Wearing Shoes While Standing is Permissible

Question​

Some scholars express great strictness on this issue, asserting that shoes must only be worn while sitting and that wearing shoes while standing is absolutely impermissible.
My question is: Is it really impermissible to wear shoes while standing?
Please provide clarification based on authentic Hadith.

(Question by: Wakeel Ahmad Qazi, Hyderabad)

Answer​

It is permissible to wear shoes either while standing or sitting, based on the following authentic evidence:

Evidence from Hadith​

❀ Narrated by Abdullah bin Amr bin al-As (رضي الله عنهما):
"I saw the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) drinking water while standing and sitting, turning right and left (in prayer), fasting and breaking his fast while traveling, praying barefoot and wearing shoes, and wearing his shoes while standing and sitting."
(Ithaf al-Khayrah al-Mahrah, 4/363, Hadith 4990 – Chain of narration is Hasan)

Biographical Evaluation of the Narrators​

➊ Musaddad bin Musarhad al-Asadi (رحمه الله):

• A trustworthy Hafidh, a narrator of Sahih al-Bukhari, and author of Al-Musnad.

➋ Yahya bin Sa'id al-Qattan (رحمه الله):

• A trustworthy, meticulous Imam.
• Hafidh al-Dhahabi called him: The great Imam, the Commander of the Faithful in Hadith.

➌ Husayn bin Dhakwan al-Mu'allim (رحمه الله):

• Narrator in the six major Hadith books, considered trustworthy and truthful by the majority of scholars.

➍ The Chain "Amr bin Shu'ayb from his father from his grandfather":

• Accepted by the majority of Hadith scholars and jurists.

Summary of the Hadith​

The Hadith clearly indicates that the Prophet (ﷺ) would wear shoes both standing and sitting, thus, insisting strictly on only wearing shoes while sitting and considering it impermissible while standing is incorrect.

Analysis of Narrations Prohibiting Wearing Shoes While Standing​

◈ Abu Hurairah (رضي الله عنه) narrated a Hadith prohibiting standing while wearing shoes:
(Sunan al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 1775)

• Analysis:
  The narration is weak due to Harith bin Nihhan, who is declared weak and abandoned by the majority of Hadith scholars.

◈ Abdullah bin Umar (رضي الله عنهما) also narrated a prohibition:
(Sunan Ibn Majah, Hadith 3619)

• Analysis:
  The chain includes Sufyan al-Thawri, a trustworthy but Mudallis (one who sometimes omits narrators), thus rendering the narration weak.

◈ Abu Hurairah (رضي الله عنه) again in another narration:
(Sunan Ibn Majah, Hadith 3618)

• Analysis:
  Weak due to the presence of Mudalliseen (Abu Mu'awiyah and Muhammad bin Khazim).

◈ Anas bin Malik (رضي الله عنه) narrated a similar prohibition:
(Sunan al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 1776)

• Analysis:
  Weak due to Qatadah bin Di'amah al-Sudusi, a known Mudallis.

Thus, all chains prohibiting standing while wearing shoes are weak.

Principle of Hadith Science​

❀ Hafidh Abdul Mannan Nurpuri (رحمه الله) states:
"When a Hadith has multiple chains, some authentic and some weak, the Hadith is accepted if it is free from serious defects."
(Ahkam wa Masail, 1/514)

Since all chains here are weak, the prohibition is not established.

Final Conclusion​

There is no authentic prohibition against wearing shoes while standing.
Conversely, it is authentically proven that the Prophet (ﷺ) would wear shoes both standing and sitting.
Thus, both methods are permissible.