Making Masah Over Regular Socks

Question:

Is it permissible to do masah over normal socks for wudu and should one pray behind such person and if it is permissible why so if not why so?Mmay Allah reward you for looking after us people with no knowdlege and grant you barakh

Answer:

In the name of Allāh, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

As-salāmu ‘alaykum wa-raḥmatullāhi wa-barakātuh.

The issue of making Masah on modern day socks has been extensively addressed in a detailed academic treatise of Mufti Ismail Musa Saheb. You may revert to this treatise at: http://www.qafila.org/wiping-on-modern-day-socks/

For brevity we present the conclusion from this treatise:

For the sake of convenience, we will briefly repeat the qualities again,

1. They should cover the entire ankle according to the Imāms of all four Madhabs.

2. A person should be able to walk with the khuff for three miles without them tearing according to Ḥanafies. Shāfi’ies assert that the sock should be so strong that a person can carry out his basic chores in the stipulated time of a khuff (i.e. one day and night for a muqīm and three days and three nights for a Musāfir). According to Ḥambalies the sock should be such that usually a person can continuously walk with it without it slipping off the foot.

3. According to Ḥanafies, both socks should independently be free from holes to the extent of three of the smallest toes. According to Shāfies and Ḥambalies the sock should be totally free from all holes.

4. Both socks should be able to remain on the leg without them being tied or fastened.

5. Both socks should be such that water does not absolve easily through them.

Ḥambalies also opine that the skin under should not be visible because of the thickness of the sock. As for Mālikies, we have mentioned above that they confine the permissibility of wiping to only leather; hence, they would not give consent to wiping on any of the present day socks. According to those Shāfi’i scholars who mention that tajlīd or tan’īl is a condition, it is obvious that they will not permit the wiping of common day socks.

If the socks do not fulfil any of the above-mentioned conditions, it will not be permissible to wipe upon them.

With regards to praying behind an Imam who makes masah on socks which are not suitable for masah, we advise you to adopt caution. Since such a masah is invalid, the wudhu will be invalid as well. Hence salah behind a person who does not have a wudhu’ will not be valid. Thus, salah behind an imam who makes masah on normal socks is not valid.

However, it should be known with reasonable certainty that the Imam made masah on thin socks. If one is only doubtful that since Imam is from middle east, or normaly has similar inclinations in his opinions as those who permit masah on thin socks, hence he must have made masah, then this doubt is not sufficient to render the salah of the follower invalid.

Moreover, one should make effort and let the imam know in a very polite manner that there are people from other madhahib praying behind him, so it would be nice if he could accommodate for them and not make masah on regular socks. One such polite manner would be gift him a pair of sealskinz (which are okay to make masah on) and tell the Imam to use these instead

And Allah Ta‘ālā Knows Best
Mufti Faisal al-Mahmudi [1]

Checked and concurred by
Mufti Luqman Hansrot
Fatwa Dept.


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[1] Canada, Montreal
www.fatwa.ca