Validity of Wiping Over Ordinary Socks

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

والصلاة والسلام على رسوله الكريم

والعاقبة للمتقين

The bigoted mullas of the Hanafi madhhab in the Indian subcontinent and elsewhere assert the invalidity of masah (wiping) over ordinary socks for Wudu. They claim that masah is only valid over khuffayn meaning leather socks, and not over jawrabayn, which are ordinary socks of cotton or wool. Al-Mughira b. Shu’ba^RA narrates:

أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم تَوَضَّأَ وَمَسَحَ عَلَى الْجَوْرَبَيْنِ وَالنَّعْلَيْنِ

Allah’s Apostle ﷺ performed Wudu and wiped over the socks and shoes. (Abi Dawud; Tirmidhi; Ibn Maja)

Admittedly, this Hadith is slightly weak, nevertheless, Imam Abi Dawud al-Sijistani mentions several of the Prophet’s companions (Allah be pleased with them) who acted upon this and would wipe over non-leather socks:

قَالَ أَبُو دَاوُدَ وَمَسَحَ عَلَى الْجَوْرَبَيْنِ عَلِيُّ بْنُ أَبِي طَالِبٍ وَابْنُ مَسْعُودٍ وَالْبَرَاءُ بْنُ عَازِبٍ وَأَنَسُ بْنُ مَالِكٍ وَأَبُو أُمَامَةَ وَسَهْلُ بْنُ سَعْدٍ وَعَمْرُو بْنُ حُرَيْثٍ وَرُوِيَ ذَلِكَ عَنْ عُمَرَ بْنِ الْخَطَّابِ وَابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ

Ali b. Abi Talib, Ibn Mas’ud, Baraa b. Azib, Anas b. Malik, Abu Umama, Sahl b. Sa’d and Amro b. Huraith would all wipe over the socks. And this has also been related from Umar b. al-Khattab and Ibn Abbas. (Sunan Abi Dawud #159)

In fact, since no one dissented among the companions, it is safe to conclude that there is an Ijma (concensus) among them with regard to the validity of wiping over ordinary socks. The jurists have stipulated that the validity of wiping over ordinary socks is subject to them being sufficiently thick. In other words, they should not be so thin so as to reveal the color of the feet inside them, as may be the case in certain nylon socks and stockings that people wear. Some Ulama say, in addition to this, that the socks should be so thick so that water is unable to seep into them and other conditions which are baseless, and Allah knows best.