Fifth: according to most scholars, a splint may be wiped over even if it was fastened while the person was in a state of ritual impurity. This is one of the two views reported from Ahmad, and it is the correct view.

Those who say that it may only be wiped over if it was put on in a state of ritual purity have no basis other than drawing an analogy with leather socks. This analogy is invalid, for the differences between the two have been established in the respects already mentioned. Wiping over a splint is like wiping the skin or hair, not like wiping over leather socks. Imām Ahmad’s statements indicate this and show that he treats a splint as analogous to a person’s skin, not to leather socks. There is, however, disagreement on this point: some of his followers treat it like leather socks and regard healing as equivalent to the expiry of the period allowed for wiping. They therefore hold that the ritual purity of the affected area becomes invalid, just as they say concerning leather socks.

The former view is more correct: when the splint comes off because the injury has healed, this is comparable to shaving the hair of the head, trimming the nails, or scraping away skin. If the person had wiped over it when purifying himself from major ritual impurity, he need not wash that area anew for that purpose. Likewise, in the case of ablution, he need neither wash the area nor repeat his ablution, as has been said to be required upon removing a leather sock.

Ritual purity is stipulated for wiping over leather socks so that, when the person subsequently enters a state of ritual impurity, that impurity attaches to the leather socks. Wiping them then takes the place of washing the feet. This differs from the case in which the impurity attaches to the foot itself, for then the foot must be washed.

It has further been said that wiping does not remove ritual impurity from the foot. Thus, when the person removes the leather socks, it is as though he had not wiped over them. According to those who do not require the acts of ablution to follow one another without interruption, he must then wash his feet; according to those who do require this, he must repeat his ablution.

Another view is that his state of ritual impurity has indeed been removed, but only temporarily