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:

I have seen many brothers pray with their shoes on (This was not in masjid, but it was a Hall where we gathered for Islamic bayaan) and having their dress (pants) below their ankles.

My Question is:

1)    Praying while our shoes on, is allowed ?

2)      Praying by having out Pants/Dress below ankles, is allowed?

3)      While we sit in relaxing position shall we show our feets towards kibla (in mosque and outside of mosque)

(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:

Feet towards qibla

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 none worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

Q-1: Praying while our shoes on, is allowed ?

There is absolutely no restriction in Shariah which declares that a believer, man or woman, cannot pray with their shoes on, provided his/her shoes have no filth or impurities on it. More often than not, the Messenger of Allah (saws) and the noble companions prayed with their shoes on in their humble masjid at Medina; simply because the Prophet’s Mosque in their times was on bare ground without any carpets or floor coverings, unlike our mosques today.

Abu Sa'eed reported that once the Prophet (saws) removed his shoes while he was praying, and the people behind him did likewise. When he (saws) finished the prayer, he (saws) asked, "Why did you remove your shoes?" They said, "We saw you remove yours." He (saws) said, "Gabriel (a.s.) came to me and informed me that there was some filth (impurity) on them. Therefore, when one of you comes to the mosque, he should turn his shoes over and examine them. If one finds any dirt on them, he should rub them against the ground and pray with them on."

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

Sunan of Abu-Dawood Hadith 652 Narrated by Aws ibn Thabit al-Ansari

The Messenger of Allah (saws) said: ‘Act differently from the Jews, for they do not pray in their sandals or their shoes.’

But today, the floors of most mosques are well-tiled, or covered, or carpeted, etc., thus it would be considered proper to pray in such mosques without shoes. But if one is praying outdoors on bare ground, there is absolutely no harm if one prays with his/her shoes on, provided the shoes have no filth or impurities on them.

Q-2: Praying by having out Pants/Dress below ankles, is allowed?

Abdur Rahman said: ‘I asked Abu Sa`id al-Khudri about wearing lower garment.’ He said: ‘You have come to the man who knows it very well. The Messenger of Allah (saws) said: ‘The way for a believer to wear a lower garment is to have it halfway down his legs and he is guilty of no sin if it comes halfway between that and the ankles, but what comes lower than the ankles is in Hell.

On the Day of Resurrection, Allah will not look at him who trails his lower garment conceitedly (in arrogance).’

Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 7.678 Narrated by Abu Huraira

The Prophet said, "The part of an Izar (lower garment) which hangs below the ankles, is in the Fire."

Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 7.675 Narrated by Abdullah bin Umar

The Prophet (saws) said, "Allah will not look, on the Day of Resurrection, at the person who drags his garment (behind him) out of conceit." On that Abu Bakr said, "O Allah's Messenger (saws)! One side of my Izar hangs low if I do not take care of it." The Prophet (saws) said, -You are not one of those who do that out of conceit."

Any Law has two facets:

1. The letter of the Law.
2. The spirit of the Law.

The spirit and wisdom behind the above ‘Law’ whereby the Messenger of Allah (saws) forbade the believers to wear the ‘izaar’ or lower garment below the ankles, is that in the times of the Prophet (saws) poverty was so rampant that only the very rich could afford to wear a garment which would be long enough to reach one’s ankles. Thus the rich, in their pride and arrogance, and to show-off their wealth would wear long flowing robes which would go below their ankles (and at times drag on the ground) when most of the population at that time could not even afford to wear enough to cover oneself appropriately!

The spirit of the law dictates that a believer at all times should avoid and abstain from all types of things that beget arrogance and pride for his possessions; and if wearing the ‘izaar’ lower than the ankles begets arrogance, then the believers must indeed abstain from it not only in their prayers, but at all times.

Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 7.8 Narrated by Umar bin Al Khattab

The Prophet (saws) said, "The rewards (of deeds) are according to the intention, and everybody will get the reward for what he has intended.”

If one has absolutely no intention of displaying pride or arrogance by wearing his lower garment below his ankles, the majority of the scholars in Islam are of the opinion that Allah Subhanah would not hold him accountable for his deed. But if one so fears Allah Subhanah and wants to make absolutely sure to stay within the letter and the spirit of the law, then it would be safest and absolutely best if one wears clothes whereby the lower garment is above his ankles at all times and not only during his prayers.

Besides, the command and guidance of the Messenger of Allah (saws) for the believers to adorn themselves with lower garments no longer than their ankles is for all times and not only when one offers one’s prayers. Thus it would not be considered righteousness if one only folds ones ankles when one is in prayer and at all other times his lower garments falls below his ankles.

Q-3: While we sit in relaxing position shall we show our feets towards kibla (in mosque and outside of mosque)

To the best of our knowledge, we have not come across or found any hadith or guidance in the authentic and established Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (saws) whereby the believers are prohibited from sitting or sleeping in a position whereby their feet happen to be in the direction of the ‘qibla’, regardless of whether they are in their homes, or the masjids, or even at the Sacred House of Allah in Makkah itself.

One may sit or sleep in any direction one wishes, even if one’s feet happen to face towards the Qibla; as there is absolutely no restriction prescribed against it in the Quran or the Sunnah.

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

Your brother and well wisher in Islam,

Burhan