In this Friday sermon series about clothing from the perspective of Islam, we have been discussing the rulings related to wearing footwear, particularly wearing sandals.
We have already seen in previous posts that the Prophetﷺ prayed wearing sandals even inside the sacred mosque, the Al-Masjid an-Nabawi in Madinah. We also saw reports that other people followed him and prayed wearing footwear as well.
However, some Islamic scholars argue that one should not wear footwear in places of worship, particularly in mosques. Instead of addressing the hadiths that clearly mention the Prophetﷺ praying with sandals, they take a verse from the Qur’an and use that verse as the basis to argue that footwear must be removed in sacred places.
So we must understand this issue carefully. What is that Qur’anic verse?
The incident concerns the Prophet Musa (Alahis Salam). After living in the city of Midian, working there and getting married, he began traveling with his family toward Egypt.
While traveling at night, they stopped somewhere in the darkness. During that time Musa saw a light far away, something that looked like a fire burning in the distance.
So Musa said to his family: “I see a fire. It is cold, and we need fire to warm ourselves. I will go there and bring some fire.”
He then left his family there and walked toward the place where the light was visible. When he reached the place, he discovered that it was not actually a normal fire. It was a radiant light. At that moment, something extraordinary happened. Allahﷻ spoke directly to Musa.
Among all Prophets, Musa(AS) occupies a very special position because Allahﷻ spoke to him directly. When he reached that place, he heard a voice calling: “O Musa!” He did not see Allahﷻ , but he heard the voice. Allahﷻ said: “I am your Lord. Remove your sandals. You are in a sacred valley.”
This incident is mentioned in the Qur’an, Surah Ta-Ha, verses 11–12. Now, some scholars take this verse and say: Since Allahﷻ told Musa to remove his sandals because he was in a holy place, it means that whenever we are in sacred places we must remove footwear.
They say places like Masjid al-Haram in Makkah and the sacred mosque in Madinah are also holy places. Therefore, according to them, footwear must not be worn in such places.
At first glance, this argument may appear correct. Someone might say: Why would Allahﷻ command Musa to remove his sandals? Obviously it must be out of respect for the sacred place and for Allahﷻ .
So they conclude: if a place is sacred, footwear must be removed. But if we look closely at the verse, we notice something important. Before the command to remove the sandals there is one phrase, and after it there is another phrase.
The verse essentially contains three statements:
- “I am your Lord.”
- “Remove your sandals.”
- “You are in the sacred valley of Tuwa.”
So the question is: Did Allahﷻ command Musa(AS) to remove his sandals because the place is sacred, or because Allahﷻ was directly speaking to him?
The verse can be understood in two ways. But the correct understanding is the first one. The reason Musa was told to remove his sandals is because Allahﷻ was speaking directly to him.
Allahﷻ said: “I am your Lord.” Then came the command: “Remove your sandals.”
The command is connected to the direct conversation with Allahﷻ , not merely the sacredness of the location. If the sacredness of the place was the reason, then the rule would apply everywhere that is described as sacred. But the Qur’an itself describes other places as sacred. For example, the land of Palestine is described in the Qur’an as a holy land.
Musa told his people: “Enter the holy land which Allahﷻ has assigned for you.” If sacredness alone required removing footwear, then nobody should wear shoes anywhere in Palestine. Would anyone say that? No one says that.
The entire land of Palestine is described as sacred in the Qur’an. If sacredness alone required removing footwear, then shoes should not be worn anywhere in that land — not on the roads, not in houses, nowhere. But nobody says that.
Similarly, the Qur’an also describes the surroundings of Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem as blessed and sacred.
If sacredness required removing footwear, then nobody should wear shoes anywhere in Jerusalem either. But no scholar gives such a ruling.
Likewise, the city of Makkah itself is sacred, not just the mosque. If sacredness required removing footwear, then nobody should wear shoes anywhere in Makkah — not in the streets, not in hotels, not even in bathrooms. But no one says that.
Similarly, the Prophetﷺ said that just as Allahﷻ made Makkah sacred, he declared Medina to be sacred as well. If sacredness required removing footwear, then nobody in Madinah should ever wear shoes anywhere. But nobody gives such a ruling.
So, it becomes clear that the command to remove sandals in the story of Musa was not because of the sacred place, but because Allahﷻ was directly speaking to him. This was a unique event. Allahﷻ spoke directly only to a few Prophets. This will not happen to us.
If Allahﷻ were to speak to one of us directly, then we could say that person should remove their sandals. But that situation will never occur for us. Prophethood has ended with Muhammad ﷺ. There will be no new Prophet who will receive direct speech from Allahﷻ .
Therefore, that verse is describing a historical event, not a general rule. That is why the Prophetﷺ told the Muslims to differ from the Jews.
The Jews misunderstood this story of Musa(AS). They thought the reason Musa removed his sandals was because the place was sacred, so they made it a strict rule to remove footwear in their places of worship. The Prophetﷺ said: do not imitate them. That is why he himself prayed wearing sandals.
Now, in our time, most mosques are built differently. They have carpets and polished floors. Because of that, wearing shoes inside would dirty the mosque. So naturally we remove footwear.
But in earlier times mosques had bare earth floors. Sometimes even mud during rain. Standing with sandals was easier and more comfortable.
