The Ruling on Praying in Shoes That Contain Impurity

Question:
Many students wear shoes with grooved soles, and these shoes are surrounded by a fabric strap. When they enter the restroom, water and other substances from inside stick to the bottom of the shoe and to the strap surrounding it. When they wipe them on the ground, what stuck to the strap and the bottom of the shoe remains. Then these shoes are not removed when entering the mosque because of the odors rising from the socks. What is the ruling on the students’ prayer in this state? And what is the ruling on praying on this carpet? May Allah reward you with good, and peace be upon you.

Answer:
The purification of these shoes is with earth. So after leaving the bathroom, if one passes over the ground, it becomes a purification for them. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, when Jibril informed him that there was impurity in his sandals, and he used to pray in them, so he removed them. When the Companions saw him remove them, they removed their sandals. When he finished his prayer, (peace and blessings be upon him), he said: They said: Because you removed your sandals. He said: .
So if a person has a shoe in which he enters the bathroom and performs ablution, he should wipe it with earth if any impurity from moisture remains in it. If that is not feasible, he should remove it at the door, or in another place, and pray without it; so that he does not harm his brothers, does not harm the carpet, and does not disturb the worshippers in their prayer. He removes it because he has already washed his feet, so he removes it in any place and prays barefoot. It is established from him, (peace and blessings be upon him), that he sometimes prayed barefoot and sometimes wearing shoes, (peace and blessings be upon him).
And mosques today are carpeted, whereas in the past they had sand or gravel. But today they are carpeted, so they are affected by earth, affected by dust, and affected by moisture. So the better course in such a situation is to consider the feelings of the worshippers and to maintain the cleanliness of the carpet by removing these shoes in a place at the front of the mosque near the door; out of concern for the purity and cleanliness of the carpets and to avoid driving the worshippers away from them. The Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) exalted the mosques and ordered their cleaning and purification and the removal of debris from them. This is part of that; this matter is part of that, falling within the general scope; because circumstances have changed, and the mosques have moved from earth, sand, and gravel to carpets that are prepared with large sums of money. People are affected by the dirt and dust that may fall on them, and it may drive them away from praying in the mosques, or cause them to perform the prayer with disgust and difficulty—may Allah grant success to all of us.
Q: There are odors rising from the feet; because the foot remains in the shoe for a long period, especially for military students. Is it better for the odors to rise and harm the worshippers, or to wear the shoe so there are no odors, even though the carpet may get dirty from dust? Which is better: to pray while comfortable, or to pray while the odors bother him?
The Shaykh: One should consider what is best. If the shoe is clean and does not harm anyone, he prays in it, without harming the carpet or causing harm. He prays in it. But if it causes harm or leads to the soiling of the carpet and driving away the worshippers, he leaves it and prays. The odors in his foot are slight; their matter is slight. Even if he finds something in them, their matter is slight; because they are of the same kind as his colleagues. All of them have in their feet what is in the other foot, and all of this does not harm them. So it is a slight matter that is excused compared to what may result from shoes in terms of dirt and filth for the carpet when there is no care; because some people do not care and do not pay attention to the shoe, nor do they strive to keep it clean.