Is It Permissible for the Muhrim to Wear Shoes?

Is it permissible for the muhrim to wear shoes?

هل يجوز للمُحرم لبس النِّعال؟

« باللغة الإنجليزية »

Sheikh Muhammad Salih Al-Munajjid

محمد صالح المنجد

Translation: Islam Question and Answer website

Format: Islamhouse website

ترجمة: موقع الإسلام سؤال وجواب
تنسيق: موقع islamhouse

2012 - 1433

Is it permissible for the muhrim to wear shoes?

Can you please let me know if it is permissible to wear a two strapped sandal when one is a state of Ahram. Are there any specific prohibitions regarding footwear that one wears when he is in a state of Ahram?

Praise be to Allaah.

The Sunnah is for males to enter ihraam wearing shoes or sandals, because it was narrated that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Let any one of you enter ihraam wearing an izaar (lower garment), ridaa' (upper garment) and na'l (shoes)." It is preferable to enter ihraam wearing shoes so that they will protect him from thorns, hot sand and cold things. But if he does not enter ihraam wearing shoes, that does not matter. See Fataawa Islamiyyah, vol. 2, p. 232.

The word na'l means shoes. Al-Fayroozabaadi said: (it means) that which protects the foot from the ground. Al-Qaamoos al-Muheet, p. 1374. So everything that serves the same function as na'l is permissible to be worn in ihraam, and the stitching on the shoes does not matter. And Allaah knows best.