Does my wudhu break by holding impure patients

CategoriesTaharah [479]

Fatwa ID: 01538

Answered by Mufti Mohammed Tosir Miah

Question:

Assalam alaikum. I am working in a hospital and I will hold  patients some time they are not cleaned then I will make waduu again but I can't remove my shoe I will do just massa. I want to know it's my waduu completed.

Answer:

Bismillah

In the name of Allah, the most Beneficent, the most Merciful.

Touching an impure person does not break one's wudhu. If there is some apparent impurities on them and that transfers on to your hand then again your wudhu will not break, but rather you will be required to wash that area with water.

Masah can only be done over leather socks and not over normal socks.

Socks are of three types:

  1. Socks which are called khuffain (leather socks) it is permissible to make masah over them.

Jafar bin Amr bin Umaiya Ad-Damri narrates, my father said ‘I saw the Prophet of Allah ṣallallāhu 'alayhi wa sallam (peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him) passing wet hands over his khuffs (leather socks)’ (Sahih Bukhari)

Similarly, socks which have leather sole will be permissible to do masah on. (Darse Tirmizi p.334 v.1)

  1. If the socks are so thick that water does not seep through and can stand upright without having to be tied and are so durable that one can walk continuously for three to four miles without being torn, then it is permissible to do masah over such socks. (Kitabul Fiqh p.229 v.1)
  2.  
  3. If the socks are thin and do not poses the quality of leather but are like regular socks made of cotton, wool etc….then it is the consensus of all the scholars that it is not permissible to do masah over them. (Bahrur Raaiq p.317 v.1 & Badaaius Sanaai p.10 v.1)

One may argue that there are hadiths regarding masah over non-leather socks (jawrab) therefore, why are their differences in opinions?

Mufti Taqi Uthmaani (D.B) writes in his Fiqhi Maqalaat ‘There are only three ahadith about doing masah on non-leather socks.  One of Saaiduna Bilal Radiallahu Anhu in Majmaus Sagheer of Tabarani.  Second of Saaiduna Abu Musa Al-Ashari raḍyAllāhu 'anhu (may Allāh be pleased with him) in Sunan Ibn Majah and Sunan Baihaqi and the third of Saaiduna Mugheera bin Shubah in Sunan Tirmizi.  Hafiz Zailaee in Nasbur Rayah (p.183 v.1) has written that the hadiths of Saaiduna Bilal & Saaiduna Abu Musa to be defective and weak. Imam Abu Dawud has written that these two hadiths sanad (chain) are not continuous nor reliable or strong. (Bazlul Majhood p.96 v.1)

As regards to the hadith of Saaiduna Mugheera bin Shubaah raḍyAllāhu 'anhu (may Allāh be pleased with him), Imam Tirmizi has claimed it to be Hasan Saheeh.  However, other eminent Imams such as Imam Muslim, Imam Baihaqi, Imam Ahmad, Imam Thauri and many others clarified it to be weak. (Nasbur Rayah p.183 v.1)

It is not permissible to do masah over the turban, hat, burqah or gloves as there is no difficulty in removing such items.  The same can be said regarding leather socks however, as the masah on leather socks has been proved through many authentic narrations; it is permissible to do masah on leather socks. (Raddul Muhtar p.457 v.1)

Furthermore, it is not permissible to do masah over shoes or trainers.  This is the view held by the majority of scholars. (Maarifus Sunan p.347 v.1)

Only Allah Knows Best

Mohammed Tosir Miah

Darul Ifta Birmingham

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