Rulings on Shoes
The importance of shoes in a person’s daily life is undeniable. There are many occasions during the day and night when sometimes shoes are worn and sometimes taken off; it is quite difficult to estimate how many. Unfortunately, most Muslims are unaware of the rulings related to shoes. With the thought that every Muslim brother and sister should know the rulings of shoes so that they can act upon them, therefore, very briefly, the “Rulings on Shoes” are presented:
① The right shoe should be worn first, then the left
It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Huraira (RA) that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said:
((إذا انتعل أحدكم فليبدأ باليمين …))
When any one of you puts on shoes, he should put on the right shoe first…
Sayyida Aisha (RA) says:
’’كان النبي صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم يعجبه التيمن في تنعله و ترجله و طهوره و في شأنه كله‘‘
The Noble Prophet (peace be upon him) preferred to begin with the right side in every action, whether wearing shoes, combing hair, or performing ablution.
② Walking while wearing shoes is Sunnah
It is narrated from Sayyiduna Jabir رضي الله عنه that the Messenger of Allah صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم said:
((استكشــروا مـن النعال ، فإنّ الرجل لايزال راكبًا ما انتعل))
Most of the time wear shoes because when a person wears shoes, he rides comfortably. (Meaning the rider’s feet do not get hurt)
It is understood that one should mostly walk wearing shoes, but sometimes walking barefoot is also permissible.
Some people walk barefoot on special days of Muharram al-Haram; this practice is not Sunnah and is an innovation.
③ When removing shoes, the left shoe should be removed first
It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah رضي الله عنه that the Messenger of Allah صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم said:
((إذا انتعل أحدكم فليبدأ باليمين و إذا انتزع فليبدأ بالشمال لتكن اليمني أولهما تنعل و آخرهما تنزع))
When any of you wears shoes, put on the right shoe first, and when removing them, remove the left shoe first. The right shoe should be first in wearing and last in removing.
④ Walking wearing only one shoe is prohibited
It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah رضي الله عنه that the Messenger of Allah صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم said:
((لايمش أحدكم في نعل واحدة ، لينعلهما جميعًا أو ليحفهما جميعًا))
None of you should walk wearing only one shoe; either wear both or remove both.
It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Huraira رضي الله عنه that the Messenger of Allah صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم said:
((إذا انقطع شسع أحدكم فلا يمش في الأخرى حتى يصلحها))
When the strap of one of your shoes breaks, do not walk with only one shoe until you have it fixed (the other shoe).
Sayyiduna Jabir رضي الله عنه states that the Messenger of Allah صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم forbade walking with only one shoe.
Some people are negligent in this, so one should always avoid such actions that oppose the Sunnah.
⑤ It is permissible to pray in shoes
Abu Muslima says that I asked (Sayyiduna) Anas رضي الله عنه:
أكان النبي صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم يصلي في نعليه ؟ قال : نعم
Did the Messenger of Allah صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم pray in his shoes? He said: Yes!
But it should be remembered that the shoes must be clean; only then can one pray in them, otherwise not.
Allama Ibn Battal states that this hadith should be understood on the condition that there is no dirt on the shoe.
⑥ If there is dirt, then it is permissible to remove it and then pray wearing them
It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Saeed Al-Khudri (RA) that the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said:
((إذا جاء أحدكم إلى المسجد فلينظر فإن رأى في نعليه قذرا أو أذًى فليمسحه وليصل فيهما))
When any one of you comes to the mosque, he should see if there is any dirt on his shoes, then clean it and pray in them.
Some people consider this disliked, although the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said:
((خالفوا اليهود فإنهم لا يصلون في نعالهم ولا خفا فهم))
Oppose the Jews, for they do not pray in their shoes and socks.
From this hadith, it is clear that it is permissible to pray wearing clean shoes.
It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Amr bin Al-As (RA) that
’’رأيت رسول الله صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم يصلي حافياً و متعلاً‘‘
I have seen the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) praying both barefoot and wearing shoes.
It is also proven from the Companions of the Prophet ﷺ that they prayed while wearing shoes.
