❀ Analytical Review of the Ḥadīth on Removing Shoes While Eating ❀
Source: Fatāwā ad-Dīn al-Khāliṣ, Vol. 1, Pg. 158
Question by: Abu Salman Ḥaḍrat Muhammad
Is it authentic that the Prophet ﷺ said, “When food is served, remove your shoes, for it brings comfort to your feet”? Is this a ḥadīth or just a statement? If it is a ḥadīth, what is its authenticity?
الحمد لله، والصلاة والسلام علىٰ رسول الله، أما بعد!
This statement is narrated from three Companions of the Prophet ﷺ:
◈ Abū ʿAbs ibn Jabr رضي الله عنه
◈ Anas ibn Mālik رضي الله عنه
◈ Jābir ibn ʿAbd Allāh رضي الله عنه
Below is a detailed breakdown of the narration status from different sources:
Imām Ḥākim narrated this ḥadīth:
“Remove your shoes when eating; it is a good practice.”
Kanz al-ʿUmmāl, Ḥadīth 40725, Vol. 15, Pg. 335
Shaykh al-Albānī رحمه الله declared this ḥadīth fabricated (mawḍūʿ).
Ḍaʿīf al-Jāmiʿ al-Ṣaghīr, Ḥadīth 243
This narration exists through two different chains:
Narrated by Abū Yaʿlā (3/1036) and al-Bazzār (Ḥadīth 159):
“When food is placed before one of you and he is wearing shoes, he should take them off. It is more comfortable for the feet and is Sunnah.”
Hāfiẓ Haythamī (Majmaʿ al-Zawā’id, 5/23) remained silent on this, but the chain is weak due to the following:
▪ Muʿādh ibn Shuʿbah is a majhūl (unknown) narrator.
▪ Dāwūd ibn Burqān was declared abandoned (matrūk) by Imām Abū Dāwūd.
▪ Imām al-Bukhārī called him “muqārib al-ḥadīth” (barely acceptable, weak).
Narrated by al-Dāramī (2/32, Ḥadīth 2086) and al-Ḥākim (4/119) through Muḥammad ibn Saʿīd:
“Removing shoes while eating provides greater comfort to the feet.”
This chain is very weak, because:
▪ Mūsā ibn Muḥammad ibn Ibrāhīm al-Ḥārith is a matrūk narrator.
▪ Imām al-Bukhārī and al-Dāraqutnī considered him unreliable.
▪ Imām al-Dhahabī said: “I believe this ḥadīth is fabricated (mawḍūʿ).”
Silsilat al-Aḥādīth al-Ḍaʿīfah, 2/411, Ḥadīth 98; Ḍaʿīf al-Jāmiʿ, Ḥadīth 396
Ibn Ḥajar mentioned this in al-Maṭālib al-ʿĀliyah (2/318, Ḥadīth 2362):
“When it is time to eat, remove your shoes. It brings more comfort to the feet.”
Abū Khaythamah transmitted it through ʿUqbah, but Ḥabīb al-Raḥmān (editor of Abū Yaʿlā’s collection) noted:
“Perhaps there is a missing link in the chain from Jābir رضي الله عنه in Abū Yaʿlā’s version, as the narration is incomplete.”
Hence, this narration is also weak.
✔ All versions of this ḥadīth are either weak (ḍaʿīf) or fabricated (mawḍūʿ). It is not permissible to attribute it to the Prophet ﷺ as a confirmed ḥadīth.
✔ Although the narration is unauthentic, the practice of removing shoes while eating can be seen as beneficial and comfortable, based on personal preference.
✔ Since this relates to etiquettes and virtues, some scholars have shown leniency in mentioning it.
✔ However, it should not be narrated as a ḥadīth from the Prophet ﷺ.
