Hadith for Children
Travelling on Foot
Muhammad Javed Attari Madani
The final Prophet of Allah صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم said:
اِسْتَكْثِرُوْا مِنَ النِّعَالِ فَاِنَّ الرَّجُلَ لَا يَزَالُ رَاكِبًا مَا انْتَعَلَ
“Wear shoes as much as you can, for as long as a person keeps them on, it is as though he is riding ˹on transport˺.”[1]
Dear children! Wearing footwear is a good habit and a sunnah of the Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم. Shoes protect our feet against dirt, thorns, and glass shards. They protect our feet from the cold during the winter and allow us to walk during the heat of the summer.
The second part of the hadith mentions how the one wearing footwear is like the one riding some type of transport. Just as the traveller on a train, car, or bus does not get as tired as someone walking, the one walking with shoes on tires less than someone walking barefoot. Some children go outside barefooted. This is a bad habit which makes their feet dirty and puts them at risk of being hurt by thorns and stones. Try to wear footwear indoors and outdoors as much as possible. When you are sitting, remove your shoes as this is the Sunnah of the beloved Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم.[2]
Whenever you put on shoes, recite بِسْمِ الـلّٰــه and shake them to remove pebbles or insects which may be inside. Start with the right foot when putting shoes on and start with the left foot when removing them. This is the Sunnah of the Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم, and there are immense blessings in acting upon the Sunnah. Ibn al-Jawzī رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْـه said, “The one who starts with the right foot when wearing shoes and the left foot when removing them, will be safe from illnesses related to the spleen.”[3]
Some children throw their shoes and toys at each other when playing in the house. These are not the actions of good children. Likewise, some shoes may be turned upside down. Whoever sees a shoe lying upside down should turn it upright, otherwise it could cause poverty. If the shoe remains upturned overnight, Satan sits on it, as an upturned shoe is his throne.[4]
Although it is permissible to wear shoes of any colour, Imam Ahmad Raza Khan رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْـه said that “black shoes bring sorrow and yellow shoes bring happiness.”[5]
May Allah Almighty enable us to become familiar with the etiquettes and benefits of wearing footwear and act accordingly.
اٰمِیْن بِجَاہِ النَّبِیِّ الْاَمِیْن صَلَّی اللہ تَعَالٰی عَلَیْہِ وَاٰلہٖ وَسَلَّم
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