PURIFICATION SECTION · 63 – THE MANNER OF PERFORMING MASḤ
161 – It is narrated from Mughirah ibn Shuʿbah (may Allah be pleased with him): The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would wipe over his khuffs (leather socks/footgear). (Except for Muhammad ibn Sabbah in the chain of this hadith,) the other narrators reported, “over the upper part of the khuffs.” [136]
162 – It is narrated from ʿAli ibn Abī Ṭālib (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said: If religion were based on opinion, it would be more appropriate to wipe over the underside of the khuffs than the upper side. But I saw the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) wiping over the upper part of his khuffs.
EXPLANATION
Masḥ (wiping) is performed over the upper part of the khuffs. It is not performed over the heel or the underside. If one wipes only the heels or only the underside of the khuffs, it is not considered valid masḥ. This hadith is evidence that when there is a transmission with certain authenticity, one does not follow the judgment of reason. If the sharia (sharia—the sacred law) were based on reason, as ʿAli (may Allah be pleased with him) stated, since the underside of the khuffs becomes dirty more quickly, it would be more appropriate to wipe over it.
163 – Aʿmash narrated with the same chain as the previous hadith that ʿAli (may Allah be pleased with him) said: Until I saw the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) wiping over the upper part of his khuffs, I used to consider washing the undersides of the feet more appropriate. Wakīʿ narrated from Aʿmash with the same chain: ʿAli (may Allah be pleased with him) said: Until I saw the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) wiping over the upper part of his khuffs, I used to consider wiping over the underside more appropriate than the upper side. Wakīʿ said: By “upper part,” ʿAli meant the khuffs. ʿĪsā ibn Yūnus narrated from Aʿmash as Wakīʿ narrated. This noble hadith was narrated by Abū’s-Sawdāʾ, the son of ʿAbd-i Khayr, from his father ʿAbd-i Khayr. ʿAbd-i Khayr said: I saw ʿAli (may Allah be pleased with him) performing ablution. He washed the upper part of his feet and said: If I had not seen the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) do so, and then he narrated the hadith.
164 – It is narrated from Aʿmash with the previous chain that ʿAli (may Allah be pleased with him) said: If religion were based on opinion, it would be more appropriate to wipe over the underside of the feet than the upper side. However, the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) wiped over the upper part of his khuffs.
EXPLANATION
ʿAli (may Allah be pleased with him) expressed that, according to reason, wiping over the underside of the feet would seem more appropriate than the upper side, but since the sharia is not based solely on reason but on transmission, he was obliged to do as he saw from the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him).
165 – It is narrated from Mughirah ibn Shuʿbah (may Allah be pleased with him): He said: During the Expedition of Tabūk, while the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was performing ablution, he wiped over both the upper and the underside of his khuffs. Abū Dāwūd said: It has reached me that Thawr ibn Yazīd did not hear this hadith from Rajāʾ. [137]
EXPLANATION
The place for masḥ on the khuffs is the upper part of the foot. This is the view of Imām al-Aʿẓam (Abū Ḥanīfa) and Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal (may Allah have mercy on them). Imām al-Shāfiʿī and Mālik (may Allah have mercy on them), based on this hadith, said that masḥ can be performed on both the upper and the underside of the khuffs, but it is narrated that they stipulated that the underside may be wiped only together with the upper part. The obligatory amount for masḥ on the khuffs is three fingers’ width from the front part of the foot; if less than three fingers’ width is wiped on the front of each khuff, the masḥ is not valid. (ʿAwn al-Maʿbūd, vol. 1, p. 64) When performing masḥ, the fingers of the hand are placed so as to cover the toes, and are drawn towards the opening of the khuff. This is the sunnah. The following conditions must be met for masḥ over the khuffs to be valid:
1 – The khuffs must be put on while in a state of ablution,
2 – The khuffs must cover the ankles,
3 – The khuffs must be sturdy enough to allow walking for three miles (6 kilometers),
4 – Each khuff must not have a hole the size of three fingers,
5 – The khuffs must be tight and thick enough to stand on the foot without laces,
6 – The khuffs must not immediately let water that touches the outside pass through to the inside,
7 – Each khuff must have at least three fingers’ width at the front part of the foot. Residents (muqīm) may wipe over the khuffs for 24 hours from the time their ablution is first broken; travelers (musāfir) may do so for 72 hours. According to Imām al-Shāfiʿī and Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal, residents may wipe for 24 hours and those on a legitimate journey for 72 hours. For Imām Mālik, there is no fixed time limit for masḥ; as long as one is not in a state of major ritual impurity (janābah), one may wipe over the khuffs for as long as desired. Boots, shoes, and socks that cover the ankles and meet the conditions of the khuffs may also be wiped over.