54 – ʿAlī (may Allah be pleased with him) said: “Had the religion been founded on opinion alone, the underside of the leather sock would have been worthier of being wiped than its upper surface; yet I saw the Messenger of Allah ﷺ wipe over the outer side of his leather socks.” Abu Dāwūd recorded it with a ḥasan chain of transmission (1).

Degree of the hadith:
The report is sound. Abu Dāwūd related it with a ḥasan isnād, and the author states in at-Talkhīṣ: “In this chapter there is also a narration from ʿAlī whose chain is ṣaḥīḥ.”

Vocabulary:
• law (“if”): a conditional particle that does not govern the jussive and denotes that both the condition and the result are unrealised. Here it negates the legislation of wiping the upper part of the khuff because Allah’s religion is not based solely on human reasoning.
• ad-dīn: in this context, the revealed law; the word has additional meanings elsewhere.
• ar-raʾy: opinion, judgment, or intellect; plural aʿrāʾ. Pure reason, without transmitted evidence, is not a source of law.

Points derived from the hadith:
1 – The wipe is to be performed exclusively on the upper surface of the khuff; wiping any other part—whether the sole or the sides—is neither valid nor legislated.
2 – Religion rests upon transmission from Allah or His Messenger ﷺ; personal opinion is not decisive. Our obligation is to follow, not to innovate.
3 – At first glance one might think the underside of the khuff deserves the wipe more than the top, because