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MASAH ON SOCKS
by Maulana Zakariyya Makda

Allah Ta`ala has clearly declared in the Qur'aan Shareef: “O you who believe! When you stand towards Salaah, wash your faces, your hands up to your elbows, make masah of your heads and wash your feet up to the ankles.”

Thus the obligation of performing Wudhu for Salaah is derived directly from the Qur'aan Shareef. The four obligatory acts of Wudhu - washing the face, washing the hands up to the elbows, making masah of the head and washing the feet are clearly explained in the above verse. Hence all the four great Imaams of Fiqh and the entire Ummah are unanimous upon these four acts being compulsory in Wudhu.

While it is unanimously accepted that the feet have to be washed in Wudhu when not covered by any footwear, will the same law apply in the case where the feet are covered by some form of footwear or will masah upon such footwear suffice?

The A’immah-e-Arba`ah (four Imaams of Fiqh) and generally all the Fuqahaa are of the view that masah is only permissible upon leather socks or socks of a similar nature (details of which will follow later).

Contrary to this view, a small group of scholars have declared it permissible to make masah upon ordinary socks made of cotton, nylon and the like. This treatise is an attempt to thoroughly examine the latter view and ascertain whether it is based on acceptable proofs which render the said practice permissible or not.

Here's the book:
http://alhaadi.org.za/Download/Masah%20on%20Socks.pdf