‘Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, said: "If the religion were based on opinion, the bottom of the khuff would be more deserving of being wiped than its top," and I have seen the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) wiping the top of his two khuffs. Recorded by Abu Dawud. Also from al-Mughira, who said: I saw the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) wiping upon the two khuffs on their top. Recorded by Abu Dawud and al-Tirmidhi, who said: A hasan sahih hadith. From ‘Umar, he said: I saw the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) ordering that one wipe upon the top of the two khuffs when one puts them on while they are pure. Recorded by al-Khallal with his isnad. This is because the bottom is not the place for the obligatory wipe, so it is not a place for its prescribed Sunnah, just like the leg. Furthermore, its wiping is not obligatory and it is hardly free from coming into contact with impurities that would render one’s hand impure, so leaving it is more appropriate. Their hadith is defective, as stated by al-Tirmidhi. He said: I asked Abu Zur‘a and Muhammad [meaning al-Bukhari] about it, and they both said: It is not authentic. Ahmad said: This is from a weak chain; it was narrated by Raja’ ibn Haywah from Warrad, the scribe of al-Mughira, and he did not meet him. The bottom of the khuff is not a place for the obligatory wipe, unlike its top.

Section: What suffices in wiping is to wipe the majority of the front of its top with lines with the fingers. Al-Shafi‘i said: It suffices to wipe the least amount that satisfies the name of "wiping," because he used the term "wiping" in an absolute sense, and no specific measurement was reported regarding it, so it is necessary to return to what the name covers. Abu Hanifa said: It suffices to wipe the extent of three fingers, based on the statement of al-Hasan: "The Sunnah of wiping is lines with the fingers." This refers to the Sunnah of the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), and the least plural word is three. Our argument is that the term "wiping" was mentioned in an absolute sense, and the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) explained it through his action, so it is necessary to refer to his explanation. Al-Khallal narrated with his isnad from...