Explanation of the Chapter

The Shaykh : Al-Bukhari (may Allah have mercy on him) says: "Chapter on washing the feet in the sandals and not wiping over the sandals" This means that it is obligatory to wash the feet, even if they are in the sandals, but is it necessary to take them off, or is it permissible to wash them while they are in the sandals?
The apparent ruling is the latter, provided that the water reaches what is under the straps. As for if it does not reach, then it is necessary to take them off.
Some scholars held the view that one wipes over the sandals, and some of them qualified this by saying it is only when it is difficult to remove them, based on the fact that the operative cause of wiping over the leather socks is the difficulty of removal. So he said that if it is difficult for him to remove the sandals, it is permissible to wipe over them.
The Shaykh al-Islam (may Allah have mercy on him) took a unique approach. He said that the sandal is either covered by the leather sock, or one is wearing the sandal over it, or it is exposed. As for the first, it is wiped over by consensus. As for the last, it is washed by consensus. As for the middle, it has the middle option, which is sprinkling. One sprinkles it with water without taking the foot out of the sandal to wash it; it is sufficient to sprinkle it. He said that this reconciles the hadiths, and that the hadiths regarding wiping over the sandals are that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) sprinkled them and then said, "Thus," with his hand, so that the water enters between the straps. And the hadiths indicating washing mean sprinkling.
This is a good approach; this approach is a good one. But the precaution is to take off the sandals and wash the feet, due to the generality of: , and Al-Bukhari (may Allah have mercy on him) affirmed that one does not wipe over the sandals.