The legally prescribed period for wiping over the khuffs is one day and one night for a resident—or for someone whose journey does not allow him to shorten the prayers—and three days together with their nights for a traveler whose journey does allow the shortening. Muslim relates that the Prophet ﷺ said, “For the traveler three days and nights, and for the resident a day and a night.”

In both situations the countdown begins with the occurrence of ritual impurity (ḥadath) after the khuffs have been put on, for it is ḥadath that obligates ablution, and the concession to wipe starts from that point. Some scholars, however, hold that the period should be reckoned from the moment one actually wipes after the ḥadath.

Conditions for wiping over the khuffs and similar footwear:

1. The person must have been in a state of ritual purity when putting them on—whether khuffs, thick socks, or the like. In the two Ṣaḥīḥs and elsewhere it is reported that the Prophet ﷺ said to a man who wanted to remove his khuffs while the Prophet was performing ablution, “Leave them, for I put them on in a state of purity.” Another narration states, “We were instructed to wipe over the khuffs when we had put them on while pure.” These texts clearly show that purity at the time of wearing the khuffs is a prerequisite; if someone puts them on while in a state of impurity, wiping over them is not permissible.