Question Summary:
1. I possess a pair of SealSkinz waterproof socks. RecentlyI decided to give them a little test… 2. 2) I have made a vow last October (2010) that until the two year Arabic course I enrolled online has ended,for every day that I did not spend an hour a day studying any form of Arabic, I would fast for three days.

Question Detail:

1) I possess a pair of SealSkinz waterproof socks. I know that you have already given fatwa that these can be used as khuffs. Recently (after a year of purchasing them) just before washing them I decided to give them a little test, and while letting the tap of the bath tub running heavily (I didnt fill the bath tub, just let the water flow) I got inside and starting walking in it and let water from the tap flow on my feet. The water height while running the tap was probably 3-5mm. I always wear thin liner socks inside my SealSkinz, so when I got out of the bath tub and on to the towel mat, the outer part of the socks were soaking in water. I took of my SealSkinz while keeping the inner socks on.

The top of my feet were completely dry, but at the bottom, both at the front of the soles and the heels there was wetness of the size of a dinar (i.e. inner palm size), while the rest of my soles were dry. There are no apparent holes on the socks themselves, but there must be pinnail size holes that must be leaking water in. My question is, is it still valid to use this pair as khuffs?

2) I have made a vow last October (2010) that until the two year Arabic course I enrolled online has ended, for every day that I did not spend an hour a day studying any form of Arabic, I would fast for three days. Now the problem is because of procrastination I decided to restart the course on March this year (2011), and I have accrued lots of days of fasting. My question is, would the condition of my vow expire on October 2012 or March 2013? And as I did not word that I would fast the three days consecutively in my vow (I cannot remember whether I intended them being consecutive in my mind or not), would I need to pay them 3 days at a time, or would fasting the Monday and Thursday fasts as single days suffice the reduce from the number of days I owe?

Answer :

Assalāmu `alaikum Warahmatullāhi Wabrakatuh,
1) The masah on the khuffs will be valid.
2) The vow will expire on October 2012
3) Keeping single fasts will suffice.
And Allah Ta'āla Knows Best,
Muftī Ebrahim Desai
Daruliftaa
35 Candella Rd, Durban, South Africa
www.daruliftaa.net