the ḥadīth of ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib (may Allah be pleased with him) recorded in Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, in which he said: “The Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, allotted three days and nights for the traveller and one day and night for the resident,” i.e. concerning the permissibility of wiping over the leather socks.

When that prescribed period ends, wiping is no longer valid. The person must remove the socks or leather footwear and wash his feet. If, however, the time expires while he is still in a state of ritual purity, that purity remains intact; it is not broken. Only when he wishes to renew his wuḍūʾ after the period has passed must he wash his feet.

Later, Zur ibn Ḥubaysh asked Ṣafwān ibn ʿAssāl, “Did you hear the Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him, say anything about al-hawā (love and inclination)?” Ṣafwān replied, “Yes,” and then related the incident of a Bedouin who, being loud-voiced, came and called out in a raised tone, “O Muḥammad!”

People said to him, “Woe to you! Do you call the Messenger of Allah in such a loud voice? Allah says: ‘O you who believe! Do not raise your voices above the voice of the Prophet, nor speak loudly to him as you do to one another, lest your deeds be rendered void while you are unaware’ (al-Ḥujurāt: 2).” Bedouins, however, are often unfamiliar with refined etiquette, living far from the cities and centers of learning.

So the Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him, answered him in a similarly loud voice, for the Messenger of Allah exemplifies the perfect way: he addresses each person according to what his mind can grasp.