Shuraih bin Hani says: I asked Sayyida Aisha (RA) about the duration of wiping over the socks. She said: Ask Sayyiduna Ali (RA) about this, he knows more about it than I do, he used to travel with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). So I asked Sayyiduna Ali (RA), he said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: For the traveler, three days and three nights, and for the resident, one day and one night.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Safwan bin Assal Muradi (may Allah be pleased with him), he says: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) sent us on an expedition and said: Set out in the name of Allah, in His path, fight against the enemies of Allah, avoid excessiveness, do not kill children, a traveler may wipe over his leather socks for three days and nights, and a resident for one day and one night, provided that he put on the socks while in a state of ablution.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Safwan (may Allah be pleased with him), he says: The Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to command us that when we are traveling, we should not remove our leather socks for three days and nights due to defecation, urination, or sleep, except in the case of major ritual impurity (janabah), in which case they must be removed.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Khuzaymah bin Thabit (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: A traveler may wipe (over the socks) for three days and nights, and a resident for one day and one night.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Awf bin Malik Ashja'i (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) on the occasion of the Battle of Tabuk commanded that a traveler may wipe over the leather socks for three days and nights, and a resident for one day and one night.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Khuzaymah bin Thabit Ansari (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: You may wipe over the leather socks (khuffs) for three days. If we had asked the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) for a longer concession, he would have granted us a longer concession.

(Second chain) He says: The Noble Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, granted a concession of three days for the traveler and one day and night for the resident. By Allah! If the questioner had asked further, the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, would have granted a concession of five days.

It is permissible to do so; however, the following narration on this subject is noteworthy: It is narrated from Hazrat Uqbah bin Aamir Juhani (may Allah be pleased with him), he says: "I departed from Shaam towards Madinah on the day of Jumu'ah, and I entered upon Umar bin Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him). He asked: 'When did you put your leather socks on your feet?' I said: 'On the day of Jumu'ah.' He asked: 'Did you remove them afterwards?' I said: 'No.' He said: 'You have acted in accordance with the Sunnah.' ... I set out from Shaam towards Madinah on the day of Jumu'ah, (when I arrived there) I went to Hazrat Umar bin Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him). He asked: 'When did you wear the leather socks?' I said: 'On the day of Jumu'ah.' He asked: 'Did you remove them afterwards?' I said: 'No.' He said: 'You have conformed to the Sunnah.' (Sharh Ma'ani al-Athar: 1/48, Dar Qutni: p.72, Hakim: 1/180-181, Saheehah: 2622)

When a companion refers to an action or statement as Sunnah, he means the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). This hadith appears to conflict with the ahadith of the previous chapter, because in those, a traveler is allowed three days, and in this one, seven days are permitted. These two ahadith can be reconciled in such a way that the narration of seven days is interpreted as being due to necessity and the inability to remove the leather socks while staying with a group. This is also the opinion of Shaykh al-Islam Imam Ibn Taymiyyah.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Mughirah bin Shu’bah (may Allah be pleased with him), he says: I saw the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) wiping over the backs of the leather socks.

Sayyiduna Ali bin Abu Talib (may Allah be pleased with him) says: My opinion was that wiping over the lower part of the foot had more right than wiping over the upper part, until I saw the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) wiping over the upper part.