Can I wipe over my shoes in wudu?
Usually no, not over ordinary shoes. The majority of scholars allow wiping only over footwear that covers the whole foot including the ankles, like leather socks (khuffs) or ankle boots, put on after a full wudu. Low trainers and sandals don't qualify for most scholars, so you take them off and wash your feet.
Wiping over khuffs is a proven sunnah
Wiping over leather socks (khuffs) is one of the best-known easy rules of wudu. Once, while travelling, the Prophet ﷺ was making wudu and his companion al-Mughirah went to pull off his khuffs. He ﷺ said, "Leave them, I put them on while my feet were pure," and wiped over them (Sahih al-Bukhari 206). This fits the spirit of the wudu verse:
Which footwear counts
The classical conditions, held by the majority (Hanafi, Shafi'i, Hanbali and largely Maliki), are:
- You put them on after a complete wudu, including washing your feet.
- They cover the foot up to and including the ankles.
- They are sturdy enough to walk in and stay on by themselves.
- They are pure (free of najasah).
So ankle boots, hiking boots and high-top trainers worn over clean feet can work. Normal low-cut shoes and sandals leave part of the foot that must be washed exposed, so the majority say you can't wipe over them. A minority, including some Hanbali scholars and Ibn Taymiyyah, were more flexible about footwear shape, but the safer and more common view is the one above.
Many people actually use the related rule on socks instead. See Do I have to take off my socks every time I make wudu?
How to wipe and for how long
- How: wet your hands and wipe once over the top of each shoe, from the toes towards the shin. Not the sole. Ali said that if religion went by opinion, the bottom would be wiped, but he saw the Prophet ﷺ wipe the top (Sunan Abi Dawud 162).
- How long: one day and night (24 hours) at home, three days and nights when travelling (Sahih Muslim 276).
- When it ends: when the time runs out, when you take them off, or when you need ghusl.
Praying in your shoes
Wiping over boots is about wudu; praying in shoes is a separate question. It's allowed if they're clean, though most mosques ask you to take them off. See Can I pray with my shoes on?
- Wiping is allowed over footwear that covers the ankles, worn after wudu.
- Ordinary low shoes and sandals don't qualify for most scholars.
- Wipe the top only: 24 hours at home, 3 days when travelling.
- The time limit, taking them off or needing ghusl ends the wiping.
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