How to make masah
How to make masah on socks
Masah means wiping over your socks during wudu instead of washing your feet. This page explains what it is, the conditions scholars set, how it’s done and how long it lasts.
We make socks. We’re not scholars. Everything here is drawn from published sources, which are named at the bottom of the page, and none of it is a ruling. For a ruling that applies to you, ask a scholar you trust.
Two words
Khuff and jawrab aren’t the same thing
Most of the disagreement about masah on socks comes back to this, and it’s rarely explained simply.
Khuff — leather footwear
Khuff, plural khuffain, means leather footwear that covers the ankle. Closer to a boot than a sock. Wiping over khuffain is recorded in the authentic hadith collections and is accepted across all four Sunni schools.
Jawrab — cloth socks
Al-Salam Institute, OxfordJawrab is the word for socks made of cloth rather than leather. Dr Akram Nadwi of the Al-Salam Institute in Oxford notes it came into Arabic from the Persian gor-e-pa, meaning “grave of the foot” — the Arabs had no word of their own for something they rarely wore.
Where the discussion sits
The question was never really whether you can wipe over khuffain. It’s whether cloth socks share enough of the same properties to take the same ruling, and if so, which properties matter.
The conditions
What the socks have to do
Different scholars set slightly different conditions, and some treat them as practical guidance rather than strict requirements. These are the ones that come up again and again.
Put on after a full wudu
The socks go on after a complete wudu in which the feet were washed. This one isn’t disputed.
Covering the ankle
The covering has to come over the ankle. Both khuff and cloth socks do, which is much of why many scholars applied the same ruling to both.
Strong enough to walk in
The classical wording is that the footwear should stand up to walking a distance without tearing — usually put at around three miles.
Water shouldn’t easily soak through
Stated by many scholars, and the condition a waterproof sock speaks to most directly.
Staying on without being tied
The covering should stay on the foot in normal use rather than needing constant adjustment.
Al-Salam Institute records the last three as conditions “some jurists propose”, and describes them as practical rather than affecting the core ruling. Other scholars treat them as necessary. That difference is real and long-standing, and it isn’t one a sock company can settle.
The method
How masah is done
Described as it’s commonly taught. The details of hand position differ between the schools, and those differences are set out further down.
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Do a full wudu first, then put the socks on
The feet are washed as part of a complete wudu before the socks go on. Masah applies from the next wudu onwards, not this one.
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At your next wudu, wipe instead of washing
Go through wudu as normal. When you reach the feet, wipe over the socks rather than washing the feet.
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Wet hands, over the top of the foot
With wet hands, wipe over the upper surface of each sock, moving from the toes towards the shin. Right hand for the right foot, left for the left.
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Top surface only
The wiping is of the upper surface. The sole isn’t wiped.
How long
How long masah lasts
This is the part most commonly misunderstood, and it’s misunderstood in one particular way.
At home: twenty-four hours
Someone who isn’t travelling in the sense the Sharia recognises may wipe for one day and one night.
Travelling: seventy-two hours
Someone who is a traveller in that sense may wipe for three days and three nights.
The clock starts at the first wipe
This is the bit people get wrong. The period runs from the first masah you make after your wudu breaks — not from when you put the socks on. Sources including IslamQA state this directly.
When the time is up
Once the period ends, masah is no longer valid. The socks come off and the feet are washed for the next wudu.
What ends it
What ends masah
Anything that breaks wudu
Masah is part of wudu. Whatever breaks the wudu breaks the masah with it, and a fresh wudu is needed.
Taking the socks off
Removing them during the period ends the masah, even if the time hasn’t run out.
Anything requiring ghusl
Where a full ghusl is required, wiping isn’t enough. The feet are washed.
Sources also deal with water getting inside the sock and wetting the foot. Because that’s directly relevant to a waterproof sock, we’ve deliberately left it for the reviewing scholars to word rather than paraphrasing it ourselves.
The schools
Where the schools differ
Set out as a description of positions, not a recommendation. Follow the school and the scholar you follow.
