after defecation, urination, or sleep. This shows that wiping over the leather socks is permissible; indeed, if a person is already wearing them, wiping is the better option.

Both Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī and Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim relate—on the authority of al-Mughīrah ibn Shuʿbah, may Allah be pleased with him—that he was travelling with the Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him. When the Prophet performed ablution, al-Mughīrah reached to remove his leather socks, but the Prophet said, “Leave them on, for I put them on in a state of purity,” and he wiped over them.

This is clear evidence that someone wearing socks or leather footwear should, as a rule, wipe over them rather than wash his feet.

A further lesson is that when something is unclear to a person he ought to ask and seek out those more knowledgeable, so that no unease remains in his heart. Some people hear a legal ruling, feel unsettled, and then remain hesitant and doubtful, yet they never consult anyone who could dispel the confusion. This is a mistake. One should keep asking until he reaches a position that puts his mind at ease and removes all anxiety.

Thus Zur ibn Ḥubaysh—may Allah have mercy on him—asked Ṣafwān ibn ʿAssāl—may Allah be pleased with him—about wiping over the leather socks and whether he possessed any report from the Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, on the matter. Ṣafwān replied, “Yes. When we were on a journey the Prophet would command us not to remove our leather socks except in the case of janābah (major ritual impurity), but we could keep them on after defecation, urination, and sleep.”

This ḥadīth is proof for the validity of wiping over the leather socks, and the reports from the Messenger of Allah on this subject are mutawātir, unanimously accepted by Ahl al-Sunnah—to the extent that some