Source: Fatāwā Amunpuri by Shaykh Ghulam Mustafa Zaheer Amunpuri
What is the ruling if a person wearing shoes prays behind someone not wearing shoes, or vice versa?
If the shoes are clean (ṭāhir), then it is permissible to pray while wearing them.
Whether the Imām or followers are wearing shoes or not, the prayer of all is valid — there is no difference in ruling.
Sayyidunā Abū Saʿīd al-Khudrī رضي الله عنه narrated:
إن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم صلى في نعليه، فصلى الناس في نعالهم، ثم ألقى نعليه، فألقى الناس نعالهم وهم في الصلاة، فلما قضى صلاته قال: ما حملكم على إلقاء نعالكم في الصلاة؟ قالوا: يا رسول الله، رأيناك فعلت ففعلنا، قال: إن جبريل أخبرني أن فيها أذى، فإذا أتى أحدكم المسجد فلينظر، فإن رأى في نعليه أذى، وإلا فليصل فيهما.
“The Messenger of Allah ﷺ prayed wearing his sandals, so the people also prayed wearing theirs.
Then during the prayer, the Prophet ﷺ removed his sandals, and seeing this, the people also removed theirs.
When the Prophet ﷺ finished the prayer, he said:
‘What made you remove your sandals during the prayer?’
They replied, ‘O Messenger of Allah, we saw you do so, and we did the same.’
The Prophet ﷺ said:
‘Jibrīl informed me that there was some impurity (najāsah) on them.
Therefore, when any of you comes to the mosque, he should look at his sandals; if he finds impurity on them, let him remove them, but if not, let him pray wearing them.’”
(Musnad al-Ṭayālisī, p. 286; Musnad Aḥmad, 3/20; Sunan Abī Dāwūd: 650; Musnad Ibn Ḥumayd: 880; Musnad Abī Yaʿlā: 1194; al-Sunan al-Kubrā lil-Bayhaqī, 2/406)
This authentic ḥadīth clearly establishes that:
Hence, there is no objection if:
All such prayers are valid and acceptable, provided cleanliness is ensured.
❖ Question:
What is the ruling if a person wearing shoes prays behind someone not wearing shoes, or vice versa?
✿ Answer:
If the shoes are clean (ṭāhir), then it is permissible to pray while wearing them.
Whether the Imām or followers are wearing shoes or not, the prayer of all is valid — there is no difference in ruling.
❀ Evidence from the Sunnah:
Sayyidunā Abū Saʿīd al-Khudrī رضي الله عنه narrated:
إن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم صلى في نعليه، فصلى الناس في نعالهم، ثم ألقى نعليه، فألقى الناس نعالهم وهم في الصلاة، فلما قضى صلاته قال: ما حملكم على إلقاء نعالكم في الصلاة؟ قالوا: يا رسول الله، رأيناك فعلت ففعلنا، قال: إن جبريل أخبرني أن فيها أذى، فإذا أتى أحدكم المسجد فلينظر، فإن رأى في نعليه أذى، وإلا فليصل فيهما.
“The Messenger of Allah ﷺ prayed wearing his sandals, so the people also prayed wearing theirs.
Then during the prayer, the Prophet ﷺ removed his sandals, and seeing this, the people also removed theirs.
When the Prophet ﷺ finished the prayer, he said:
‘What made you remove your sandals during the prayer?’
They replied, ‘O Messenger of Allah, we saw you do so, and we did the same.’
The Prophet ﷺ said:
‘Jibrīl informed me that there was some impurity (najāsah) on them.
Therefore, when any of you comes to the mosque, he should look at his sandals; if he finds impurity on them, let him remove them, but if not, let him pray wearing them.’”
(Musnad al-Ṭayālisī, p. 286; Musnad Aḥmad, 3/20; Sunan Abī Dāwūd: 650; Musnad Ibn Ḥumayd: 880; Musnad Abī Yaʿlā: 1194; al-Sunan al-Kubrā lil-Bayhaqī, 2/406)
❀ Authentication of the Ḥadīth:
- Imām Ibn Khuzaymah (ḥadīth no. 1017) and Imām Ibn Ḥibbān (ḥadīth no. 2185) declared it Ṣaḥīḥ (authentic).
- Imām al-Ḥākim graded it Ṣaḥīḥ according to the conditions of Imām Muslim, and Ḥāfiẓ al-Dhahabī agreed.
- Imām al-Nawawī also said: “Its chain is authentic.”
(Khilāṣat al-Aḥkām, 1/319)
❀ Explanation:
This authentic ḥadīth clearly establishes that:
- The Prophet ﷺ himself prayed in shoes when they were clean.
- He only removed them when Jibrīl عليه السلام informed him of impurity.
- Therefore, wearing shoes in prayer is permissible as long as they are free from najāsah (impurity).
Hence, there is no objection if:
- The Imām prays with shoes while the followers do not, or
- The followers pray with shoes while the Imām does not.
All such prayers are valid and acceptable, provided cleanliness is ensured.
Summary:
- Praying with clean shoes is permissible and established from the Sunnah.
- Praying without shoes is also permissible.
- Whether the Imām or followers wear shoes or not, all prayers remain valid.
- The Prophet ﷺ himself prayed in both manners — with shoes and without — demonstrating flexibility and ease in the religion.
