Question: is it permissible to wipe over your socks during wudu instead of removing them?
Answer:
الجواب بعون الملك الوهاب
If the socks are made of leather or of a material like leather that doesn’t allow the water to go through the socks, wiping over your socks is allowed with some conditions:
1. The first requires that they be worn after washing the feet. It is permissible to wear the socks even before completing wudu, provided the person completes the wudu before the occurrence of anything that invalidates it.
2. They must cover the feet up to and including the ankles.
3. One must be able to continuously walk in them. It is not permissible for one to wipe on footgear that have been made from glass, wood or steel.
4. The fourth condition requires that socks be free from a tear the size equivalent to three of the smallest toes.
5. They must hold to the feet without being tied.
6. They must prevent water from reaching the skin.
7. The front part of the foot must be physically present, the length being equivalent to three of the smallest fingers of the hand. And if one is
missing the front part of his foot, he cannot wipe his socks even if the heel is present, because the compulsory place to wipe is absent.
The resident can wipe over his socks for 24 hours and 72 hours for a traveler before they must take off and do wash their feet during wudu.
The rulings can be found in Radd al-Muhtar, Nur al-Idah and other Hanafi books.
واللہ تعالی اعلم
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Answered by Mufti Muhammad Saeed Ahmad Mujaddidi
Darul Ifta ‘Ilmiyyah