The Time Limit for Wiping Over Leather Socks

The disagreement

The scholars agreed on the legality of wiping over leather socks, but they disagreed on whether the wiping has a fixed timing and specific duration. The disagreement consists of two opinions.

The opinions

1. Wiping over leather socks is not timed

• One wipes over them as long as they are not removed or major ritual impurity (janabah) occurs.
• Held by: Mālik.

2. Wiping over leather socks is timed

• A day and a night for the resident, and three days and their nights for the traveler.
• Held by: Abū Ḥanīfah, al-Shāfiʿī, and Aḥmad.

Reason for the disagreement

Difference in the apparent meaning of the reports narrated regarding the duration of wiping over leather socks. Three ḥadīths have been narrated regarding this.

Evidences For first opinion

• The ḥadīth of Ubayy ibn ʿImārah ﷺ: He said: "O Messenger of Allah, should I wipe over leather socks?" He said: "Yes." He said: "For one day?" He said: "Yes." He said: "Two days?" He said: "Yes." He said: "Three?" He said: "Yes, until he reached seven." Then he said: «امْسَحْ مَا بَدَا لَكَ» "Wipe as long as it seems fit to you." [Reported by: Abu davood and Thirmudi and Imam Nawawi and Ibn ʿAbd al-Barr weakened it].

Evidences For second opinion

• The ḥadīth of ʿAlī ﷺ: He said: «جَعَلَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ ثَلَاثَةَ أَيَّامٍ وَلَيَالِيَهُنَّ لِلْمُسَافِرِ، وَيَوْمًا وَلَيْلَةً لِلْمُقِيمِ» "The Messenger of Allah ﷺ set three days and nights for the traveler, and a day and a night for the resident." [Reported by: Muslim].
• The ḥadīth of Ṣafwān ibn ʿAssāl ﷺ: He said: «كُنَّا فِي سَفَرٍ، فَأَمَرَنَا أَنْ لَا نَنْزِعَ خِفَافَنَا ثَلَاثَةَ أَيَّامٍ وَلَيَالِيَهُنَّ إِلَّا مِنْ جَنَابَةٍ، وَلَكِنْ مِنْ بَوْلٍ أَوْ نَوْمٍ أَوْ غَائِطٍ» "We were on a journey, and he ordered us not to remove our leather socks for three days and nights except for janabah, but [we could keep them on] after urine, sleep, or stool." [Reported by: Thirmudi].

The Preponderant View

• The second opinion: The ḥadīth of ʿAlī is an explicit text regarding the point of dispute, and it is supported by the ḥadīth of Ṣafwān. Ibn Rushd - may Allah have mercy on him - said: "The ḥadīth of Ubayy ibn ʿImārah has not been established yet."it is the more apparent view (al-azhar).

References

Bidāyat al-Mujtahid wa Nihāyat al-Muqtaṣid (1/44), al-Hidāyah (1/149), Badā’iʿ al-Ṣanā’iʿ (1/133), al-Tafri' (1/199), al-Maʿūnah (1/30), Nihāyat al-Maṭlab (1/287), al-Bayān (1/149), al-Sharḥ al-Kabīr (1/396), al-Mughnī (1/365), Sharḥ Ibn Zāḥim (1/133).