The Ruling on Wiping over Socks and Shoes

Question:
I have noticed that some Muslims wipe over their leather socks while wearing shoes. When they want to enter the mosque, they take off their shoes, believing that wiping in that manner is valid. Is it valid or not?

Answer:
This requires a detailed explanation: If the wiping is over the socks and the shoes, and they were put on while in a state of ritual purity, then if he wipes over the shoes along with the socks and then takes off the shoes, he must also take off the socks, and his ablution becomes invalid. If he had wiped over both of them, his ablution is invalidated by removing either one. However, if he restricted the wiping to the socks and then put on the shoes, his ablution is not invalidated by that; because in that case, the ruling pertains to the socks. But if he wiped over both of them, the ruling pertains to both, so if he removes one, he must remove the other, and his ablution becomes invalid.
And one should be aware that wiping is only over the top of the foot; there is no need to wipe the heel or the bottom of the leather sock. So whenever he wipes over the top of his feet, that is sufficient. This is because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to wipe only over the top of the leather socks. It is not obligatory to wipe the heel or the bottom. Rather, the recommended practice is to wipe only the top; for what is established from 'Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) is that he said: .
As for the issue of a cast, such as if a person has a cast on his foot, or on his arm, or a wound on his face, he wipes over it. It has no specific time limit; as long as it remains, he wipes over it, even if the period is long, until what is underneath it heals and then he removes it. There is no limited limit for this other than recovery. He wipes over the entire cast, even if it was placed while he was not in a state of ritual purity, such as if he had a wound in his hand or leg while not in ablution, and then the doctor placed the cast on him. In that case, he wipes over it absolutely, according to the stronger position, even if it was placed while he was not in a state of ritual purity.
And likewise in the full ritual bath for major ritual impurity. If he has a "patch" or a cast on his back or his side, he passes water over it, and that is sufficient. There is no need to remove it. Rather, whenever he passes water over it, that is sufficient until Allah grants him recovery. He does not have to perform dry ablution with clean earth; rather, passing water over it is sufficient for him.