Rulings on wiping over the socks for purification - I

Question 1What is the ruling of wiping over the socks, and what is the
evidence for that from the Quran and Sunnah )prophetic tradition(?
A. Wiping over the socks is a Sunnah which has come to us from the
Messenger of Allaahand it is better for the one wearing socks to wipe
over them, rather than taking them off to wash his feet.
The evidence for this ruling is the Hadeeth)narration( of Al-Mugheerah
Ibn Shu'bahwho said thatthe Prophetonce made Wudhoo')ablution(, and
that: "I moved to remove his Khuffs )leather socks(, but he said:
"Leave them, for indeed my feet were in a state of purity when I wore
them." So he wiped over them."
The legislation of wiping over the Khuffs or other kinds of socks and
stockings is established in the Quran and Sunnah.Allaah Almighty Says
in the Quran )what means(:"O you who believe! When you rise to
]perform[ prayer, wash your faces and your forearms to the elbows and
wipe over your heads and wash your feet to the ankles…"]Quran: 5:6[
There are two correct ways of reciting the phrase 'Wa Arjulakum')i.e.,
'and your feet'( having reached us from the Messenger of Allaah:
1( Reciting it as: 'Wa Arjulakum' with a Fat-ha on the laam, hence
linking it in meaning to 'Wa Wujoohakum' )i.e, 'and your faces'(, i.e.
wash the feet.
2( Reciting it as: 'Wa Arjulikum' with a Kasrah on the laam, hence
linking it in meaning to 'Bi Ru'oosikum' )your heads(, i.e. wipe the
feet.
That which explains when to wipe the feet and when to wash them is the
Sunnah, for the Messengerwould wash his feet when they were uncovered,
and wipe over them when they were covered by Khuffs.
As for its legislation in the Sunnah, Imaam Ahmadsaid: "There is no
aversion in my heart to wiping. There are forty Hadeeths with regards
to it from the Messenger of Allaahand his Companions."
Question 2.What are the authentic, established conditions for wiping
over the socks and what are their evidences?
A. There are four conditions:
The first:that he )who intends to wipe over the socks( be in a state
of purity when he wears them. The evidence for this is the saying of
the Prophetto Al-Mugheerah: "Leavethem, for indeed my feet were in a
state of purity when I wore them."
The second:that the Khuffs or socks be pure and clean. If they have
filth on them then it is not permissible to wipe over them. The
evidence for this is that the Messengerprayed with his companionsone
day in shoes, and during the prayer he removed them.Then he informed
his companions that he did so because Jibreel)Gabriel(had informedhim
that they had filth or dirt on them. This indicates that the prayer is
not acceptable when there is something in it which is impure, and
because when one wipesover the filth, it smears him too, thus
nullifying his state of purity.
The third:that he wipes over them when he is in a state of minor
impurity,not when he is Junub)i.e., in the state of major impurity( or
in any state that necessitates Ghusl)bath(. The evidence for that
condition is the Hadeeth of Safwaan Ibn 'Assaalwho said: "The
Messenger of Allaahordered us to not removeour socks for three days
and nights when we were on a journey, unlesswe were Junub, but not
after excretion, urinationor sleep." So, the condition is set that the
wiping is only for minor impurity, not for the major impurity.
The fourth:that the wiping be for the period determined by the
Sharee'ah )Islamic Law(, and that is a day and a night for one who is
resident, and three days and nights for the one ona journey. This is
due to the Hadeeth of 'Aliwho said: "The Messengerset a limit of one
day and night for the resident, and three days and nights for the
traveller," meaning for wiping over the Khuffs.]Muslim[ For the
resident, this period lasts for twenty-four hours, starting from the
first time one wipes over the socks, and seventy-two hours for the
traveller.
So, if we were to assume that one )who is resident( purified
himselffor Fajr )dawn prayer( onWednesday at 5am, then covered his
feet with socks and kept them on, and passed wind and renewed his
ablution, and then he remained in this state till the Ishaa')night(
prayer, then he slept and woke for Fajr at5am on Thursday, then he has
to make Wudhoo' and uncover and wash his feet, as the period
hasexpired. But were he to make Wudhoo' before 5am, then it would have
been acceptable for him to wipe and he could then pray Fajr with this
wiping. He can keep praying as much as he wishes afterwards with that
same Wudhoo', for itdoes not become void when the period of wiping
ends, according to the strongest opinion of the scholars. This is
because the Messengerdid not set a time period for the state of
purity, rather, he set a time period for the wiping only.
So, when the period for wiping has finished then there is no wiping
after this, but if one was in a state of purity when the period
expired, then his state of purity remains. This is because this state
of purity has been established according to the dictates of the
Sharee'ah, so it cannot be removed except by evidence from the
Sharee'ah. There is no evidence for the state of Wudhoo' ending as the
time period for the wiping ends. Besides these conditions set for
wiping over the Khuffs)and socks(, there are other conditions that
some scholars mentioned, but these arecontroversial.