Points Derived from the Ḥadith

1 – The narration establishes the permissibility of performing the prayer while wearing one’s sandals, provided that they are clean, and shows that praying in them is in keeping with the Sunnah.

2 – It is forbidden to enter the mosque in sandals that carry any filth, grime, or ritual impurity.

3 – Whoever intends to walk into the mosque wearing his sandals and to pray in them must first inspect them; if he notices any dirt or filth, he should wipe it off on the ground or by some other means, after which he may enter and, if he so wishes, pray in them.

4 – According to the well-known view in Imām Aḥmad’s school, if a person prays while unaware of, or having forgotten, an impurity on his body, clothes, or footwear, his prayer is invalid and must be repeated. A second report from him, however, holds that the prayer remains valid and need not be repeated. This latter opinion was adopted by al-Muwaffaq Ibn Qudāmah, al-Majd, Shaykh al-Islām Ibn Taymiyyah, Ibn al-Qayyim, and others, because the Prophet ﷺ once prayed in his sandals but removed them mid-prayer after Gabriel informed him that they were soiled, and he then continued from where he had stopped. Moreover, praying with impurity falls under the heading of committing a prohibited act; when such an act is done out of forgetfulness or ignorance, no liability is incurred, as Allah says: “Our Lord, do not take us to task if we forget or err” (al-Baqarah 2:286). This differs from omitting an obligatory duty, for ignorance or forgetfulness is no excuse in that case; it still has to be fulfilled, as when the Prophet ﷺ ordered the man who had prayed poorly to repeat his prayer until he performed it correctly.

5 – The ḥadith points to the obligation of honoring the mosques and keeping them free of filth and grime, for they are places of worship and must remain pure and clean. Allah says: “And purify My House for those who walk around it, and those who stand to pray, and those who bow and prostrate” (al-Ḥajj 22:26).