So in open places like Eid prayer grounds or funeral prayer areas, it is permissible to pray wearing footwear. At the same time, it is also permissible to remove footwear and pray barefoot. Both are allowed.
In those early days, people sometimes even carried their sandals inside with them because there were no arrangements to store them outside.
So the conclusion is this:
The verse about Musa removing his sandals does not establish a universal rule that footwear must be removed in every sacred place. It was a specific instruction for a specific moment when Allahﷻ spoke directly to Musa.
If someone removes their sandals and prays without wearing them, even then they would usually place the sandals either on their right side or on their left side while praying. In those days this is how it was done — they would keep the sandals beside them.
Even the Messenger of Allahﷻ , when he prayed in Masjid al‑Haram, kept his sandals either on his right side or on his left side. But he did that because he was the Imam.
If the Imam places his sandals beside him, it will not disturb anyone else. When the Imam stands, no one stands directly beside him in that row. So whether he places the sandals on the right or the left, it does not affect anyone.
But if ordinary people place sandals beside them, it will disturb the people next to them. If you put your sandals on the side, the person next to you will lose space. Someone has to stand there. If you place sandals there, that space becomes blocked and the rows will become uneven and crowded. So this can cause disturbance. Because of that, the Prophetﷺ also showed a proper method.
There is a hadith reported in Sunan Abu Dawud about an incident that happened during the Conquest of Makkah. When the Messengerﷺ of Allahﷻ prayed during the conquest, he placed his sandals on his left side.
Why didn’t he leave them outside? Because if he left them outside, he would have to search for them later. There would be a huge crowd, and finding the sandals again would be difficult. So people would carry their sandals inside.
He entered the mosque carrying his sandals. Inside Masjid al‑Haram, he placed them on his left side and prayed. Now can everyone do this? No. This is specific to the Imam.
Only the Imam may place the sandals beside him because nobody stands beside him in that row, so no one is disturbed. But for ordinary worshippers, the Prophetﷺ gave a different instruction.
He said: if you remove your sandals and pray barefoot, make sure that your sandals do not disturb anyone. If you remove your sandals, do not place them on the right side or the left side, because that will disturb others. Instead, place them between your feet.
For example, if you go to an open area for funeral prayer or Eid prayer, there will be many sandals around. Searching for them later will be difficult. So what should you do?
Stand in your place and keep the sandals between your feet. That way they will not disturb anyone and no one’s space will be taken. This instruction also comes in a hadith from Sunan Abu Dawud.
In another narration the Prophetﷺ explained it even more clearly. He said: if any one of you prays and removes his sandals, he should not place them on his right side or his left side.
Why? Because, if you place them on your left side, it will be on the right side of the person next to you. So, even that would disturb someone else. The only exception is if you are standing at the end of the row, where nobody is beside you. In that case you may place them on the side. Otherwise, keep them between your feet.
When you keep the sandals between your feet, no space is wasted and nobody else is disturbed. Today, if you go to Masjid al‑Haram, you can see arrangements for this. People generally do not walk inside wearing sandals there.
At the entrances they hang bags or roll-type carriers for sandals. People put their sandals into a small bag and carry them inside. Why do they do that?
Because millions of people visit the Haram. If everyone removed their sandals at the entrance, the sandals would pile up like a mountain. People would struggle to find them again. So, the administration made a system. They provide small carry bags so people can put their sandals inside and carry them.
If you place the bag between your feet while praying, it will not disturb anyone and everything remains orderly. So even today people carry their sandals inside Masjid al-Haram.
In some other places people collect sandals and charge money to store them and give tokens. But in a place where millions of people gather, such a system would not work.
Because Allahﷻ has blessed that place with immense resources, the authorities there provide these carry bags free of cost.
So the point is: Islam does not say that the sanctity of a mosque is destroyed simply because a sandal enters it. If someone carries sandals in a bag into the mosque, that does not violate the sanctity of the mosque.
Similarly, when the Prophetﷺ performed ablution, sometimes he did so while wearing his sandals. He did not always remove them first.
When performing ablution, he would wash his hands, face, and limbs, and when it came to washing the feet, he would pour water over the feet while wearing sandals and then rub them.
So, performing ablution while wearing sandals is also mentioned in Sahih al‑Bukhari hadith number 166. In those days sandals were usually made of leather.
There were two types. One type had hair on the leather, like goat skin. Another type had the hair removed and the leather processed. The Prophetﷺ usually wore the processed leather type without hair. He would wear those sandals and perform ablution.
This was not a one-time incident — it was his regular practice. So if someone is wearing sandals, he may perform ablution without necessarily removing them first.
Another issue people ask about is wearing sandals in a graveyard. We already mentioned earlier that it is not necessarily wrong.
Why? Because there is a hadith saying that after a person is buried, when people walk away, the deceased can hear the sound of the sandals of those leaving.
This sound reaches him for a short time. The reason is that sound travels through vibration in the ground. When someone walks with sandals on the ground, that vibration reaches the buried person.
Because of that narration we concluded that wearing sandals in a graveyard itself is not prohibited. However, there is another hadith where the Prophetﷺ saw a man wearing sandals in a graveyard and told him: “O man wearing sandals, remove your sandals.”
Some people use that narration to say sandals must not be worn in graveyards.
We will discuss the detailed explanation of that issue in upcoming posts, in shā’ Allāh.