is preferable to earth, and purification performed on the area that must be washed is more appropriate than purification performed elsewhere.

Thus, wiping over leather socks, over a splint, or over the limb itself—all of these are better than dry ablution, wherever it is performed. Moreover, if someone fastens a splint while in a state of ritual impurity, he may wipe over it when purifying himself from major ritual impurity; it is therefore all the more appropriate that he may do so when performing minor purification.

If it is said, “He may not wipe over it when purifying himself from major ritual impurity unless he fastened it while ritually pure,” this is a claim with no established basis on which to draw an analogy, and it is very weak indeed.

If it is said, “Rather, he may wipe over it if he fastened it while free of major ritual impurity, unlike when he fastened it while in that state,” the reply is: He needs to fasten it while free of major ritual impurity, for he may enter a state of major ritual impurity when water would harm his wounds, his broken bone, or an incision made for bloodletting. He would then need to fasten it after entering that state and subsequently wipe over it. This is among the most valuable points of law.

The point here is that wiping over a leather sock does not require wiping its entire surface. Rather, wiping part of it suffices, as established by the Sunnah and held by all the jurists. This shows that not every part of the foot concealed by the sock has the corresponding area of the sock wiped over it. Rather, wiping over the top of the foot suffices for the sole and the heel as well.