MASAH ALAL KHUFFAIN
Laws regarding making Masah on Leather Socks
INTRODUCTION
Masah alal Khuffain is an act of ibaadat ordered by the Shariah. Just as all acts of ibaadat have their requisite conditions (Shuroot) for their validity, so too does Masah alal Khuffain have Shar’i conditions for its validity. An ibaadat is not valid if its conditions are not observed.
Masah means to wipe or rub. Khuffain are a special kind of socks made of leather. The act of lightly wiping the wet hand over the khuffain is called Masah.
Ghair Muqallideen (those who have renounced the Taqleed of the Four Math-habs of the Ahlus Sunnah Wal Jama’ah) among whom is the sect known as Salafis, have completely distorted the Shariah’s Ahkaam (rules) pertaining to this ibaadat. Notorious for their taqleed (blind following) of their desires, these Ghair Muqallideen have discarded the Shuroot which are necessary for the validity of Masah. They therefore claim that masah on ordinary conventional cotton, woollen and nylon socks is valid.
Purely on the basis of their personal opinion have they refuted the fourteen century old Ijmaa-ee (on which there is Consensus) Ruling of the Shariah which specifies a particular type of sock for the validity of Masah. The opinion of the Salafis is in conflict with the unanimous Ruling of the Four Math-habs —in other words, in conflict with Islam – its Shariah and the Sunnah of Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wasallam). Besides personal opinion, they have no Shar’i Dalaail (Proofs of the Shariah) for their baseless opinion.
The Salafis claim that they are following the Sunnah. To bolster a view, they will cite some Hadith. Their fundamental error is that they submit the Hadith to their personal opinion. But personal interpretation and opinion which conflict with the Interpretation which has been transmitted authentically down the centuries from the age of the Sahaabah and the Taabieen or from the Khairul Quroon (the Three Noblest Ages of Islam), overrides all opinions and interpretations.
Masah alal Khuffain has to be viewed in the light of the Rulings of the Fuqaha (Jurists) of the Ummah from the earliest times, not in terms of the opinions of non-entities who have popped up in this era which is so far away from the Age of Risaalat (the age of the Nabi – sallallahu alayhi wasallam), and so close in proximity to Qiyaamah.
This discussion will, Insha’Allah, set out the Proofs of the Shariah for its Law pertaining to Masah on special socks called Khuffain.
THE MEANINGS
The Meaning of Masah Alal Khuffain
According to the Shariah, Masah Alal Khuffain means to pass the wet hand over a special type of sock in which are found several conditions.
The Shuroot
The following are the necessary conditions of the special type of sock for the validity of masah:
(1) The sock must cover the entire foot including the ankles.
(2) The socks should be of such durable material that walking in them without shoes is possible for more than three miles without the socks tearing. This is the Hanafi ruling. According to the Shaafi Math-hab, the khuffain should be sufficiently durable to walk for three days and three nights. Although the Maaliki Math-hab does not stipulate walking distance, it stipulates that the material must be leather which obviously satisfies the condition of the other Math-habs. According to the Hambali Math-hab, continuous walking is not a condition. The durability of the sock is left to Urf (Popular custom). If according to the prevalent custom the sock is strong enough for walking, i.e. walking without shoes, it will be valid for masah otherwise not.
From the description of the khuffain given by the Four Math-habs, it is obvious that there is consensus on the fact that the socks are of a special type in which walking without shoes is possible without the socks tearing. The normal socks worn in this day lack in this quality.
This second shart (condition) is thus not to be found in woollen, cotton and nylon socks.
(3) The socks must be rigid enough to be able to remain intact on the leg without tying with laces/string. If the socks slides down while walking as do ordinary socks, masah thereon is not valid.
(4) The socks should be impervious, i.e. water should not be able to seep through as it would in the case of ordinary socks.
(5) The foot should not be visible through the sock.
The significance of these conditions can be better understood from the stringent condition imposed by Imaam Maalik (rahmatullah alayh). According to him, the khuffain must necessarily be of leather. Masah is not valid on khuffain of any material besides leather even if the conditions which are found in leather khuffain do exist in khuffain of other materials. This is the stringent requirement of the Maaliki Math-hab. The other three Math-habs too have their stringent requirements for the validity of masah.
