He used to command us, when we were on a journey or were travellers, not to remove our leather socks for three days and nights—except in the case of Janābah (major ritual impurity). In other cases such as defecation, urination, or sleep, it is sufficient to wipe over leather socks

Zirr ibn Hubaysh came to Safwān ibn ‘Assāl (may Allah be pleased with him), asking him about wiping over the leather socks. Safwān said: What has brought you here, O Zirr? He replied: The pursuit of knowledge. Safwān said: Indeed, the angels lower their wings for the seeker of knowledge, in approval of and honor for what he does.

Zirr then said: I have some doubts in my heart about wiping over the socks after defecation and urination, and you are one of the Companions of the Prophet (ﷺ), so I have come to ask you whether you heard the Prophet mention anything about that. Safwān said: Yes. He used to command us when we were traveling, not to remove our leather socks for three days and nights due to minor impurity—such as defecation, urination, or sleep—except in the case of Janābah, for then they must be removed.

I (Zirr) said: Did you hear him mention anything about love? He said: Yes. While we were with the Prophet (ﷺ) on a journey, a Bedouin called out in a loud voice: O Muhammad! The Prophet (ﷺ) answered him in a similarly loud voice, close to his tone, saying: Come here. We said to the Bedouin: Woe to you! Lower your voice, for you are in the presence of the Prophet (ﷺ), and you have been forbidden to raise your voice before him.

Because of his roughness, the Bedouin replied: By Allah, I will not lower it. Then he said: O Messenger of Allah, a man loves righteous people but has not done deeds like theirs—what about him? The Prophet (ﷺ) said: A person will be with those he loves on the Day of Judgment.

Zirr said: Safwān continued telling us until he mentioned a gate of repentance in the direction of the Levant (Shām), which Allah created on the day He created the heavens and the earth—its width is such that a rider could travel across it for forty or seventy years, and it will not be closed until the sun rises from the west.