Sunan Abi Dawud, 162
sahih· Al-AlbaniNarrated Ali ibn AbuTalib:
If the religion were based on opinion, it would be more important to wipe the under part of the shoe than the upper but I have seen the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) wiping over the upper part of his shoes.
حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ الْعَلاَءِ، حَدَّثَنَا حَفْصٌ، - يَعْنِي ابْنَ غِيَاثٍ - عَنِ الأَعْمَشِ، عَنْ أَبِي إِسْحَاقَ، عَنْ عَبْدِ خَيْرٍ، عَنْ عَلِيٍّ، - رضى الله عنه - قَالَ لَوْ كَانَ الدِّينُ بِالرَّأْىِ لَكَانَ أَسْفَلُ الْخُفِّ أَوْلَى بِالْمَسْحِ مِنْ أَعْلاَهُ وَقَدْ رَأَيْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم يَمْسَحُ عَلَى ظَاهِرِ خُفَّيْهِ .
Isnad
6 transmittersReferences2 variants
- In-Book Reference
- Book 1, Hadith 162
- English Reference
- Book 1, Hadith 162
Sharh · explanationclick to expand
Religion is what the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) conveyed from the Lord of the Worlds, not what people deduce through personal opinion or limited intellect.In this Hadith, `Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "If the religion were based on opinion." That is, if religious rulings were determined by what seems rational or logical to the human mind. The narration reads, "then the underside of the Khuff would have been more deserving of being wiped than the upper side," because it is what most frequently comes into contact with filth and wear. This, on the surface, is what reason and observation might suggest. However, `Ali continues: "But I saw the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) wiping over the upper side of his Khuff." Meaning, this is what he did, and we follow his practice because his guidance comes from divine wisdom, far beyond what the intellect alone can grasp. Upon closer reflection, it becomes clear that the idea of wiping the bottom of the sock is flawed: the underside is likely to be dirty and wiping it would only soil the hand without any actual benefit, since the purpose of the wiping is not to clean the sock, but to fulfill an act of worship in the prescribed manner.This Hadith highlights the strength of `Ali’s intellect and his deep faith. It also underscores an important principle: any opinion that contradicts the Sunnah is an invalid opinion, and the Sunnah is always worthier of being followed..