Answer
Wa `alaykum As-Salamu wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.
In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.
In this fatwa:
- It is not permissible for a man who is in a state of ihram to wear socks but it is permissible for a woman.
- If a man in a state of ihram needs to wear them, he has to offer the ransom.
In this regard, the late Sheikh Ibn Uthaymeen, a prominent Saudi Muslim scholar (may Allah shower mercy on his soul), states:
It is not permissible for men to wear socks in a state of ihram. However, there is nothing wrong if a woman wears socks.
If a man in a state of ihram needs to wear socks because of sickness, it is permissible for him, but he has to offer the ransom, which is either to sacrifice a sheep or to feed six poor persons or to fast for three days. He may do whichever of these three he wants.
Allah Almighty knows best.
Editor’s note: This fatwa is from Ask the Scholar’s archive and was originally published at an earlier date.