Praise be to Allah,
Ahlus Sunnah Wal-Jama’ah agrees that wiping over the khuffs is an established sunnah. Since the shee’ah reject this practice, wiping over the socks has become an issue and is included in the books of Aqeeda. The evidence for wiping is recorded in the mutawaatir[i] form by more narrators than the Quranic verse on wudoo. Thus, to doubt the authenticity of this established sunnah is like doubting the Qur’an itself.
The Shia claims that wiping over the socks is prohibited whether in travel or in residence. They support this claim by the verse of the Quran…” and wipe your heads and your feet to the (two) ankles)”[ii].
However, their understanding of the verse is very weak. The word ‘masḥ’ used in the verse means ‘wipe’ and ‘wash’, both. For the proper understanding of the verse as well as the application, the sunnah of the messenger of Allah is sufficient. As explained earlier, wiping over the socks is transmitted through more than 80 companions.
Imam Muslim recorded the that ‘Urwa b. Mughira reported his father having said:
‘I was one night with the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) on a journey. He said to me: Have you any water with you? I said: Yes. He (the Holy Prophet) came down from his ride and went on till he disappeared in the darkness of night. He then came back and I poured water for him from the jar. He washed his face, He had a woolen gown on him and he could not bring out his forearms from it (i. e. from its sleeves) and consequently he brought them out from under his gown. He washed his forearms, wiped over his head. I then bent down to take off his socks. But he said: Leave them, for my feet were clean when I put them in, and he only wiped over them.’[iii]
“Jarir ibn ‘Abdullah urinated, performed ablution and wiped over his socks.” It was said to him, “You do that and you have urinated?” He said, “Yes, I saw the Messenger of Allah, upon whom be peace, urinate and then do likewise.”[iv]
Imam An-Nawawi says,
“All those who qualify for ijma’ (consensus) agree that it is allowed to wipe over the socks–during travelling or at home, if needed or not–even a woman who stays at home or a handicapped person who cannot walk can do so. The Shi’ah and Khawarij reject it, but their rejection is not valid’.
Says Ibn Hajr in Fath al-Bari,
“All of the preservers (of hadith) are of the opinion that wiping over the socks has come through a continuous transmission. Some have collected all of its narrations (from among the companions), and its number exceeds eighty. This includes hadith from the ten people who were promised Paradise.”[v]
Allah Knows Best.
[ii] Surah al-Ma’idah verse 6
[iii] Sahih Muslim 274f, https://sunnah.com/muslim:274f
[iv] Grade: Sahih (Darussalam), Reference: Jami` at-Tirmidhi 93 .In-book reference : Book 1, Hadith 93. English translation: Vol. 1, Book 1, Hadith 93
[v] Translation of Fiqh Us Sunnah, sayyid Sabiq, Vol 1- 30 (PDF)