What is the authenticity of the hadith in which the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade a man from putting on his sandals while standing? And what is its meaning?

The questioner : There is a hadith in *Sahih al-Jami' al-Saghir* in which he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: .

The Shaykh: Yes.

The questioner : We want to understand the fiqh of this hadith?

The Shaykh : The question about this hadith has been frequent in every country I have visited, and it has been repeated. There is no doubt about the authenticity of this hadith, indeed about its correctness. However, the prohibition in it is, as some scholars say, a matter of guidance. When it is of this nature, one should note that the prohibition is rational in meaning, not purely devotional. In a previous session, I spoke in some detail about the rulings of the Shari'ah and how they are divided into two categories: devotional rulings whose meaning is not rational, and those whose meaning is rational. As for the first category, no explanation is directed that contradicts submission and devotion to what the Shari'ah has brought. As for the first category—meaning those whose meaning is rational—here the scholars have different perspectives and understandings, and each is opened up according to what Allah has decreed for him. So is this hadith of the first category—meaning, is it purely devotional—so that one stops at the prohibition without elaboration, or is it rational in meaning?
Some scholars adopted the second view, and I am reassured by it. Based on that, meaning based on the fact that the prohibition is rational in meaning, the intended meaning is gentleness: a person's gentleness toward himself and his care for himself, fearing that he might fall into what harms him. If this meaning is noted, there is no doubt that sandals differ in terms of the ease of putting them on and the difficulty thereof. So if it is of the first type, easy to put on, then there is no harm in a man putting on his sandals while standing, because no harm is feared for him. This is unlike when the sandal is difficult to put on; in that case, fearing that the foot might slip, or that he might fall to the right or left, or on his back, or be thrown face down on the ground, he should sit down, settle, and put on his sandals. With this detail, the hadith can be understood in such a way that it does not hinder people from the easy process of putting on sandals. We take pride, and praise be to Allah, that Islam is a religion of ease and simplicity, as he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: . And you see now when a Muslim enters the mosque and prays what Allah has decreed for him, then when the imam concludes the prayer, the people exit in groups and individually. The mosque door, no matter how spacious, can barely accommodate them except with gentleness toward one another and slowness. If they wanted to put on their sandals, imagine now if every sandal required its owner to sit down to put it on, what would happen when the congregation exits the mosque, especially in the two sacred mosques? So it should be noted by the one who wants to put on his sandals the meaning mentioned: if putting on the sandals only requires pushing this and then this and then moving on, there is no need for him to sit on the ground to put them on. But if the sandal is of those long ones called in some countries *juzmah*—I do not know what you call them?—meaning, what can be called a *khuff* that has a leg covering the place of the obligation, then there is no doubt it cannot be worn as these known sandals in these countries are worn. So I can say finally, quoting from His saying (Blessed and Exalted is He) specifically regarding this issue: . So if one's putting on of sandals is difficult to wear, he should sit down, fearing that he might be afflicted with something he did not expect. And if his sandal is easy to put on, there is no harm in him putting it on while standing. This is what I have.
Please.