Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,

As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.  (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)

One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

Assalaam alaikum Brothers/Sisters,

From many days i had a question in my mind..After my brothere told me about this site... I was impatient to get the answer for my question..

My question is that rom a long time i have seen that people say that you should wear ur right slippers before wearing ur left shoes.They say that left side is Shaitaan and right side is Allah...My question may sound funny.. But i just wanted to know what the correct thing..is doing this thing is right or wrong n Islam..PLease let me know as soon as posible...

Wasalaam,

Your Brother in Islam

(There may be some grammatical and spelling errors in the above statement. The forum does not change anything from questions, comments and statements received from our readers for circulation in confidentiality.)

Answer:

Right and Left

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is no one (no idol, no person, no grave, no prophet, no imam, no dai, nobody!) worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad(saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

Al-Muwatta Hadith 48.15

Yahya related to me from Malik from Abu'z-Zinad from al-Araj from Abu Hurayra that the Messenger of Allah (saws) said, "When you put on sandals, begin with the right foot. When you take them off, begin with the left foot. The right foot is the first to be put in the sandal, and the last to be taken out."

It is indeed the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (saws) to begin with the right foot first when wearing a footwear, and beginning with the left foot when taking off the footwear.

Fiqh-us-Sunnah Fiqh 1.20c

Hadrat Aishah (r.a.) narrated that the Messenger of Allah (saws) said: ‘One should enter the bathroom or a privy with his left foot, and exit with his right foot, saying: "O Allah! I seek your forgiveness."

Related by Bukhari, Muslim, Ibn Maajah, Abu Dawood, Tirmidhi.

Fiqh-us-Sunnah Fiqh 2.69

It is a Sunnah for one who wants to enter the mosque to enter with his right foot first and to say: "I seek refuge in Allah, the Exalted, and by His honorable face, and in His everlasting authority, [away] from the outcast Satan. In the name of Allah! O Allah, shower blessings upon Muhammad. O Allah, forgive my sins for me and open for me the doors of Your mercy."

When one wants to leave the mosque he should step with his left foot first and say: "In the name of Allah! O Allah, shower blessings upon Muhammad. O Allah, forgive my sins for me and open for me the doors of Your bounty. O Allah, protect me from the accursed Satan."

Al-Muwatta Hadith 49.6

Yahya related to me from Malik from Ibn Shihab from Abu Bakr ibn Ubaydullah ibn Abdullah ibn Umar from Abdullah ibn Umar that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "When you eat, eat with your right hand and drink with your right hand. Shaytan eats with his left hand and drinks with his left hand."

Fiqh-us-Sunnah Fiqh 1.20

Hadrat Hafsah (r.a.), the wife of the Prophet (saws) reported, "The Messenger of Allah, upon whom be peace, reserved his right hand for eating, drinking, putting on his clothes, taking and giving. He used his left hand for other actions."

Related by Ahmad, Abu Dawud, Ibn Majah, Ibn Hibban, al-Hakim and al-Baihaqi.

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

Your Brother and well wisher in Islam,

Burhan