to be covered, so that we may say that something which reveals the skin’s contours cannot be wiped over.

There is nothing in the sunnah indicating that the foot must be covered by the leather sock.

This is a sound line of reasoning from the Shafi'is.

Some scholars said that it is not a condition for it to cover the area that must be washed (1).

They argued that the texts concerning wiping over the leather socks are unrestricted, and whatever has come unrestricted must remain so. Anyone who adds a restriction to it must provide evidence; otherwise, what Allah and His Messenger have left unrestricted must be left unrestricted, and what Allah and His Messenger have restricted must be restricted.

Moreover, many of the Companions were poor, and the leather socks of the poor would generally not have been free of holes. If this was prevalent, or common, among a people during the time of the Messenger ﷺ, yet the Messenger ﷺ did not draw attention to it, this indicates that it is not a condition. This was the view preferred by Shaykh al-Islam (2).

As for their statement that whatever is exposed must be washed and therefore cannot be combined with wiping, this is based on their view that the area which must be washed has to be covered. Thus, they have advanced an argument founded upon their own preferred position, citing the very claim in question as proof for itself. It may be said to them: Who says that whatever is exposed must be washed?

Rather, we say: if the leather sock conforms to the unrestricted wording of the sunnah, then any part of the foot that is exposed does not have to be washed; rather, it is deemed to follow the leather sock and is wiped over.