وَاللّٰهُ أَعْلَمُ بِالصَّوَابِ
Source: Fatāwā ad-Dīn al-Khāliṣ, Vol. 1, Pg. 158 Question by: Abu Salman Ḥaḍrat MuhammadIs it authentic that the Prophet ﷺ said, “When food is served, remove your shoes, for it brings comfort to your feet”? Is this a ḥadīth or just a statement? If it is a ḥadīth, what is its authenticity?
✦ The Answer:
الحمد لله، والصلاة والسلام علىٰ رسول الله، أما بعد!
This statement is narrated from three Companions of the Prophet ﷺ:
◈ Abū ʿAbs ibn Jabr رضي الله عنه
◈ Anas ibn Mālik رضي الله عنه
◈ Jābir ibn ʿAbd Allāh رضي الله عنه
Below is a detailed breakdown of the narration status from different sources:
◈ First Narration: From Abū ʿAbs رضي الله عنه
Imām Ḥākim narrated this ḥadīth:
“Remove your shoes when eating; it is a good practice.”
Kanz al-ʿUmmāl, Ḥadīth 40725, Vol. 15, Pg. 335 Shaykh al-Albānī رحمه الله declared this ḥadīth fabricated (mawḍūʿ). Ḍaʿīf al-Jāmiʿ al-Ṣaghīr, Ḥadīth 243◈ Second Narration: From Anas ibn Mālik رضي الله عنه
This narration exists through two different chains:
① First Chain
Narrated by Abū Yaʿlā (3/1036) and al-Bazzār (Ḥadīth 159):
“When food is placed before one of you and he is wearing shoes, he should take them off. It is more comfortable for the feet and is Sunnah.”
Hāfiẓ Haythamī (Majmaʿ al-Zawā’id, 5/23) remained silent on this, but the chain is weak due to the following:
▪ Muʿādh ibn Shuʿbah is a majhūl (unknown) narrator.
▪ Dāwūd ibn Burqān was declared abandoned (matrūk) by Imām Abū Dāwūd.
▪ Imām al-Bukhārī called him “muqārib al-ḥadīth” (barely acceptable, weak).
② Second Chain
Narrated by al-Dāramī (2/32, Ḥadīth 2086) and al-Ḥākim (4/119) through Muḥammad ibn Saʿīd:
“Removing shoes while eating provides greater comfort to the feet.”
This chain is very weak, because:
▪ Mūsā ibn Muḥammad ibn Ibrāhīm al-Ḥārith is a matrūk narrator.
▪ Imām al-Bukhārī and al-Dāraqutnī considered him unreliable.
▪ Imām al-Dhahabī said: “I believe this ḥadīth is fabricated (mawḍūʿ).”
Silsilat al-Aḥādīth al-Ḍaʿīfah, 2/411, Ḥadīth 98; Ḍaʿīf al-Jāmiʿ, Ḥadīth 396◈ Third Narration: From Jābir ibn ʿAbd Allāh رضي الله عنه
Ibn Ḥajar mentioned this in al-Maṭālib al-ʿĀliyah (2/318, Ḥadīth 2362):
“When it is time to eat, remove your shoes. It brings more comfort to the feet.”
Abū Khaythamah transmitted it through ʿUqbah, but Ḥabīb al-Raḥmān (editor of Abū Yaʿlā’s collection) noted:
“Perhaps there is a missing link in the chain from Jābir رضي الله عنه in Abū Yaʿlā’s version, as the narration is incomplete.”
Hence, this narration is also weak.
Conclusion:
✔ All versions of this ḥadīth are either weak (ḍaʿīf) or fabricated (mawḍūʿ). It is not permissible to attribute it to the Prophet ﷺ as a confirmed ḥadīth.
✔ Although the narration is unauthentic, the practice of removing shoes while eating can be seen as beneficial and comfortable, based on personal preference.
✔ Since this relates to etiquettes and virtues, some scholars have shown leniency in mentioning it.
✔ However, it should not be narrated as a ḥadīth from the Prophet ﷺ.
وَاللّٰهُ أَعْلَمُ بِالصَّوَابِ
