Explanation

Zirr ibn Hubaysh went to Safwān ibn ‘Assāl (may Allah be pleased with him) to ask about wiping over leather socks. Safwān asked him about the reason for his coming. "To seek knowledge," he replied. Thereupon, Safwān informed him that the angels stop their wings from flying and stay calm out of reverence for the seeker of knowledge and joy about his object of pursuit. Zirr said: I am confused and doubtful about wiping over leather socks after urination or defecation, as to whether this is permissible or not. Safwān clarified to him that this is permissible, since the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) instructed that whenever they were on a journey, they need not take off their leather socks, except for washing after sexual impurity, in which case one should take off his footwear and the like. But when a person performs ablution after sleeping or answering the call of nature, he may wipe over his leather socks. Thereafter, Zirr ibn Hubaysh asked Safwān whether he heard the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) say anything about love. Safwān replied in the affirmative and then related a story involving a loud-voiced Bedouin who came and called out loudly: O Muhammad! So, he was reprimanded for speaking loudly to the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) whereas Allah, the Almighty, says: {O you who have believed, do not raise your voices above the voice of the Prophet or be loud to him in speech like the loudness of some of you to others, lest your deeds become worthless while you perceive not} [Sūrat al-Hujurāt: 2]. Bedouins, however, do not embrace etiquette and good manners, for they live away from cities and are removed from knowledge. The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) replied to him in a similar tone. An example of the perfect guidance and wisdom, he would treat everyone in a manner that suits their understanding. That is why he addressed him similarly. Then, the Bedouin asked: "What about a person who loves some people but cannot catch up with them?" In other words, a person may love certain people but he lags behind in terms of good deeds. Will he be in their company or not? The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) made it clear that "a person shall be with those he loves on the Day of Judgment." Zirr added: Then, the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) kept speaking to us, and during his speech he mentioned a gate in the direction of the west, the distance between its ends, or the amount of time it takes a rider to cross its width, is forty or seventy years. It lies in the direction of Syria. Allah, the Almighty, created it on the day He created the heavens and the earth. It is open for repentance and will not be closed until the sun rises from the west.