This is because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) specified the time for wiping, saying:As-Sunan al-Kubra lil-Nasa'i 1:128 meaning regarding wiping over the leather socks. Wiping is not established except by its actual performance.
Accordingly, if someone performs wudu for the Fajr prayer and puts on leather socks or socks, then becomes ritually impure two hours before the Zuhr prayer and does not perform wudu, and then performs wudu for the Zuhr prayer, the period begins from the wudu, not from the state of ritual impurity that occurred two hours before Zuhr. If it is assumed that he performed wudu for the Fajr prayer and put on his leather socks or socks and remained in a state of purity until the Isha prayer, then slept without performing wudu, and then got up for the Fajr prayer of the second day and wiped, the period begins from the Fajr of the second day.
The rule in this is that the time preceding the first wiping is not counted from the period. By this, we know that what is common among the general public, restricting the period to five prayers, is not based on a correct principle. Because in the second example we mentioned, four prayers have passed for this person who put them on: Zuhr, Asr, Maghrib, and Isha. None of these are counted from the period, and the period will begin from the Fajr prayer when he wipes for the Fajr prayer of the second day.
As for the third condition, it is that the wiping must be for the minor state of ritual impurity, i.e., for wudu, not for the full ritual bath from major ritual impurity or other causes requiring the full ritual bath. The evidence for this is the hadith of Safwan ibn Umayr (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
The fourth condition is the purity of the leather sock or sock. If one puts on a leather sock made from something ritually impure, such as the skin of a ritually impure animal, he does not wipe over it.
These are the four conditions that must be met for the permissibility of wiping over the leather sock or sock. As for the holes that may be in the sock, they do not harm as long as the name "sock" remains applicable. This is because there is no evidence requiring their absence, and because being free from them may be rare or difficult. Also, any condition added to an act of worship narrows and restricts it, and what is like that must have evidence from the Lawgiver. There is no evidence indicating that the sock or leather sock must not be holed. If no evidence indicates this, then it is obligatory to allow what Allah and His Messenger allowed, so that we do not make things difficult for the servants of Allah in what Allah has made easy for them.
When the period for wiping is completed, it is not permissible for a person to wipe after its completion. If he wipes, even if he does so out of forgetfulness, his wudu is not valid, because he wiped in a manner not commanded by Allah and His Messenger. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:Sahih Muslim 1718b
However, the purity that was completed before the expiration of the period remains as it is and is not invalidated by the end of the period. As long as he has not become ritually impure after the end of the period, he may pray with his purity as much as he wishes, whether obligatory or voluntary prayers, and do everything that one in a state of purity does. This is because the purity that preceded the end of the period was completed in a lawful manner, and what is completed in a lawful manner cannot be invalidated or spoiled except by a legal evidence.
Based on this rule, it is also clear that if a person wipes over the sock during the period and then takes it off, his purity is not invalidated either; rather, he remains in a state of purity until he becomes ritually impure. If he becomes ritually impure, he must wash his feet along with his wudu. This is because the person who took off the socks or leather socks over which he wiped had completed his purity before taking them off, according to the legal evidence. And what is completed according to the legal evidence cannot be spoiled or invalidated except by a legal evidence.
The questioner : May Allah bless you.
The Shaykh : It is obligatory for you to take them off and wash your feet, because this is a doubt regarding the presence of the condition, and the original state is non-existence. Therefore, it is not permissible for you to wipe over the socks while you are in doubt about whether you put them on while in a state of purity or not.
Wiping over the leather socks is permissible by the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him):
As for the Book of Allah, it is in the saying of Allah the Exalted:
O you who have believed, when you rise to [perform] prayer, wash your faces and your forearms to the elbows and wipe over your heads and wash your feet to the ankles
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا إِذَا قُمْتُمْ إِلَى الصَّلاةِ فَاغْسِلُوا وُجُوهَكُمْ وَأَيْدِيَكُمْ إِلَى الْمَرَافِقِ وَامْسَحُوا بِرُءُوسِكُمْ وَأَرْجُلَكُمْ إِلَى الْكَعْبَيْنِand your feet
وأرجلكمand your feet
وأرجلَكمyour faces
وجوهَكمand your feet
وأرجلِكمyour heads
بروؤسِكمAs for the Sunnah, this has been mass-transmitted from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) through his words and actions. Among those who narrated this from him is Ali ibn Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him). Some scholars have composed two verses that include some of what was mass-transmitted from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) regarding the Sunnah, saying:
"Among the mass-transmitted matters is the hadith of the liar, and of the one who built a house for Allah and counted it as a good deed,
and the vision of intercession, the Pond, and wiping over the leather socks, and these are some of them."
