1260 – On the authority of ʿAlī, may Allah be pleased with him: the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “When any one of you puts on his sandals, let him begin with the right foot; and when he removes them, let him start with the left. Thus the right foot should be the first to be shod and the last to be removed.” (1)

Lessons derived from the ḥadith:
1 – ʿĀʾishah’s report recorded by al-Bukhārī (168) and Muslim (268) states: “The Prophet ﷺ liked to start with the right side in putting on his sandals, combing his hair, performing ablution, and in all of his affairs.” Accordingly, he ﷺ would begin with the right and give it precedence in matters considered good and pleasant, while he would delay it in anything else. When he put on his sandals, the right foot came first; when he donned a shirt, the right sleeve came first; and when he entered the mosque, he stepped in with the right foot.
He assigned the left side to the opposite matters: he led with it when entering the lavatory, when leaving the mosque, and when taking off his sandals or his shirt, and the like.
2 – He reserved the right hand for eating, drinking, shaking hands, and taking anything wholesome, and the left for cleaning impurities and handling disagreeable things. Such was his ﷺ sunnah, which he preferred and delighted in practising.
3 – In purification he would first wash the right hand and the right foot, and when shaving his head in the rites of pilgrimage he began with the right side before the left. Such was his constant habit—may Allah’s blessings and peace be upon him.
4 – Giving precedence to the right in pleasant matters and assigning the left to repulsive ones is superior according to the Law, sound reason, and even medicine. Hence the juristic principle drawn from his sunnah is to give precedence to the right side in everything that is