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.
O les croyants! Lorsque vous vous levez pour la Salât, lavez vos visages et vos mains jusqu'aux coudes; passez les mains mouillées sur vos têtes; et lavez-vous les pieds jusqu'aux chevilles. Et si vous êtes pollués «junub», alors purifiez-vous (par un bain); mais si vous êtes malades, ou en voyage, ou si l'un de vous revient du lieu où il a fait ses besoins ou si vous avez touché aux femmes et que vous ne trouviez pas d'eau, alors recourez à la terre pure, passez-en sur vos visages et vos mains. Allah ne veut pas vous imposer quelque gêne, mais Il veut vous purifier et parfaire sur vous Son bienfait. Peut-être serez-vous reconnaissants.
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.
