Assalaamu alaykum. Is it permissible for someone who often has drops of urine coming out after the ablution to then wipe over their socks and keep them on without removing them until the next ablution and wipe over them even if during the previous ablution, a drop of urine came out? I am asking this question because I used to wipe over them normally, but now I have a problem; I do not know if it is Waswaas (obsessive doubts) or real; I feel drops of urine coming out right after washing my intimate parts. I cannot distinguish if it is real or Waswaas. I really feel like want to go to the bathroom again then. And sometimes I really feel real drops of urine come out, and sometimes not, so I cannot differentiate the true from the false. So if it is real, can I keep the socks on and wipe over them even if a real drop of urine came out while I was doing the previous ablution without socks? For example, I perform ablution for Thuhr and I have socks on, so I wash my feet, and a drop of urine comes out before beginning my ablution, so I try to wash myself again and again, but I finally stop washing myself and start my ablution like that, and I put on socks after having performed ablution for the Thuhr. So can I keep my socks on for the ‘Asr, or must I wash my feet normally?

All perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of the worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah and that Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, is His slave and Messenger.

Several points are to be addressed here:

Firstly, you should disregard Waswaas and not give it any attention at all. No matter how much you doubt that drops of urine come out, you should know that the basic principle is that no urine came out. So adhere to this basic principle and act upon it until you know with certainty, to such an extent that you could swear to it, that urine came out. You should know that getting carried away with Waswaas leads to much evil.

Secondly, if you suffer from urinary incontinence, whose criterion is that you cannot find enough time during the time of the prayer to perform the prayer without urine coming out, then you should perform ablution after the time of the prayer becomes due, and there is no harm if you discharge urine during or after performing the ablution. You should put on the socks after having performed ablution and wipe over them for a day and a night if you are a resident, and for three days and nights if you are a traveler.

Thirdly, if you do not suffer from urinary incontinence and you discharged urine while performing ablution and you know that with certainty and it is not just Waswaas, then your ablution is invalidated and you are required to perform Istinjaa' (wash your private parts) and perform ablution again. It is invalid to wipe over the socks in this case unless you put them on after valid purification.

Allah knows best.