Back in 2000 I wasn’t well versed in the Deen (the faith) I had some theological knowledge but it was mostly in the things that I was interested in like stories of the Prophets (peace be upon all of them).

Ironically I started taking theology classes in Islam when I moved to Toronto. During my stay there I gained allot of knowledge from both the courses I attended as well as the friends I made there.

One of the more shocking pieces of information that I acquired was that you don’t have to take your shoes off to pray. The habit of removing your shoes before performing Salah (or prayer) developed more recently with the introduction of carpets to the Masjid (Mosque) In the Prophet Muhammed’s (peace be upon him) time people prayed with their foot wear on. That was the sunnah. With the expansion and gradual opulence of the Islamic empire people started to introduce carpets to the areas of worship.

People forgot that the shoes were removed on so as not to get the carpets dirty… with time and the spread of ignorance of one’s faith… it became associated with prayer so that now a good amount of people will tell you that not removing your shoes prior to prayer would be a sin. They would be very wrong … and ignorant.

May Allah guide all of us to the truth and to the righteous path of the Deen. Amen.

September 21, 2010