Buhuth wa Fatawa fi al-Mash ala al-Khuffayn

Buhuth wa Fatawa fi al-Mash ala al-Khuffayn (Researches and Legal Rulings on Wiping over Leather Socks) is a legal treatise by the Saudi Hanbali jurist Muhammad ibn Salih al-Uthaymin (d. 1421 AH / 2001 CE), dedicated to the jurisprudential rulings, comparative scholarly differences, and practical questions concerning wiping over footwear, socks, turbans, and splints during ritual purification Buhuth wa Fatawa fi al-Ma…+1.

Composition and Structure

The work is organized into three distinct parts compiled at different times:

1. Detailed Researches (Buhuth fi al-Mash ala al-Khuffayn): Completed on 16 Rabi al-Thani 1407 AH, this section investigates five specific legal inquiries in depth Buhuth wa Fatawa fi al-Ma…+1:
   • Wiping over torn footwear (al-khuff al-mukharraq) and thin or transparent socks through which the skin is visible Buhuth wa Fatawa fi al-Ma….
   • Wearing one layer of footwear over another (khuff ala khuff or jurmuq), both before and after ritual impurity occurs Buhuth wa Fatawa fi al-Ma….
   • The time limits for wiping and the precise moment when the period commences Buhuth wa Fatawa fi al-Ma….
   • Status transitions between residency and travel after putting on footwear or after wiping Buhuth wa Fatawa fi al-Ma….
   • Whether ritual purity remains valid or is nullified upon the expiration of the time limit or the removal of wiped footwear Buhuth wa Fatawa fi al-Ma….
2. Summary Legal Issues (Masa'il fi al-Mash ala al-Khuffayn): Drafted on 7 Rabi al-Thani 1411 AH, this section presents fifteen concise numbered rulings containing the author's preferred legal conclusions based on textual evidence Buhuth wa Fatawa fi al-Ma…+1.
3. Legal Rulings and Question-and-Answer Sessions (Fatawa fi al-Mash ala al-Khuffayn): A collection of practical inquiries submitted to al-Uthaymin regarding footwear, turbans, and medical splints. Transcribed from audio recordings, the author reviewed and edited the transcripts and authorized their open publication on 19 Jumada al-Ula 1410 AH on the condition of careful textual verification and that no exclusive copyright be claimed Buhuth wa Fatawa fi al-Ma….

Method and Jurisprudential Content

In the analytical sections of the treatise, al-Uthaymin reviews the positions of the major legal schools—including those of Ahmad ibn Hanbal, al-Shafi'i, Malik ibn Anas, and Abu Hanifa—as well as the views of classical scholars such as Ibn al-Mundhir, al-Nawawi, Ibn Hazm, and Ibn Taymiyyah Buhuth wa Fatawa fi al-Ma…+1.

Key legal determinations endorsed by al-Uthaymin in the treatise include:

• Wiping is permissible over torn or thin footwear as long as it still bears the designation of footwear and walking in it remains possible Buhuth wa Fatawa fi al-Ma…+1.
• The prescribed duration for wiping (one day and night for residents, and three days and nights for travelers) begins from the first wipe performed after entering a state of minor ritual impurity, rather than from the time of wearing or the initial occurrence of impurity Buhuth wa Fatawa fi al-Ma…+1.
• If a resident wipes over his footwear and subsequently travels before the resident's allowance expires, he completes the full travel period of three days and nights Buhuth wa Fatawa fi al-Ma…+1.
• The removal of wiped footwear or the expiration of the allowable time limit does not nullify ritual purity; a person remains in a state of purity until an established nullifier occurs, though he cannot wipe over the footwear again without performing a full ablution that includes washing the feet Buhuth wa Fatawa fi al-Ma…+1.