And the entire Muslim community agreed on the lawfulness of wiping and firmly believed in it, adducing in proof the mutawātir Sunnah.
As for the genitive recitation—assuming one even adopts it—its being in the genitive is either due to proximity (al-jar li’l-mujāwara) or serves to qualify the act of wiping over the khuffayn. ʿAbd Allāh ibn Masʿūd’s students were particularly fond of the hadith of Jarīr ibn ʿAbd Allāh on wiping over the khuffayn, because Jarīr embraced Islam after Sūrah al-Māʾidah had been revealed; thus the verse itself refutes those who disallow wiping on the basis of the genitive reading in “and your feet” (wa-arjulikum).
Ibn Daqīq al-ʿĪd remarked, in substance, that the permissibility of wiping over the khuffayn became so widely known that it turned into a hallmark of the Ahl al-Sunnah, whereas denying it became a distinguishing sign of the innovators.
Lessons derived from the hadith
- The legitimacy of wiping over the khuffayn during wudu. The wiping is done once with the hand and is applied to the upper surface of the khuff, not its underside, as reported in the narrations.
- A state of purity is a precondition for wiping over the khuffayn; both feet must already have been ritually purified before being placed into the khuffayn.
- Serving scholars and the virtuous is recommended.
- Some chains of this hadith indicate that the incident occurred during the expedition of Tabūk at the dawn prayer.
Hadith 2
Hudhayfah ibn al-Yamān said: “I was with the Prophet ﷺ on a journey; he relieved himself, performed ablution, and wiped over his khuffayn.” (1) (abridged)
Overall meaning
Hudhayfah recounts that he accompanied the Prophet ﷺ on one of his journeys. The Prophet relieved himself, performed ablution, and wiped over his khuffayn.