Asalaamu alaykum John,

Thank you for your question. This is a common confusion for new Muslims who are often led into Islam or helped along after converting by well intending heritage Muslims, often of Pakistani/Indian/Malay/Arab cultures, all of which have some or other cultural preoccupation with shoes in the house. Some may argue that it’s about cleanliness, as Prophet Muhammad taught that “Cleanliness is half of faith” (Sahih Muslim).

We do know that shoes carry a variety of filth and disease, so from a hygienic stand-point, it’s just good sense not to wear them in the house. The pressing thing really is that we put our foreheads on the ground in sujood (prostration) several times a day, and no one wants to be putting their faces in the sort of filth we track in on our shoes, even microscopically.

On the other hand, people have argued that by using a prayer rug and then taking it up and storing it so that it isn’t be stepped on by shoes would alleviate that problem. Still more would argue that from a spiritual standpoint, throughout all time, with every prophet, God has ordered them to remove their shoes because “the ground you are standing on is Holy Ground”. But Prophet Muhammad said that God had made all the earth a place of prostration and prayer, so this point is moot (Sahih Bukhari).

And so, the answer to your question is: it’s not a matter of faith to remove your shoes in the house, it’s a matter of culture and personal cleanliness.

I hope this helps. Please keep in touch. Salam.