Prayer TimesIslam is a religion founded on purity. Purity is one of the most important principles of our faith. The acceptance of many acts of worship by Allah is directly connected to this purity. We all know that the best act of worship for a Muslim is salah (prayer). However, for salah to be valid, there must be no impurity (najas) on our body, clothes, or the place where we pray.
Allah the Almighty says in the Qur'an: "And purify your garments."
If the body, clothes, or place of prayer are impure, our salah will not be valid. Anas bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) was asked whether the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) prayed in his shoes. He replied, "Yes" [2]. From this, it follows that it is permissible to pray in shoes. However, the shoes must be free from najas. It is narrated from Abu Sa'id al-Khudri that once the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) removed his shoes during prayer, and the people also removed theirs. After the prayer, he asked, "Why did you do that?" They replied, "We saw you remove your shoes, so we did the same."
He then said: "Jibril came to me and informed me that there was impurity on my shoes. Therefore, when you enter the mosque, check the soles of your shoes, and if you see dirt or something unpleasant, wipe it off, and then pray in them."
It is narrated from Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) that if any of you steps on something dirty with his shoes, rub it off on the ground. For the earth cleanses the dirt [5].
Impurities can be cleaned in different ways. Najas on socks or shoes can be removed with water or by wiping with earth.
In conclusion, it is permissible to pray in shoes. However, the main condition is that there must be no impurity on the shoes. If there is any, it must be cleaned before praying.
<p>[1] Surah Al-Muddathir, Ayah 4</p>
<p>[2] Imam Bukhari</p>
<p>[3] At that time, mosques did not have carpets as they do today. Nowadays, mosques have carpets, so shoes should be removed.</p>
<p>[4] Abu Dawood</p>
<p>[5] Abu Dawood</p>
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