والصَّلَاةُ والسَّلاَمُ عَلَى سَيّدِنَا مُحَمَّدٍ أَشْرَفِ اْلمُرْسَلِيْنَ وَعَلَى آلِهِ وَصَحْبِهِ الطَّيّبِيْنَ الطَّاهِرِيْن

Allah, ta^ala, said:

﴾وَمَا آتَاكُمُ الرَّسُولُ فَخُذُوهُ وَمَا نَهَاكُمْ عَنْهُ فَانْتَهُوا وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ إِنَّ اللَّهَ شَدِيدُ الْعِقَاب﴿

"And whatever the Messenger commands you, carry it out; and whatever he forbids you, abstain from it. And fear Allah, for indeed, Allah’s punishment is severe."

Allah, ta^ala, has said:

﴿لَقَدْ كَانَ لَكُمْ فِي رَسُولِ اللَّهِ أُسْوَةٌ حَسَنَةٌ لِمَنْ كَانَ يَرْجُو اللَّهَ وَالْيَوْمَ الْآخِرَ وَذَكَرَ اللَّهَ كَثِيرًا﴾

“There has certainly been an excellent example for you in the Messenger of Allah; for anyone who places their hope in Allah and the Last Day and remembers Allah frequently.”

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:

“مَنْ تَوَضَّأَ كَمَا أُمِرَ وَصَلَّى كَمَا أُمِرَ غُفِرَ لَهُ مَا قَدَّمَ مِنْ عَمَلٍ”

"Whoever performs wuduʾ as commanded and prays as commanded, his past [minor] deeds will be forgiven."

It is established in the Hadith that there is permission to wipe over the khuff. Among these narrations is:

The report by ‘Abu Dawud and ‘Ahmad from Thawban, who said:

“بَعَثَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ سَرِيَّةً فَأَصَابَهُمُ الْبَرْدُ، فَلَمَّا قَدِمُوا عَلَى النَّبِيِّ ﷺ شَكَوْا إِلَيْهِ مَا أَصَابَهُمْ مِنَ الْبَرْدِ فَأَمَرَهُمْ أَنْ يَمْسَحُوا عَلَى الْعَصَائِبِ وَالتَّسَاخِينِ“

“The Messenger of Allah ﷺ sent out an expedition, and they were afflicted by cold. When they returned to the Prophet ﷺ, they complained to him about the cold they had suffered, so he instructed them to wipe over their head coverings and khuff.”

And what was narrated by Al-Bukhariyy and Muslim from Jarir ibnu ^Abdi l-Lah al-Bajaliyy, who said:

“رَأَيْتُ رَسُولَ اللهِ ﷺ بَالَ [أي عَلِمتُ أنَّه بَالَ]، ثُمَّ تَوَضَّأَ وَمَسَحَ عَلَى خُفَّيْهِ“

“I knew the Messenger of Allah ﷺ relieved himself, then performed wuduʾ and wiped over his khuff”

It has been mentioned in some narrations regarding the « two socks” (al-jawrabayn), and there has been disagreement in their interpretation, to the extent that the scholars dedicated a chapter to wiping over the socks.

The ruling on wiping over the socks in the four sunniyy schools of thought 

The Shafi^iyy School 

Ash-Shiraziyy stated in Al-Muhadh-dhab that if one wears socks, it is permissible to wipe over them under two conditions:

1. The socks must be thick and weighty not thin.
2. The socks must be worn with footwear (i.e., they should have a sole, such as a piece of plastic or a similar material affixed to the bottom, making them suitable for walking).

An-Nawawiyy said: "This is the conclusion reached decisively by several scholars, including Shaykh ‘Abu Hamid al-Ghazaliyy, al-Mahamiliyy, Ibnu s-Sabbagh, and others. Al-Muzaniyy reported that wiping over the two socks is only permissible if they are covered with leather that shields them."

Then, An-Nawawiyy said: "The correct and sound view is that mentioned by Judge ‘Abu t-Tayyib, Al-Qaffal, and several experts in verification: if it is possible to walk continuously in them, then it is permissible to wipe over them, regardless of the material; otherwise, it is not."

The Malikiyy School 

According to them, wiping over the two socks is permissible if they are made of durable material (i.e., by covering them with leather for example that shields the feet); otherwise, it is not permissible to wipe over them.

The Hanafiyy School 

They stated:

• If the socks are covered, for instance with leather, to shield the feet, or equipped with soles—meaning a piece of plastic or similar material is affixed to the bottom, making them suitable for walking; then wiping over them is permissible.
• If the socks are thin to the point that what is underneath them can be seen, and not equipped with soles, then wiping over them is not permissible.
• If the socks are thick but without soles, there are two opinions from ‘Abu Hanifah:
  • It is permissible to wipe over them.
  • It is not permissible to wipe over them.

According to ‘Abu Yusuf and Muhammad, wiping over them is permissible. Al-^Alaʾ as-Samarkandiyy said: "What they stated is more lenient for the people, while what ‘Abu Hanifah (may Allah have mercy on him) said is more cautious."

The Hanbaliyy School 

It is essential to understand the definition of socks according to the Hanbaliyy school. Shaykh Shamsu d-Din az-Zarkashiyy the Hanbaliyy (may Allah have mercy on him) said: "A sock is a covering made of wool that is used for warmth."

When the Hanbaliyy jurists outlined the conditions for wiping over the two socks (khuffayn), they did not introduce any new requirements beyond what had already been mentioned, except to emphasize that the sock must be sufficiently thick to cover the foot. This is because many socks are light and lack the necessary thickness. If a sock is thin and reveals the foot, wiping over it is not permissible, as it does not provide adequate coverage. It is akin to a torn khuff, on which wiping is also not allowed.

It is not a condition for the Hanbaliyy scholars that the socks must prevent the penetration of water. Al-Buhutiyy explicitly stated this, saying: “The fourth condition is that it must be possible to walk in them according to common practice, suitable for wiping, and not that they must prevent the penetration of water. Therefore, it is permissible to wipe over socks made of leather, felt, wood, iron, or glass provided it does not reveal the skin, or similar materials, as long as they are suitable for walking in. This is because it is possible to walk continuously in them, and they cover the area required to be washed, thus resembling leather. Moreover, some of them may be necessary in certain regions.”

Summary of the Issue 

The socks we are familiar with today are not suitable for wiping over, as the type discussed by scholars differs from what we know as socks worn under shoes. The scholars addressed the permissibility of wiping over thick, leather-covered socks—those coated with leather to make them suitable for walking—or thick socks equipped with soles, meaning something rigid, like plastic, affixed to the bottom to make them suitable for walking.

The permissibility of wiping over what we know today as socks was only discussed by the Hanbaliyy scholars, who emphasized that the socks must be thick, even if they are not equipped with soles or leather coverings. According to them, the socks need to be thick and substantial. However, the majority of socks today are not thick, so this point should be noted.

And all praise is due to Allah, the Lord of all the worlds.