We would like clarification on the issue of wiping over socks, in regards to its conditions and rulings. نريد توضيح حول مسألة المسح على الخفين من حيث شروطها وأحكامها  

Praise be to Allah, and may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah, his family and his companions.

As to what follows:

In response to your question, we say, and with Allah Almighty lies all success:

Allah the exalted said:

 “O you who believe, when you rise to [perform] prayer, wash your faces and your forearms to the elbows and wipe over your heads and your feet…” [al-Ma’idah 5:6]

And in another recitation: “arjulikum” – rather than “arjulakum” – “your feet”. This verse is evidence for wiping over socks. It points to washing the feet and wiping over them if they are covered.

The Sunnah is to wash the feet if they are uncovered and to wipe over them if they are covered. Some scholars say that the Sunnah is to wash, while other scholars say that the Sunnah is to wipe. The correct view is that it goes back to the state of the person (whether his feet are covered or uncovered). The prophet (peace be upon him) wiped over his socks. The condition that stands out and is most obvious is that the socks should be worn in the state of purity (wudhu), as has been narrated by Bukhari and Muslim in the hadith of Mughirah bin Shu`bah, who said:  “Once I was in the company of the Prophet (peace be upon him) on a journey and I dashed…” meaning: knelt down, “…to take off his socks (made of thick fabric or leather). So he (peace be upon him) said, “Leave them as I had put them on in the state of purity (after performing wudhu).”

Among the most frequently asked questions is: If one put on socks and wiped over them, then wore another pair on top, is it allowed to wipe over the top (second) pair? The answer to that is: Yes, it is allowed according to the most correct opinion among the scholars. Some scholars say that the ruling is related to the first pair that was wiped over, but what is apparent is that it is okay to wipe over the second pair, which is the top uppermost layer.

Also related to wiping over socks is the time length. The majority of scholars view it as a limited time period. For a resident (non-traveler), it is a day and a night; not five prayers, rather twenty-four hours. Furthermore, when does the time period start? From the first wiping after wudhu broke, as some scholars say. Other scholars say it is from the first breaking of the wudhu. This is closer to being correct, that you start calculating the time from when the wudhu first broke.

As for a traveler, it is three days with their nights.

And Allah knows best.