Leather socks - Khouff - 5 sizes to choose from ( with zipper on the side)

When performing ablutions (wudû'), one must, among other things, wash both feet up to the ankles. But it is also allowed to replace the washing (ghasl) of the feet by the passage (mash) of the moistened hand on the upper part (and not on the underside) of the socks that one wears (khuff in Arabic).

Many Companions - nearly eighty according to Ibn Hajar - reported this permission from the Prophet (pbuh).

The Wiping on the Synthetic Leather Khuffs in the Malekite School
By Ustadh Abdus Shakur Brooks

It is commonly accepted in the Malekite school that the khuffs ( khofayne ) must fulfill ten conditions for it to be permitted ( rukhsah ) to practice wiping on them, otherwise it is obligatory to return to washing the feet. Two of these conditions are:

1. Let the Khuffs be pure; i.e. not made from anything impure or stained with impurity.

2. That the Khuffs are made from animal skin (genuine leather)

The meaning of "otherwise it is obligatory to return to footwashing" is based on this well-known Fiqh principle: "when a person cannot fulfill all the conditions allowing him a dispensation, then he must return to the initial rule ". In other words, in this case, when a person cannot meet all the conditions for wiping on the Khuffs, then he must revert to washing his feet.

So the idea that it is permissible to wipe on synthetic leather (not leather) or impure is incorrect according to the Maliki school, and this is the subject of our discussion.


Here are some of the texts that explicitly state that khuffs must be made from pure animal skin:


In al-Dhakirah, his famous ten-volume encyclopedia of fiqh Maliki, Al-Qarafi (d.684) says this :

"As for the conditions [permitting wiping on the khuffs], they are ten in number: that they be made from the skin of a clean animal...".

Al-Qarafi then said:

"The clause of the first condition (that they be made from animal skin), is a rule for khuffs made from cloth and so it is, because those which are not of animal skin animal, are not considered Khuffs according to the Arabs [i.e. according to their language].

Then he goes on to say:

"The second condition (purity) is a rule for khuffs made from the skins of dead animals, since praying with impurities is not permitted..."

Sheykh Muhammad al-Kurashi (1101 AH, Cairo), who was the Imam of the University of Al-Azhar when it was already a high place of learning, mentioned in his famous commentary on the Mukhtasar from Khalil:

“The conditions of the Khuff that can be wiped off are five [including] that it be made of animal skin and not anything made to look like it; like cotton and other materials”

Sheykh Ibn Muhammad al-Maliki (1144 AH, Fez) mentioned in al-Durr al-Thamin, his major commentary of Ibn Ashir:

“And the conditions of what can be wiped off [i.e. the khuffs] are as follows: let the khuffs be [made] of animal skin and be pure...”

Shaykh Ibn Juzai (741 AH) mentioned in al-Qawānīn al-fiqhiyyah:

“In the four schools, for the traveler or the resident, the Khuff on which it is permitted to wipe is subject to six conditions. [Among these conditions] the Khuff must be made of animal skin, excluding the jawab [here it means the sock which has no leather]”

Sheykh Ahmad Dardir (1201 AH, Cairo) who wrote al-Sharh al-Kabīr, famous commentary of the Mukhtasar of Khalil says in his book:

“It is permitted, as a substitute, for a resident or a traveler, […] to wipe over the Khuffs […] for any length of time, provided that they are [made] of a skin of 'animal that is pure'

Shaykh Ahmad Zurruq (899 AH) a renowned scholar in fiqh, who was known for his level of piety, said in his commentary on the Risālah of Ibn Abi Zaid:

"it is permissible to wipe over the khuffs, provided that they are made of the skin of an animal which is clean"

Sheykh Abu al-Azhari who wrote many summarized commentaries on the main fiqh texts said in al-Thamar al-Dāni, his Risālah commentary:

“The conditions [of what can be wiped on] are: that it be made of animal skin, and not of what is made to look like a Khuff, such as [for example] what is made from cotton. And let them be pure, and not impure like the skin of a dead animal, even if it is tanned”.

