Wiping over the socks in wudu

I remember a couple of years ago I found a really useful and informative article on Islam QA  about wiping over the socks when performing wudu, it answered all questions one might have about wiping over the socks and more. The link is no longer active which is a shame. There were a couple of queries I have had recently about wiping over the socks as I couldn’t remember exactly what I had read so I decided to pull up all the questions and answers on the Islam QA  website and compile them myself – that way I won’t lose them.

Washing the feet is an integral part of wudu, however according to the sunnah of the Prophet ( صلى الله عليه و سلم ) it is permissible to simply wipe wet hands over the socks instead of removing them provided certain conditions are fulfilled.

All questions are from Islam QA  and all pieces of text are snippets from each individual question. Click on the question title to read the full text.

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Wudu is a prerequisite for wiping over the socks

 It is not permissible for the person to pass wet hands over the socks unless he put them on in a state of purity.

“I was traveling with our Prophet Muhammad ( صلى الله عليه و سلم ) and the Prophet asked me saying, “Have you got any water?” I said, “Yes” … and poured out water so that the Prophet washed his face and hands… and his arms then wiped his head. Then I bent over to pull off his khuff (a type of thick sock) but the Prophet said “Leave them for I put on my khuff in a state of purification” then he wiped over them. (narrated by Al-Bukhari, Fath ul-Baari No. # 5353)

Conditions of wiping over socks

1. That they should have been put on when one was in a state of tahaarah (purity, i.e., when one has wudoo’).

2. That the khufoof (leather slippers which cover the ankle) or socks should be taahir (pure). If they are naajis (impure) then it is not permissible to wipe over them.

3. They may be wiped over when one is purifying oneself from minor impurity (i.e., doing wudoo’ after passing wind, urine or stools), not when one is in a state of janaabah (major impurity following sexual activity) or when ghusl is required.

4. That the wiping may be done within the time specified by sharee’ah, which is one day and one night in the case of one who is not travelling, and three days and three nights in the case of one who is travelling.

This period starts from the first time one wipes over the socks when doing wudoo’ after some minor impurity, and it ends twenty-four later for the one who is not travelling, and seventy-two hours later for the one who is travelling. So if we assume that a person purifies himself for Fajr prayer on Tuesday and remains taahir (pure, i.e., keeps his wudoo’) until ‘Isha prayer on Tuesday evening, then he sleeps and wakes up to pray Fajr on Wednesday, and he wipes his socks at five o’clock zawaali time , then the period begins from 5 a.m. on Wednesday and lasts until 5 a.m. on Thursday

((With regard to the beginning of the period when one may wipe over the slippers or socks, it begins from the first time one wipes over them after breaking one’s wudoo’, not from the moment one puts them on))

How to wipe over the slippers or socks

Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: “This means that what should be wiped is the top of the sock, passing one’s fingers from the toes to the shin only, and one should wipe with both hands over both feet together, i.e., the right hand should wipe the right foot and the left hand should wipe the left foot at the same time, just as one wipes the ears

Must the socks be leather?

Ibn Hazm said: wiping over anything that is worn on the feet – of things that are permitted to be worn and which come up above the ankles – is Sunnah, whether they are slippers (khuffayn) made of leather or felt or wood, or socks made of linen, wool, cotton, camel hair or goat hair, whether leather is worn over them or not, or whether they are overshoes or slippers worn over slippers or socks worn over socks.

Some scholars differed as to whether it is permissible to wipe over the slippers (khuffaayn). The correct view as indicated by the evidence is that it is permissible to do that, as stated above

What if my socks are thin or have holes?

It is permissible to wipe over them instead of washing one’s feet when doing wudoo’, if they were put on when one was in a state of tahaarah (purity), unless the holes are bigger than is ordinarily acceptable, or the socks are so thin that the feet would be judged to be naked because they show the colour of skin beneath them.

Does removing the socks after making wudu and wiping over the socks invalidate wudu?

If a person takes off the khufoof or socks after wiping over them, his wudoo’ does not become invalidated according to the correct scholarly opinion. That is because when a man wipes over his khufoof, he has completed his purification according to the shar’i evidence, and when he takes them off, this purification remains in effect, based on shar’i evidence, and it cannot be rendered invalid except with shar’i evidence. There is no evidence that taking off khufoof or socks that have been wiped over invalidates wudoo’. Based on this, his wudoo’ remains in effect. This is the view favoured by Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah and a number of other scholars. See: Majmoo’ Fataawa Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (21/179, 215) and Majmoo’ Fataawa wa Rasaa’il al-Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (11/179). 

Is it better to wash my feet rather than wiping over the socks?

What is better for each one is that which is suited to his circumstances. For the one whose feet are bare, it is better for him to wash them, and he should not put on socks so that he can wipe over them, because the Prophet ( صلى الله عليه و سلم ) used to wash his feet when they were bare, and he would wipe over them if he was wearing khufoof.

1 – It is easier, and the Messenger of Allaah ( صلى الله عليه و سلم ) was never given the choice between two things but he chose the easier of the two, so long as it was not a sin; if it was a sin he would be the furthest removed of the people from it. Narrated by al-Bukhaari (3560) and Muslim (2327). 

2 – It is a concession, and the Prophet  ( صلى الله عليه و سلم ) said: “Allaah loves concessions to be taken as He hates sin to be committed.” Narrated by Ahmad, 5832

Edited to add: Pleased to add that I found the Islam Q&A special file and it can be found here .