Imam Ahmad (may Allah have mercy on him) said: "I have no doubt in my heart regarding wiping; there are forty hadiths from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and his Companions on this."
However, there are conditions that must be met for the permissibility of wiping:
The first condition is that they must be put on while in a state of purity. This is based on the statement of al-Mughirah ibn Shu'bah (may Allah be pleased with him): "I was with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) on a journey. I performed wudu and reached out to remove his leather socks, but he said:
Leave them, for I have put them on in a state of purity. Then he wiped over them.
دعهما فإني أدخلتهما طاهرتين ثم مسح عليهماThe second condition is that the wiping must be within the specified time, which is one day and one night for the resident and three days and their nights for the traveler. This period begins from the first wiping after a state of ritual impurity, not from the time of putting them on, nor from the state of ritual impurity after putting them on until one wipes. This is because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) specified the time for wiping, saying:
The resident wipes for one day and one night, and the traveler for three days.
يمسح المقيم يوماً وليلة ، والمسافر ثلاثة أيامAccordingly, if someone performs wudu for the Fajr prayer and puts on leather socks or socks, then becomes ritually impure two hours before the Zuhr prayer and does not perform wudu, and then performs wudu for the Zuhr prayer, the period begins from the wudu, not from the state of ritual impurity that occurred two hours before Zuhr. If it is assumed that he performed wudu for the Fajr prayer and put on his leather socks or socks and remained in a state of purity until the Isha prayer, then slept without performing wudu, and then got up for the Fajr prayer of the second day and wiped, the period begins from the Fajr of the second day.
The rule in this is that the time preceding the first wiping is not counted from the period. By this, we know that what is common among the general public, restricting the period to five prayers, is not based on a correct principle. Because in the second example we mentioned, four prayers have passed for this person who put them on: Zuhr, Asr, Maghrib, and Isha. None of these are counted from the period, and the period will begin from the Fajr prayer when he wipes for the Fajr prayer of the second day.
As for the third condition, it is that the wiping must be for the minor state of ritual impurity, i.e., for wudu, not for the full ritual bath from major ritual impurity or other causes requiring the full ritual bath. The evidence for this is the hadith of Safwan ibn Umayr (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
He ordered them to wipe for one day and one night for the resident and three days for the traveler, and not to remove their leather socks except for major ritual impurity, but for defecation, urination, and sleep.
أمرهم أن يمسحوا يوماً وليلة للمقيم وثلاثة أيام للمسافر، وأن لا ينزعوا خفافهم إلا من جنابة ولكن من غائط وبول ونومThe fourth condition is the purity of the leather sock or sock. If one puts on a leather sock made from something ritually impure, such as the skin of a ritually impure animal, he does not wipe over it.
These are the four conditions that must be met for the permissibility of wiping over the leather sock or sock. As for the holes that may be in the sock, they do not harm as long as the name "sock" remains applicable. This is because there is no evidence requiring their absence, and because being free from them may be rare or difficult. Also, any condition added to an act of worship narrows and restricts it, and what is like that must have evidence from the Lawgiver. There is no evidence indicating that the sock or leather sock must not be holed. If no evidence indicates this, then it is obligatory to allow what Allah and His Messenger allowed, so that we do not make things difficult for the servants of Allah in what Allah has made easy for them.
When the period for wiping is completed, it is not permissible for a person to wipe after its completion. If he wipes, even if he does so out of forgetfulness, his wudu is not valid, because he wiped in a manner not commanded by Allah and His Messenger. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
He who did any act for which there is no sanction from our behalf, that is to be rejected.
من عمل عملاً ليس عليه أمرنا فهو ردHowever, the purity that was completed before the expiration of the period remains as it is and is not invalidated by the end of the period. As long as he has not become ritually impure after the end of the period, he may pray with his purity as much as he wishes, whether obligatory or voluntary prayers, and do everything that one in a state of purity does. This is because the purity that preceded the end of the period was completed in a lawful manner, and what is completed in a lawful manner cannot be invalidated or spoiled except by a legal evidence.
Based on this rule, it is also clear that if a person wipes over the sock during the period and then takes it off, his purity is not invalidated either; rather, he remains in a state of purity until he becomes ritually impure. If he becomes ritually impure, he must wash his feet along with his wudu. This is because the person who took off the socks or leather socks over which he wiped had completed his purity before taking them off, according to the legal evidence. And what is completed according to the legal evidence cannot be spoiled or invalidated except by a legal evidence.
The questioner : May Allah bless you.