Shaykh al-Sharnūbi al-Azhari mentions in Taqrīb al-Ma'āni, his Risalah commentary:

"The condition of (the wiping on) the Khuff is: 1/ that they are made of animal skin or that they have animal skin [in reference to the jawrab], and not made in a material that is made to look like a Khuff; like cotton. 2/ that they are pure. »

Sheykh Abu Hassan (939 AH, Cairo) said in Kifāyah al-Tālib al-Rabbāni, his famous commentary on the Risālah:

"Concerning the permission to wipe (on the khuffs) there are five conditions: that they be made of animal skin which is pure...".

Sheykh Abu Hassan also wrote in al-Aziya his text on Maliki fiqh:

“As for wiping on khuffs, there are eight conditions: The first condition is that they are made from animal skin, so it is not allowed to wipe on anything other than that [animal skin], for example on a soft material or something that is not leather, but is made to look like a Khuff, except for "al-jawrab" which looks like a Khuff, which is made from cotton or other materials and has leather on the top and bottom. The second condition is that they are pure, so it is not allowed to wipe on impurities such as pigskin or the skin of an animal that is legal for consumption, but which has not been slaughtered, or on the skin of an animal which has been slaughtered, but which is not permitted to be eaten, even if tanned (ie even if all the skins mentioned were tanned). »

Eleven sources are mentioned above, to which are added a 12th taken from the Mukhtasar of Sheykh Khalil. All these works mentioned are well known and studied.

The assumption that there is a difference of opinion among Maliki scholars regarding whether or not Khuffs should be made of animal skin which is pure, is erroneous.

Sheykh Khalil also mentions in his Mukhtasar two conditions for wiping on the khuffs.

Because of the disturbing complexity of the text of the Mukhtasar, I will quote the passage and underline the relevant part which interests us in this discussion:

"A dispensation is granted for men and women (even in istihādah ), whether its persons are resident or travelling, allowing them to wipe on a sock ( jawab ) which contains skin on the top and bottom or on a Khuff ....on the condition that it is made from the skin of an animal that is pure. »

Sheykh Khalil here explicitly states that the condition for following the dispensation of wiping on khuffs is that they be made from the skin of a clean animal, which excludes all unslaughtered animals.


Regarding why some scholars did not mention the condition that a Khuff must be made of animal skin or that they must be pure:


Before quoting and discussing the sayings of the commentators of the Mukhtasar concerning the preceding passage of the Khalil, one must be aware of certain important points which will facilitate the understanding of what follows.

In many Malekite fiqh books, in the wiping chapter on the Khuffs, some scholars mention for the khuffs both conditions (pure and made from animal skin), while other scholars do not. make no mention. It is from this that some have made the mistake of assuming that there is a difference of opinion on this, as we will discuss later.

The question that remains is why some scholars mention them in the wiping chapter on the khuffs, while other scholars do not? :

With regard to animal skins, it should be understood that according to the language of the Arabs (cf. al-Qarafi), the Khuff is “a shoe made from animal skin”. Therefore, a Khuff is by default made only from animal skin. For this reason, some scholars have not found it necessary to mention animal skin as a condition in the wiping chapter on khuffs. On the other hand, some scholars have mentioned it because of the fear that this element will be neglected, that is why they wanted to emphasize it; and not because it is a condition in reality.

As for the fact that the Khuff must be pure, if some scholars have also deemed it unnecessary to mention it as a condition, it is because "purity" concerns ALL articles of clothing, and this subject is dealt with in the chapter entitled “Removal of impurities”

To summarize this point, the general rule relating to the elimination of impurities for prayer concerns ALL articles of clothing. There is therefore no reason to make it a condition of purity specific to the Khuff when it falls within the general framework of this rule which concerns all articles of clothing.

In light of what we have just discussed, let us now take a look at what many scholars have said about the statement of Sheykh Khalil, who says "On the condition that it be made from the skin of an animal that is pure. »

Al-Dusūki (1230 AH, Cairo) quotes Sheykh al-Banani (1194 AH) who, commenting on this essential point, says:

“These two conditions are not required [i.e. animal skin and purity].