Note:
Some people consider it permissible to pray in some shoes and not in others. We have no evidence for this distinction; rather, it is permissible to pray in any shoe that can be called a shoe. (And Allah knows best)
Praying while wearing shoes is a concession, and following it is Sunnah, but it is not correct to disrespect the mosque under the pretext of wearing shoes. The shoes should also be checked to ensure that praying in them inside the mosque does not spoil the cleanliness of the mosque.
If one is praying in dirty shoes and realizes this during the prayer, the shoes should be removed.
If one has prayed in dirty shoes, there is no need to repeat the prayer because it is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Saeed Al-Khudri رضي الله عنه that the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم was leading the prayer and he took off his shoes, so the Companions رضي الله عنهم also took off their shoes. When he completed the prayer, he said:
((لم خلعتم نعالكم ؟))
Why did you take off your shoes? The Companions (رضی اللہ عنہم) said:
O Messenger of Allah! We saw you taking off your shoes, so we also took them off. The Messenger of Allah صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم said:
Jibra’il (علیہ السلام) came to me and informed me that your shoes were dirty. Therefore, when any of you enters the mosque, he should turn his shoes upside down and if he sees dirt in them, he should rub it on the ground, then pray in them.
Imam al-Ulama Imam Ibn Khuzaymah, may Allah have mercy on him, has dedicated a chapter on this hadith titled “Praying in shoes even if they are dirty and the worshiper is unaware of it.” This chapter also serves as evidence that if a worshiper prays in shoes or clothes which he considers pure, and later finds out that the shoes or clothes were not pure, then the prayer performed in that state is valid, and repeating it is not obligatory. This is because a person is required to pray in pure clothes (and pure shoes) according to his knowledge, not according to knowledge of the unseen which only Allah possesses.
One should not place the shoes to the right side while praying.
A worshiper may remove his shoes and place them to his left side, provided that there is no other worshiper on that side.
If there is a person on the left side, then the shoes should be placed between both feet.
Syedna Abu Huraira رضي الله عنه narrates that the Messenger of Allah صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم said: When any of you prays, he should neither place his shoes on the right side nor on the left side, because in that case, he will be on someone else’s right side. However, if there is no one on his left side, then he may place them there, and the one praying should place his shoes between his feet.
⑦ Placing Shoes in Front While Praying
You have read the details about where shoes should be placed during prayer.
If it were forbidden to pray with shoes placed in front, it would certainly have been mentioned. It is remembered that in every matter, the original ruling is permissibility, and evidence is required for prohibition. Regarding this, Hafiz Abdul Mannan Noorpuri حفظه الله states:
As for the matter that “if the shoes are in front, the prayer is not valid,” I do not know of any verse or hadith about this.
It is understood that even if the shoes are in front, the prayer is valid. (And Allah knows best)
⑧ Wearing shoes while standing
It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah رضي الله عنه that
’’نھی رسول الله صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم أن ينتعل الرجل وهو قائم‘‘
The Messenger of Allah صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم forbade wearing shoes while standing.
This narration has a weak chain because Qatadah in its chain is a mudallis and it is narrated from An. The other chains of this narration are also weak. As our Shaykh Al-Hafiz Zubair Ali Za’i حفظه الله said in his research.
⑨ Wearing shoes is permissible during Ihram
The hadith states: “If there are no shoes, then wear socks, and it is necessary to cut both socks below the ankles.”
does not mention cutting the socks below the ankles, but the absence of mention does not imply its absence. It is noted that Imam Ahmad, Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah, and Shaykh Ibn Baz رحمهم الله consider cutting shoes during Ihram abrogated.
⑩ Walking in the cemetery with shoes on
Sayyiduna Basheer bin Khasasiyah (RA) says that I was walking in the graveyard with shoes on, when suddenly a man called out from behind me, “O you who wear shoes! Take off your shoes.”
If there are thorns or similar things in the graveyard, then it is permissible to walk wearing shoes because Allah does not burden anyone beyond their capacity.
From some evidences, the permissibility of walking in the graveyard with shoes is established. For example, a hadith mentions that the person buried in the grave hears the sound of people’s shoes.
