According to the Shafi’i School, Do Shoes Become Pure by Walking in Them?
Shafi'i Fiqh
Answered by Shaykh Irshaad Sedick
Question
According to the Shafi‘i School, do shoes become pure by walking in them?
Answer
In the name of Allah (Most High), and with blessings upon the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace),
In the Shafi‘i School, merely walking on clean earth does not purify shoes from impurity (najasa). According to Kifayat al-Akhyar, the shoes remain impure even if the visible impurity is removed by rubbing the shoes on the ground. The correct opinion (al-sahih) is that impurity can only be purified by water [Husayni, Kifayat al-Akhyar; Nawawi, al-Majmu‘].
Purification Requirement
Water is necessary to purify shoes from najasa. Walking on clean earth does not suffice; praying in such shoes would render the prayer invalid.
Allah (Most High) says, “And We sent down rain from the sky for you to purify yourselves with it.” [Quran, 8:11]
[Shaykh] Irshaad Sedick
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Mohammad Abu Bakr Badhib
Shaykh Irshaad Sedick was raised in South Africa in a traditional Muslim family. He graduated from Dar al-Ulum al-Arabiyyah al-Islamiyyah in Strand, Western Cape, under the guidance of the late world-renowned scholar Shaykh Taha Karaan.
Shaykh Irshaad received Ijaza from many luminaries of the Islamic world, including Shaykh Taha Karaan, Mawlana Yusuf Karaan, and Mawlana Abdul Hafeez Makki, among others.
He is the author of the text “The Musnad of Ahmad ibn Hanbal: A Hujjah or not?” He has served as the Director of the Discover Islam Centre and Al Jeem Foundation. For the last five years till present, he has served as the Khatib of Masjid Ar-Rashideen, Mowbray, Cape Town.
Shaykh Irshaad has thirteen years of teaching experience at some of the leading Islamic institutes in Cape Town). He is currently building an Islamic online learning and media platform called ‘Isnad Academy’ and has completed his Master’s degree in the study of Islam at the University of Johannesburg. He has a keen interest in healthy living and fitness.