For the first condition, it is because a Khuff is only made of leather...As for the second point, Sheykh Mustafa at-Tatai [942 AH] objected to such conditions being stipulated, since these matters are dealt with in the chapter dealing with the removal of impurities and nothing should be mentioned here except what is specifically related to this topic [i.e. specific questions about wiping on the Khuffs]. »

In accordance with the statement of at-Tatā'i, Sheykh 'Ulaish (299 AH) who wrote the famous work on fatwa called Fath al-A'li al-Malik quoted Sheykh al-Ramāsi (1136 AH) in his notes margins of Al-Sharh al-Kabir:

"Neither Ibn Shash, nor Ibn Hājib, nor Ibn Arafah, nor the author of the Mudawwanah (Sahnûn Ibn Sa'îd At Tanûkhî) mentioned as a condition that the Khuff must be pure in order to be wiped [in the chapter relating to khuffs], and it is because it is related to the rule of removing impurities, and Allah is the highest and the most knowledgeable”.

None of the authors mentioned, whose works are all major, has in the chapter on the wiping on khufs, mentioned as a condition that the Khuff be pure, and this, for the same reason stated by at-Tatāi, c.- i.e. that these matters are dealt with in the chapter on the removal of impurities which concerns ALL articles of clothing, including footwear.

Sheikh 'Ulaish said:

“I say: The silence [of the Malikite scholars] regarding the criterion of purity [as a condition, in the case of the leather Khuff] does not necessarily mean that it is not a condition and if they remained silent at this subject, it is probably because of its clarity...” […]

Sheykh Ali al-Adawi (1112 AH) who was the Sheykh of Sheykh Dardir (1201 AH) quotes al-Tatāi in his marginal notes to the commentary of the Mukhtasar of al-Khurashi:

“According to what has been transmitted, it is not necessary for us to consider this [i.e. the necessity of the purity of the Khuff] as a condition, because conditions do not have to be stipulated, except in the case of specifics proper to these things...purification is a condition for ALL garments”

One can cite as an example of a “specific condition” which is not general and must therefore be mentioned, the fact that the Khuff must go up to the ankle. We say that this question is "specific" and not "general" because it relates only to khuffs and not to all other articles of clothing; and it is therefore necessary that this be stipulated as a condition.

Al-Amir (1232 AH), the author of al-Majmoo'a and Doa al-Shamu'a, who was a companion of Sheykh Dardir and who taught great scholars like Sheykh Ulaish, says in his commentary:

"Here we see again that the scholars have clearly said that it is unnecessary to stipulate such conditions, in the wiping chapter on the khuffs, for it must be mentioned in its proper place, that is- that is to say in the chapter of the elimination of impurities where the subject is treated in a general way. »

All that is mentioned here shows that the scholars of the Malikite school agree on the fact that one cannot wipe on the khuffs which are not made of leather (but rather synthetic leather), and that in reality a Khuff is only called "Khuff" if it is made of genuine animal leather. The difference of opinion is rather between whether or not it makes sense to explicitly mention purity and animal skin as a condition.

On the other hand, the fact that some scholars do not mention that the Khuffs must be made from pure animal skin is not a valid reason for claiming that there is a difference of opinion, unless the scholars clearly state this in reliable sources.

The best guidance is the direction of those whose opinion counts and bewilderment follows those whose opinions do not count. Those who have not taken part in ijtihad (the effort of legal reflection) are required to convey the views which represent the madhaab and to refrain from unqualifiedly advancing their own independent views on questions which have already been dealt with long before them by the competent scholars of the school.

The problem with the wiping on the khuffs performed without the conditions being met is that the person who prays thus will have an invalid ablution, which means that his prayer will also not be valid.

In the Malikite school ( madhaab ), the wiping of the khuffs is a rukhsah (dispensation). The well-known principle that applies to dispensations is that when a person cannot fulfill his conditions, then it becomes obligatory that he revert to the original rule, which in this case is the obligation to wash his feet, then please remember this point carefully!

Wa Allahu a'alam

source: sunnis.com