The mosque is the house of Allah and the purest and most sacred land on the face of the earth. A person who is without wudu (ablution) may enter the mosque, but it is forbidden for someone in a state of janabah (major impurity), hayd (menstruation), or nifas (postnatal bleeding) to stay there. The reason is the sanctity of the mosque. Nevertheless, there is no harm in entering the mosque with shoes on and praying in shoes, provided that the shoes are free from impurity and clean.
The noble personality of the Prophet ﷺ is a role model for us, as Allah Almighty says:
لَقَدْ كَانَ لَكُمْ فِي رَسُولِ اللَّهِ أُسْوَةٌ حَسَنَةٌ(الاحزاب:21)
Translation: Indeed in the Messenger of Allah ﷺ you have a good example to follow.
Accordingly, those who are our role models and guides have shown through their words and actions that the Prophet himself prayed in shoes and commanded the companions to pray in shoes as well. First, I will present the verbal hadith, then the practical hadith.
Verbal Hadith:
Shaddad bin Aws رضي الله عنه says that the Messenger of Allah صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم said:
خالِفوا اليَهودَ فإنَّهم لا يصلُّونَ في نعالِهِم ولا خفافِهِم( صحيح أبي داود:652)
Translation: Oppose the Jews because neither do they pray in their shoes nor in their socks.
Practical Hadith: Abdullah bin Amr bin Al-As رضي الله عنهما says:
رأيتُ رسولَ اللَّهِ صلَّى اللَّهُ عليهِ وسلَّمَ يصلِّي حافيًا ومَنتعِلًا( صحيح أبي داود:653)
Translation: I have seen the Messenger of Allah صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم praying barefoot and also wearing shoes.
Both these hadiths are authentic and from these two types of hadiths it is established that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ himself prayed in shoes and also commanded praying in shoes.
There are more evidences in this chapter but for argumentation and understanding the issue itself, these two evidences are sufficient. However, another evidence which is quite famous and clearer in terms of understanding in this chapter is beneficial to mention.
Abu Saeed Khudri رضي الله عنه says:
بينَما رسولُ اللَّهِ صلَّى اللَّهُ عليهِ وسلَّمَ يصلِّي بأصحابِهِ إذ خلعَ نعليهِ فوضعَهُما عن يسارِهِ فلمَّا رأى ذلِكَ القومُ ألقوا نعالَهُم فلمَّا قضى رسولُ اللَّهِ صلَّى اللَّهُ عليهِ وسلَّمَ صلاتَهُ قالَ ما حملَكُم علَى إلقاءِ نعالِكُم قالوا رأيناكَ ألقيتَ نعليكَ فألقينا نعالَنا فقالَ رسولُ اللَّهِ صلَّى اللَّهُ عليهِ وسلَّمَ إنَّ جبريلَ صلَّى اللَّهُ عليهِ وسلَّمَ أتاني فأخبرَني أنَّ فيهِما قذرًا – أو قالَ أذًى – وقالَ إذا جاءَ أحدُكُم إلى المسجدِ فلينظُر فإن رأى في نعليهِ قذرًا أو أذًى فليمسَحهُ وليصلِّ فيهِما(صحيح أبي داود:650)
Translation: The Messenger of Allah صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم was praying with the companions when suddenly he took off his shoes and placed them on his left side. When the people saw this, they also took off their shoes following him. After the Messenger of Allah صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم finished praying, he said: “Why did you take off your shoes?” They said: We saw you taking off your shoes, so we also took off ours. The Messenger of Allah صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم said: “Gabriel عليه السلام came to me and informed me that there was impurity on your shoes.” The narrator is uncertain whether he said: «قذرا» (impurity) or «أذى» (harm), and he said: “When any of you enters the mosque, he should look at his shoes; if he sees impurity on them, he should wipe it off on the ground and pray in them.”
Considering all these hadiths, it becomes easy to say that one can enter the mosque with shoes and pray in the mosque with shoes because the prayer that the Prophet ﷺ led the companions in shoes was a congregational prayer in the mosque. This clearly shows that we can enter the mosque with shoes.
Masjid al-Haram is also a mosque; since the Prophet ﷺ entered Masjid an-Nabawi with shoes, we too can enter Masjid an-Nabawi, Masjid al-Haram, and other mosques of the world with shoes. There is no religious objection to this.
Here it should also be clarified that just as one can enter Masjid al-Haram with shoes and pray there with shoes, similarly one can perform Tawaf and Sa’i with shoes, and it is permissible. However, cleanliness is an important issue, and nowadays entering Masjid al-Haram with shoes is considered inappropriate. Further explanation on this is below.
A Few More Points Regarding Tawaf and Sa’i in Shoes
* To increase the knowledge of those performing Umrah, first it should be stated that men should not wear shoes in the state of Ihram, nor socks; rather, they should use sandals. Women, however, can wear socks and shoes while in the state of Ihram. Men can wear shoes during voluntary Tawaf because the restrictions of Ihram do not apply there.
* Entering the mosque with shoes or praying in shoes does not mean that you must go to the mosque wearing shoes or must pray in shoes. It means that entering the mosque with shoes is permissible and praying in shoes is permissible. Similarly, it is not necessary to perform Tawaf and Sa’i wearing shoes; you can perform Tawaf and Sa’i barefoot as ordinary people do. However, if someone performs Tawaf and Sa’i wearing shoes, it is permissible, but for cleanliness, it is better to perform Tawaf and Sa’i barefoot.
* During the time of the Prophet, people must have entered Masjid al-Haram wearing shoes and slippers because the Prophetic teachings permit it. Also, during the time of the Prophet, shoes and slippers were worn during Tawaf al-Wusaa (circumambulation with space), there is no doubt about this.
* Since earlier mosques were made of mud, no one ever considered it inappropriate to enter them with shoes on. However, nowadays mosques are adorned with marble and carpets, so we need to consider this aspect.
* There is no doubt that a large number of people are assigned to cleanliness in Masjid al-Haram, which is why Masjid al-Haram always appears shining and sparkling. In such a situation, while keeping cleanliness in mind, we should not enter Masjid al-Haram wearing shoes and slippers.
* The shoes and slippers that we wear from outside and also take into the bathroom are certainly going to be covered with dust, dirt, and water. In such a case, the carpet and marble will become dirty, and it will cause great difficulty for the cleaning workers.
* So, the issue is not about permissibility or impermissibility, but about cleanliness. Considering the cleanliness of Masjid al-Haram, one should enter it without slippers and shoes, meaning those shoes and slippers that have been used outside the mosque should not be worn inside. Instead, take them off at the door and enter barefoot, pray barefoot, and perform Tawaf barefoot.
* Live videos of Masjid al-Haram are broadcasted, and everyone, including Muslims and non-Muslims, watches these scenes. The sight of entering Masjid al-Haram with shoes and slippers will be viewed negatively by outsiders, and even among Muslims who are ignorant and unfamiliar with religion, it creates a wrong impression. Therefore, one should not enter Masjid al-Haram wearing shoes.
Summary of the discussion:
The summary of the entire discussion is that in all mosques around the world, including Masjid al-Haram, where the floor is not made of soil but is adorned with stone, tiles, and carpets, shoes and slippers should not be worn inside. This ruling is in consideration of cleanliness and hygiene. Otherwise, in mosques that are still made of soil, there is no harm in entering with shoes on, provided that they are clean, as is evident from the numerous hadiths mentioned above.