It is understood that walking in the graveyard with shoes is permissible; therefore, it is not correct for some scholars to declare it disliked or forbidden.
⑪ Wearing high-heeled shoes
It has become common to see women wearing such high-heeled shoes that a person is amazed and wonders how these women walk in them. The purpose of wearing shoes is to protect the feet from thorns and other things or to allow a person to walk easily, but high-heeled shoes are a waste of money because such shoes are somewhat expensive and besides affectation, they serve no other purpose. Regarding this, it is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Saeed Al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said that among the Children of Israel there was a woman who was short in stature and she was walking with two tall women. So this woman had two wooden feet (shoe-like) made and a gold ring filled with musk. Then she was walking with these two tall women and generally she was not recognized.
In the explanation of this hadith, Allama Nawawi states, “In this hadith, the mention of a woman walking with wooden feet, due to which she was not recognized among two tall women, has a ruling in our Shariah that if her intention is correct and lawful, so that she hides herself and no one can recognize or harm her, then there is no harm in doing so. But if the intention behind this is to show off, to prove herself similar to perfect women, or to deceive people, then doing so is forbidden.”
Sheikh Abdul Aziz bin Baz, may Allah have mercy on him, says, “High heels at least carry the ruling of dislike because there is deception in them; the woman appears taller while she is not. Another reason is that there is a risk of the woman falling. Furthermore, according to doctors’ opinions, wearing such shoes is harmful to health.”
It is also remembered that women have been commanded to stay hidden; by wearing high-heeled shoes, a woman herself becomes a target of others’ gazes.
⑫ Punishing someone by hitting with a shoe
When a person who drank alcohol (after the prohibition of alcohol) was brought to the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, he ﷺ would order the Companions رضي الله عنهم to beat him. Some would hit with their hands, some with shoes, and some with clothes.
Sometimes the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ would punish the drinker with shoes and a stick.
It is understood that considering the matters of Shariah, it is correct to punish someone by hitting with a shoe.
⑬ Wearing beautiful shoes is not a sign of arrogance
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said:
No person will enter Paradise who has even an atom’s weight of arrogance in his heart. A man said, “Indeed, a person likes that his clothes be good and his shoes be good.” He ﷺ said:
Indeed, Allah Almighty is beautiful and loves beauty. Arrogance is to reject the truth and to consider people insignificant.
It is understood that wearing beautiful shoes is completely correct, provided that there is no extravagance of wealth in them.
⑭ It is permissible to take off shoes at certain places
When Prophet Musa (Moses) عليه السلام reached the valley of Tuwa, Allah Almighty said:
Musa, I am your Lord. At that time, you were in the sacred land of Tuwa, so take off your shoes…
⑮ Eating and drinking with shoes on is permissible
The narration that says one should take off shoes before eating is weak.
⑯ It is not proven to set shoes as a dowry right
A man from Banu Fazara tied a shoe as the Mahr (dowry) and got married, and the Messenger of Allah ﷺ considered his marriage valid.
This narration is weak due to Asim bin Ubaidullah (weak).
If this narration itself is weak, then no ruling can be established from it.
Allama Abdul Rahman Mubarakpuri, may Allah have mercy on him,
, Sheikh Albani, may Allah have mercy on him, and Sheikh Zubair Ali Zaee, may Allah preserve him, have also declared this narration weak.
⑰ It is correct to give the Adhan wearing shoes
⑱ Throwing shoes at the Jamarat instead of pebbles?
Some people, while performing Hajj or Umrah, start throwing shoes at the Jamarat instead of pebbles. Doing so is not correct; rather, some scholars have called it an innovation (bid’ah).
⑲ What if the shoe is worn inside out?
Some people, when they see a shoe placed upside down, say to turn it right side up. The reason they give for this is that if the shoe is upside down, it is a sign of bad luck and it causes a shortage in sustenance. This is a satanic whisper for which there is no evidence in the Quran or Hadith. However, it should indeed be turned right side up because it feels unpleasant.
⑳ Attributed to the Prophet ﷺ among the public
The popular notion about the shoe has no evidence from authentic Hadith or the practices of the pious predecessors.
وما علينا إلا البلاغ
