[Q 313] Wearing Footwear During Sa’y

Question

Can one wear clean footwear during sa’ee as that area is not part of Masjid al-Haram as is mentioned in Rafiq ul Haramain.

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

الجواب بعون الملك الوهاب اللهم هداية الحق والصواب

Answer

It is true that the area of Sa’y is not a part of the Masjid; however, it is better to avoid wearing shoes while performing Sa’y as walking barefoot is more respectful and the more respectful we are towards Sacred Sites, the better it is.

However, for some individuals, it may be difficult to perform Sa’y barefoot. If anyone has a need to wear shoes, they should wear new shoes that are clean and have not been worn in markets or upon roads. Then, there is no harm in doing this.

Instead of wearing shoes, it is better to wear footgear (khuff/mozay) that cover the bottom of the feet without covering the raised top part of the feet, because according to the Hanafi School of Fiqh, it is mandatory (Wajib ) for men to keep the top part of their feet uncovered while in the state of Ihram.

For women, there is no such restriction. They may wear any kind of footgear.

Answered by: Usman Madani (Askmufti Scholar)

Verified by: Mufti Sajid Attari 

Translated answer

Date: 1st June 2024