[Q 663] Wiping Over Weatherproof Socks

QUESTION:

Respected scholars if you are wearing weatherproof socks can you wipe over them in wudu or not

ANSWER:

The socks over which Masah (wiping) is permissible are of three types, as explained by Imam Ahl al-Sunnah, Imam Ahmad Raza Khan رحمة الله عليه:

1. Mujallad: Socks whose upper and lower surfaces are covered with leather.
2. Mun‘al: Socks that have leather attached to their soles.
3. Thakhin: Thick and durable socks through which water does not penetrate, and which can be worn without shoes for a continuous walk of approximately three miles without tearing, while remaining firmly on the feet without needing to be tied.

Weatherproof socks are generally neither Mujallad nor Mun‘al. However, if they are sufficiently thick and durable so that water does not penetrate them, and they can be worn without shoes for a continuous walk of approximately three miles without tearing, then they fall under the third category (Thakhin). In that case, performing Masah over them is valid.

Imam Ahl al-Sunnah, Sayyidi A‘la Hadrat Imam Ahmad Raza Khan رحمة الله عليه writes:

”سُوتی یا اُونی موزے جیسے ہمارے بلاد میں رائج ان پر مسح کسی کے نزدیک درست نہیں کہ نہ وہ مجلد ہیں یعنی ٹخنوں تک چمڑا منڈھے ہوئے نہ منعل یعنی تلا چمڑے کا لگا ہوا نہ ثخین یعنی ایسے دبیز و محکم کہ تنہا اُنہیں کو پہن کر قطع مسافت کریں تو شق نہ ہو جائیں اور ساق پر اپنے دبیز ہونے کے سبب بے بندش کے رُکے رہیں ڈھلک نہ آئیں اور اُن پر پانی پڑے تو روک لیں فورا پاؤں کی طرف چھن نہ جائے — صاحبین کے نزدیک (ان پر) مسح جائز ہوگا اور اسی پر فتوی ہے۔

“Cotton or woollen socks, such as those commonly worn in our lands, are not valid for Masah according to anyone, because they are neither Mujallad (covered with leather up to the ankles), nor Mun‘al (having leather soles), nor Thakhin (so thick and durable that one can travel a distance wearing only them without them tearing, and they remain firmly on the legs due to their thickness without needing to be tied or slipping down, and when water falls upon them, they prevent it from immediately reaching the feet). According to the two companions (Imam Abu Yusuf and Imam Muhammad), Masah over such socks is permissible, and this is the ruling upon which the Fatwa is given.”

(Fatawa Ridawiyyah, vol. 4, p. 346)

Answered by: Hafiz Jahanzaib (Ask Mufti Scholar)
Translated Answer
Date: 25th June 2026.