Wiping Over Footgear With a Noticeable Gap

May I wipe (make masah) over footgear, which fulfills the required conditions but has a slight yet noticeable gap between the ankle and the shoe?

 Question Answer

In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate.

The requirements for the permissibility of wiping footgear are:

1.      One must have complete ablution before wearing the footgear.

2.      They must be free from filth (najasa).

3.      They must cover the whole foot up to and including the anklebones.

4.      They must prevent water from reaching the foot (if it is dripped directly onto it, though not from the seams).

5.      They should be durable enough to endure regular walking.

[Ibn Naqib Al-Misri, ʿUmda Al-Salik]

Your question relates to condition number three. The covering referenced in this condition applies to every direction except the top [Al-Biqaʿi, Fayd Al-Ila Al-Malik]. Meaning that if you can see part of your foot when looking down from the angle of your shins, such as when the footgear is too big, this does not pose a problem, and wiping on the footgear you described is permissible. Allah knows best.

I pray that this answer is of benefit.

[Shaykh] Irshaad Sedick

Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Shaykh Irshaad Sedick was raised in South Africa in a traditional Muslim family. He graduated from Dar al-Ulum al-Arabiyyah al-Islamiyyah in Strand, Western Cape, under the guidance of the late world-renowned scholar, Shaykh Taha Karaan.

Shaykh Irshaad received Ijaza from many luminaries of the Islamic world, including Shaykh Taha Karaan, Mawlana Yusuf Karaan, and Mawlana Abdul Hafeez Makki, among others.

He is the author of the text “The Musnad of Ahmad ibn Hanbal: A Hujjah or not?” He has served as the Director of the Discover Islam Centre and Al Jeem Foundation. For the last five years till present, he has served as the Khatib of Masjid Ar-Rashideen, Mowbray, Cape Town.

Shaykh Irshaad has thirteen years of teaching experience at some of the leading Islamic institutes in Cape Town). He is currently building an Islamic online learning and media platform called ‘Isnad Academy’ and pursuing his Master’s degree in the study of Islam at the University of Johannesburg. He has a keen interest in healthy living and fitness.