whereas in the case of a major state of impurity that calls for a full ritual bath (ghusl), wiping over either the leather socks or the fabric socks is impermissible. One must remove them and wash the feet. Thus, if a person is in a state of janābah he may not wipe over his khuffayn.

Fourth condition – that the wiping occur within the time-limit set by the Sacred Law: one day and one night for a resident, and three days for a traveller. The counting begins with the first act of wiping that takes place after losing purity; anything before that first wiping is not included. Suppose, for example, that someone put the socks on while in a state of purity on Tuesday morning and remained ritually pure until he performed the night (ʿishāʾ) prayer. He then slept Tuesday night, and when he rose for the dawn prayer on Wednesday he wiped over them. Tuesday is not counted against him, because it preceded the first wiping; the reckoning starts from Wednesday at dawn. This is based on the report of ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib, may Allah be pleased with him: “The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, set the period of three days and nights for the traveller and one day and one night for the resident.”

Safwān ibn ʿAssāl likewise said: “When we were travelling, the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, used to instruct us not to remove our leather socks for three days and nights except in the case of janābah, though we could keep them on in the case of defecation, urination, or sleep.” The criterion, then, is the act of wiping itself, not the moment of putting the socks on, nor the mere occurrence of impurity after wearing them. Accordingly, the resident may wipe for one day and one night—i.e., twenty-four hours—while the traveller may wipe for three days and nights