On leather khuffain
All four Sunni schools accept wiping over khuffain. This isn’t contested.
On cloth socks — the stricter reading
Several schools have historically required a sock to be like a khuff in strength and in not letting water through before the same ruling applies. On that reading, thin cotton socks don’t qualify.
On cloth socks — the broader reading
Al-Salam Institute, OxfordDr Akram Nadwi records that a large number of Companions, early scholars and Imams are reported to have wiped over cloth socks, and that several contemporary scholars permit it without insisting on strict thickness. He cites the report that Imam Abu Hanifa himself wiped over his socks near the end of his life, saying: “Today I have done something I had not done before.”
Why this question comes up so much in Britain
Al-Salam Institute, OxfordNadwi writes that he held a more cautious view before coming to England, and revised it after seeing how hard Muslims found it to wash their feet in offices, universities and airports — to the point that some were missing prayers. Whatever position you hold, that’s the situation this question is now asked in.
The socks
Where our socks fit into this
HydroSox socks are waterproof, they hold their shape rather than collapsing against the foot, and they’re shaped to stay on. Those are physical facts you can check. Whether they satisfy the conditions above, for the school you follow, isn’t ours to decide.
Shaykh Mufti Saiful Islam and Mufti Amjad Mohammed have examined them. There’s no certificate, because nobody issues certificates for socks.
Sources
Where this came from
Everything above comes from one of these. Where they differ, we’ve said so rather than picking one.
Al-Salam Institute, Oxford — “Wiping Over Socks: A Brief Overview”, Dr Mohammad Akram Nadwi
The overview this page draws its account of the two readings from.
IslamQA (Hanafi) — Darul Iftaa Birmingham and Askimam, on how long masah lasts and when the period starts
Where the twenty-four and seventy-two hour periods, and the point the clock starts, are set out.
Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim
The underlying narrations on wiping over khuffain, as cited in the above.
If you think anything on this page is wrong, tell us and we’ll correct it. That offer is open to anyone.
Questions
Common questions
Answered with the same facts as the rest of this page. If one of them contradicts something above, the answer above is the one that is wrong.
Something not here? Phone or email us
What is masah?
Masah means wiping over your socks during wudu instead of washing your feet. The permission is recorded in the authentic hadith collections in relation to khuffain — leather footwear that covers the ankle. Whether it extends to cloth socks, and on what conditions, has been discussed by scholars for centuries.
What are the conditions for wiping over socks?
The ones that come up most often: the socks go on after a full wudu, they cover the ankle, they’re strong enough to walk in, water doesn’t easily soak through, and they stay on without being tied. Scholars differ on how strictly the last three apply.
How long does masah last?
Twenty-four hours if you’re at home and seventy-two if you’re travelling. The period starts at your first wipe after wudu breaks, not when you put the socks on — which is the detail most commonly misunderstood.
Can you do masah on ordinary cotton socks?
This is where scholars differ. The stricter reading requires the sock to be like a khuff in strength and in not letting water through, which thin cotton socks aren’t. A broader reading, held by a number of Companions, early Imams and contemporary scholars, permits it more readily.
What ends masah?
Anything that breaks wudu, taking the socks off, and anything that requires a full ghusl. When the twenty-four or seventy-two hours are up, masah is no longer valid and the feet are washed for the next wudu.
Is masah on socks allowed in the Hanafi school?
Hanafi sources have historically required a sock to be like a khuff in strength and in not letting water through. It’s also reported that Imam Abu Hanifa himself wiped over his socks near the end of his life. Ask a Hanafi scholar for the position that applies to you.
Do HydroSox meet the conditions?
We can’t answer that, and it would be wrong of us to. Our socks are waterproof, they hold their shape and they stay on the foot — those are physical facts. Whether that satisfies the conditions, for the school you follow, is a question for a scholar rather than a sock company.
Where can I get a ruling for my own situation?
From a scholar you trust, or your local mosque or Dar al-Ifta. This page reports established positions and names its sources so you can take them to someone qualified. It’s a starting point for that conversation, not a replacement for it.