Can you pray in your shoes?
Yes, you can pray in your shoes as long as they are free from impurity (najasah). If you are praying outdoors, for example in a park, you do not have to take them off. The Prophet ﷺ prayed in his sandals and taught his companions to check that they were clean.
Check your shoes before praying
Abu Sa‘id al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet ﷺ said:
إِذَا جَاءَ أَحَدُكُمْ إِلَى الْمَسْجِدِ فَلْيَنْظُرْ، فَإِنْ رَأَى فِي نَعْلَيْهِ قَذَرًا أَوْ أَذًى فَلْيَمْسَحْهُ وَلْيُصَلِّ فِيهِمَا
“When one of you comes to the mosque, let him check his sandals. If he sees any filth or impurity on them, let him wipe it off and pray in them.”
Sunan Abi Dawud
This shows that wearing shoes does not prevent your prayer from being valid. Just as your body, clothes and place of prayer must be free from impurity, your shoes must also be free from it.
What if there is impurity on your shoes?
If you have stepped in something impure, such as urine or animal faeces, remove the impurity before praying in your shoes, or simply take them off.
Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet ﷺ said:
إِذَا وَطِئَ الْأَذَى بِخُفَّيْهِ فَطَهُورُهُمَا التُّرَابُ
“If someone steps on filth with his leather socks, the earth is their purification.”
Sunan Abi Dawud
Scholars differ over the details of cleaning footwear. The notes explain that dry, solid impurity can be removed by rubbing the sole against the ground until the impurity is gone. For liquid impurity, such as urine, washing the affected area with water is the better approach.
What if you notice impurity during prayer?
On one occasion, the Prophet ﷺ removed his sandals during prayer, and his companions followed him. Afterwards, he explained:
إِنَّ جِبْرِيلَ أَتَانِي فَأَخْبَرَنِي أَنَّ فِيهِمَا قَذَرًا
“Jibril came to me and informed me that there was filth on them.”
Sunan Abi Dawud
The Prophet ﷺ removed his sandals and continued praying. This shows that if you discover impurity on your shoes during prayer, you can take them off and continue; removing them does not itself invalidate your prayer.
What about carpeted mosques?
The Prophet’s ﷺ mosque did not have carpets like our mosques today. In a carpeted mosque, take your shoes off to keep the carpets clean.
When praying outdoors or in a suitable place, however, you may keep your shoes on, provided they are free from impurity.
What if you discover impurity after finishing your prayer?
If you only discover impurity on your shoes after you have finished praying, scholars differ over whether you need to repeat the prayer. There is a valid scholarly opinion that you do not need to repeat it if you were unaware of the impurity when you prayed.
Based on the hadith class of Shaykh Haytham Tamim on 1.9.24.
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