A person who put on socks or leather socks while in wudu may wipe over them instead of washing the feet: one day and night for a resident and three days and nights for a traveller. Allah's Messenger ﷺ set these limits, as Ali reported in Sahih Muslim.
1Conditions
The socks were put on while the person was in a state of complete wudu.
They cover the feet, including the ankles, and are clean and lawful to wear.
The wiping is done within the time limit and only for the lesser purification (wudu).
2How to wipe
Wet the hand and wipe the upper part of each sock once, from the toes toward the shin.
Do not wipe the sole, and do not repeat the wiping.
3When the permission ends
When the time limit ends. The person must then take the socks off, wash the feet and put them on again after wudu if wishing to wipe again.
At once when ghusl is needed (janabah): socks must be taken off for ghusl, because wiping is only for wudu.
Where the schools differ
The four Sunni schools agree on the main ruling above and differ in these points. No school is preferred here.
When the period begins. the Hanafi and Shafi'i schools count it from the first time wudu is broken after putting the socks on, and the Hanbali school from the first wipe.
Some Maliki scholars hold that there is no fixed time limit. The other schools and most scholars follow the limits given in the hadith of Ali.
Cloth socks. the Hanbali school allows wiping over them when they are thick, as do Abu Yusuf and Muhammad among the Hanafis. The Shafi'i and Maliki schools require leather, or socks with leather soles.
হে মুমিনগণ, যখন তোমরা নামাযের জন্যে উঠ, তখন স্বীয় মুখমন্ডল ও হস্তসমূহ কনুই পর্যন্ত ধৌত কর, মাথা মুছেহ কর এবং পদযুগল গিটসহ। যদি তোমরা অপবিত্র হও তবে সারা দেহ পবিত্র করে নাও এবং যদি তোমরা রুগ্ন হও, অথবা প্রবাসে থাক অথবা তোমাদের কেউ প্রসাব-পায়খানা সেরে আসে অথবা তোমরা স্ত্রীদের সাথে সহবাস কর, অতঃপর পানি না পাও, তবে তোমরা পবিত্র মাটি দ্বারা তায়াম্মুম করে নাও-অর্থাৎ, স্বীয় মুখ-মন্ডল ও হস্তদ্বয় মাটি দ্বারা মুছে ফেল। আল্লাহ তোমাদেরকে অসুবিধায় ফেলতে চান না; কিন্তু তোমাদেরকে পবিত্র রাখতে চান এবং তোমাদের প্রতি স্বীয় নেয়ামত পূর্ণ করতে চান-যাতে তোমরা কৃতজ্ঞাতা প্রকাশ কর।
From the Sunnah
Sahih Muslim 276aAuthentic collection
The point of the hadith: The Prophet ﷺ set three days and nights for the traveller and one day and night for the resident to wipe over the socks.
Read the Arabic text
وَحَدَّثَنَا إِسْحَاقُ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ الْحَنْظَلِيُّ، أَخْبَرَنَا عَبْدُ الرَّزَّاقِ، أَخْبَرَنَا الثَّوْرِيُّ، عَنْ عَمْرِو بْنِ قَيْسٍ الْمُلاَئِيِّ، عَنِ الْحَكَمِ بْنِ عُتَيْبَةَ، عَنِ الْقَاسِمِ بْنِ مُخَيْمِرَةَ، عَنْ شُرَيْحِ بْنِ هَانِئٍ، قَالَ أَتَيْتُ عَائِشَةَ أَسْأَلُهَا عَنِ الْمَسْحِ، عَلَى الْخُفَّيْنِ فَقَالَتْ عَلَيْكَ بِابْنِ أَبِي طَالِبٍ فَسَلْهُ فَإِنَّهُ كَانَ يُسَافِرُ مَعَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم . فَسَأَلْنَاهُ فَقَالَ جَعَلَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم ثَلاَثَةَ أَيَّامٍ وَلَيَالِيَهُنَّ لِلْمُسَافِرِ وَيَوْمًا وَلَيْلَةً لِلْمُقِيمِ . قَالَ وَكَانَ سُفْيَانُ إِذَا ذَكَرَ عَمْرًا أَثْنَى عَلَيْهِ .
This is general information, not a fatwa. For your own situation, ask a qualified scholar.
Fiqh questions
Wiping over socks and leather socks (khuff)
A person who put on socks or leather socks while in wudu may wipe over them instead of washing the feet: one day and night for a resident and three days and nights for a traveller. Allah's Messenger ﷺ set these limits, as Ali reported in Sahih Muslim.
Is this a fatwa?
No. It is a summary of well-known rulings with their evidence. For your own case, ask a qualified scholar.
What if my school differs from this answer?
Follow the view of the school you follow and the scholar who teaches you. The page lists the differences of the four schools.
