Do you think that Muslims in these days should practice the Sunnah of praying in sandals in mosques carpeted with rugs?

The questioner : Do you think that Muslims in these days should practice the Sunnah of praying in sandals in mosques carpeted with rugs?

The Shaykh : I do not see that. I had advised a group of our Salafi brothers in Madinah, who are known as ..., not to be strict in this issue, because there is a difference between today's mosques, which are carpeted with luxurious rugs, and the Prophet's Mosque in its early days. I read to them that example from the Sunnah in another matter; I reminded them that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) ordered the one who is overcome by a sneeze or phlegm while praying to spit to his left under his foot. It is clear that this order is consistent with the ground being the mosque floor, which would be sand or gravel... The person praying today who is afflicted while praying in a mosque carpeted with rugs; do you say that it is permissible for him to spit on the rug?! This is like that.
Therefore, we say: We do not see entering mosques in sandals as long as they are carpeted with rugs; because in that is what is not hidden of transferring dirt and garbage to the mosque, and it is not possible to cover that with sand and gravel due to their absence in the mosque. Perhaps his saying (peace be upon him): points to this reality; because if one spits in a mosque that has sand or gravel, it is possible to eliminate the trace of this sin; and that is by burying it in the sand or in the gravel, as the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) explicitly stated. If there is no gravel or sand in the mosque, and there are only carpets... then spitting is not permissible by obvious reasoning; because there is no way to bury it. Likewise, it is not permissible for a person to enter such a mosque in his sandals for the reason we mentioned of sharing the same cause.