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Is it permissible to wipe over a thin sock (khuff) or not, and does one who does so not have his ritual impurity lifted and his prayer not valid?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

Jurists have differed regarding the permissibility of wiping over socks (khuffayn). The Hanbali school of thought permits it on condition that it is possible to continue walking in them.

The claim made by those who deem wiping over thin socks invalid is incorrect, as many socks are thick enough for walking. Furthermore, wiping over thin socks is not an innovation; its permissibility has been reported from Umar, Ali, and a group of scholars. Ibn Hazm and Ibn Uthaymeen also favored it.

However, it is more cautious to wipe over thick socks that are suitable for continuous walking, in order to avoid disagreement.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

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