If we pray in our sandals, how do we maintain the cleanliness of the carpets in the mosques?
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Question:
Our brother asks and says: I read in the newspaper Al-Liwa al-Islami that it is permissible to pray in sandals, considering that a person walks and stands on dirt and impurities. What is your opinion on this matter? May Allah reward you with good.
Answer:
It is established from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) that he used to pray in his sandals. He prayed once in them, and then Jibril came to him and informed him that there was filth in them. So he took them off, placed them to his left, and continued his prayer (peace and blessings be upon him). When he finished the prayer, he said to the people—because when the people saw him take them off, they took theirs off—when he finished, he said: They said: O Messenger of Allah, we saw you take off your sandals, so we took off our sandals. He said: This is the evidence, and what came in its meaning regarding the permissibility of praying in sandals, and that one prays in them if they are clean.
It is obligatory for the believer, if he intends to enter the mosque and he is wearing sandals, to look at them and ensure they are free from harm. If they are free from harm, there is no harm in praying in them; rather, it is prescribed to pray in them, just as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) prayed in them.
The mosque in his time (peace and blessings be upon him) was of sand and gravel, and it was not carpeted. But now, since the mosques have been carpeted, and there are carpets that are affected by sandals and the dust in them, and this may dirty the carpets for the worshippers and drive them away from praying in them; the better course, in our belief, is to take them off and place them in a place until he prays, so that the worshippers are not affected by it, and so that the carpets in the mosques are not affected. This is in the category of leaving a recommended practice out of fear of something more severe. Praying in them is recommended in the stronger of the two opinions if they are clean, but praying in them with carpets may lead to something more severe and more dangerous, which is dirtying the carpets and driving away the worshippers. Especially since most people do not care about their sandals, do not check them, and do not attend to them. Most people, in general, do not care about this matter. So when they see Zayd and 'Umar enter with their sandals on, they enter and do not care. This has led to much evil. The rule is: blocking the means to harm, the rule of the pure Shari'ah: blocking the means to harm.
Therefore, what we advise, and what we see, is not to pray in them in mosques that have carpets; because they may become dirty by them, and because most people do not care about their sandals, nor do they pay attention to the harm in them. For this reason, it may cause many problems, dirtying of the carpets, and driving the worshippers away from praying in congregation. This is a matter that Allah does not love and is not pleased with from the believer. Yes.
The presenter: May Allah reward you with good.
Our brother asks and says: I read in the newspaper Al-Liwa al-Islami that it is permissible to pray in sandals, considering that a person walks and stands on dirt and impurities. What is your opinion on this matter? May Allah reward you with good.
Answer:
It is established from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) that he used to pray in his sandals. He prayed once in them, and then Jibril came to him and informed him that there was filth in them. So he took them off, placed them to his left, and continued his prayer (peace and blessings be upon him). When he finished the prayer, he said to the people—because when the people saw him take them off, they took theirs off—when he finished, he said:
What is the matter with you that you have taken off your sandals?
ما بالكم خلعتم نعالكم؟Jibril came to me and informed me that there was filth in them, so this is why I took them off. If any of you comes to the mosque, let him look, and if he sees harm in his sandal, let him wipe it off, then let him pray in them.
إن جبرائيل أتاني فأخبرني بأن فيهما قذرًا، فلهذا خلعتهما، فإذا أتى أحدكم المسجد فلينظر، فإن رأى في نعله أذى؛ فليمسحه، ثم ليصل فيهماIt is obligatory for the believer, if he intends to enter the mosque and he is wearing sandals, to look at them and ensure they are free from harm. If they are free from harm, there is no harm in praying in them; rather, it is prescribed to pray in them, just as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) prayed in them.
The mosque in his time (peace and blessings be upon him) was of sand and gravel, and it was not carpeted. But now, since the mosques have been carpeted, and there are carpets that are affected by sandals and the dust in them, and this may dirty the carpets for the worshippers and drive them away from praying in them; the better course, in our belief, is to take them off and place them in a place until he prays, so that the worshippers are not affected by it, and so that the carpets in the mosques are not affected. This is in the category of leaving a recommended practice out of fear of something more severe. Praying in them is recommended in the stronger of the two opinions if they are clean, but praying in them with carpets may lead to something more severe and more dangerous, which is dirtying the carpets and driving away the worshippers. Especially since most people do not care about their sandals, do not check them, and do not attend to them. Most people, in general, do not care about this matter. So when they see Zayd and 'Umar enter with their sandals on, they enter and do not care. This has led to much evil. The rule is: blocking the means to harm, the rule of the pure Shari'ah: blocking the means to harm.
Therefore, what we advise, and what we see, is not to pray in them in mosques that have carpets; because they may become dirty by them, and because most people do not care about their sandals, nor do they pay attention to the harm in them. For this reason, it may cause many problems, dirtying of the carpets, and driving the worshippers away from praying in congregation. This is a matter that Allah does not love and is not pleased with from the believer. Yes.
The presenter: May Allah reward you with good.
Source
binbaz.org.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.