Performing Salah While Wearing Shoes is Permissible

Hadith Reference:​

It is narrated from Abu Muslima Sa'id bin Zayd that he said:
"I asked Anas bin Malik (رضي الله عنه), 'Did the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) pray while wearing his shoes?' He replied, 'Yes.' "
(Sahih al-Bukhari: 386, 5850 | Sahih Muslim: 5550)

Key Lessons from This Hadith:​

❶ Performing Salah while wearing shoes is permissible.

• This ruling remains valid and has not been abrogated.
• Whether one is traveling (safar) or at home (hadhar), Salah can be performed with shoes on, provided they are clean and free from impurity.
• If shoes have visible filth (najāsah)—whether wet or dry—Salah cannot be performed with them.

❷ It is permissible to remove shoes during Salah for a valid reason.

• If one realizes during Salah that their shoes are impure, they may remove them without breaking the prayer.

❸ Praying inside a mosque while wearing shoes is permissible.

• During the Prophet’s (ﷺ) time, mosques had sandy floors, so wearing shoes in them was common.
• In modern-day mosques with tiled or carpeted floors, wearing shoes indoors may not be appropriate for cleanliness reasons.
• If one has new, clean shoes, they can wear them to offer Nafl prayers of gratitude (e.g., for receiving new footwear).

❹ In open areas, Eidgahs, or Janazah prayer grounds, Salah with shoes is permissible.

• If prayer mats or carpets are not spread, one can pray with shoes on.
• The belief that Salah is invalid in shoes simply because they touch the ground is incorrect—this is a self-made restriction, not an Islamic ruling.

❺ Opposition to Praying in Shoes Without Valid Grounds is Incorrect.

• Some people oppose praying in shoes even in open fields or non-carpeted areas, which contradicts the Sunnah.
• However, if shoes are dirty or if the mosque has a clean, tiled floor, then removing shoes is necessary for cleanliness.
• If shoes become dirty, one can rub their soles on clean soil to purify them and then pray in them again.

❻ Following the Sunnah Without Making Unnecessary Exceptions:

• The Prophet (ﷺ) explicitly permitted praying with shoes on.
• Abandoning this Sunnah due to personal reasoning, social customs, or over-cautiousness is a form of unwarranted restriction in religion.

Source:
This content is taken from Sheikh Taqi al-Din Abi al-Fath's book "Diya' al-Islam fi Sharh al-Imam bi Ahadith al-Ahkam", translated by Maulana Mahmood Ahmad Ghaznfar.