A Forgotten Sunnah: Walking Barefooted

Al-Hasan bin ‘Alee narrated to us, Yazeed bin Haarun narrated to us, Al- Jurayri informed us on Abdillah bin Buraydah: That a man from the Companions of the Prophet -sallahu ‘alayhi wasallam- traveled to Fadaalah bin ‘Ubayd -may Allah be pleased with him- while he was in Egypt.

So he arrived at him and said: I have not come to you to visit you. But you and I have heard a hadeeth from the Messenger of Allah -sallahu ‘alayhi wasallam- and I hope that you have some knowledge from Him (the Prophet -sallahu ‘alayhi wasallam-) about it.

He said: And what is it?

He said: Such and such. (Then) he said: Why do I see you dishoveled while you are the Leader of the land?

He said: The Messenger of Allah -sallahu ‘alayhi wasallam- has forbidden us from indulging too much in the comforts of life.

He said: Why don’t I see any shoes on you?

He said: The Prophet -sallahu ‘alayhi wasallam- used to command us to go barefooted sometimes.

[Collected in Abu Daawud (3629) and Sheikh Al-Albaani has authenticated it in As-Silsilah As-Saheehah (502)]

Fawaa’id: Sheikh Al-Albaani -may Allah have mercy upon him- says in As-Silsilah As-Saheehah:

….This (hadeeth) is a reminder about an unknown sunnah in the minds of many of the people and it is the sunnah of Walking without shoes -sometimes-. It is a sunnah that many people are ignorant of save a few. And if some would try and implement this the people would see this as a strange affair. Perhaps they would even criticize them for this act of theirs. [Until he said]… So imitate your loved one and your Prophet -sallahu ‘alayhi wasallam- and walkbarefooted sometimes and shoed at others….. As this has been authenticated on the Prophet -sallahu ‘alayhi wasallam- that He walked barefooted occasionally! Except that majority of the time He -sallahu ‘alayhi wasallam- was shoed.
Translator: Abu Fouzaan Qaasim

Source: http://theauthenticbase.wordpress.co...ng-barefooted/