Rasulullah and the Sahaba performed namaz with their blessed na'ls [pattens] on. Na'ls are shoes with leather soles. It is written in the book Targhibussalat: "It has been said by savants that a person sitting in namaz barefooted, without socks on, should use his right hand to cover the sole of his foot. For it is bad manners to show your soles to other believers at any time. In namaz it is even more distasteful. According to some other savants, one must not cover one's bare foot with one's hand during namaz. For it is sunnat to put one's hands on one's thighs when sitting in namaz. And the person sitting behind you, in turn, should look down at his own lap in adherence to the sunnat. When both individuals sit in accordance with the sunnat no bad manners will occur." As it can be seen, even according to those savants who say that one should not cover one's foot with one's hand when sitting, being barefooted is repugnant. Since it is makruh to take one's hands away from one's thighs while sitting, one should not commit a second makruh in order to make up for the makruh of being bare-footed. Savants have said that if the person behind you looks at his lap, in regards to him you will become secure against annoying the person sitting behind you. As written in Halabi kabir, it is makruh not to keep the hands in the position of the sunnat when standing, in the ruku, in the sajdas, and when sitting. And it is for this reason that it is written: "It is makruh to omit a wajib or a sunnat. Therefore it is makruh for men to cover their bare feet with their hand while in the sajda," in the beginning of the makruhs of namaz in the book Maraqilfalah and at the end of the makruhs in Halabi. The book Bahjatulfatawa, which supports its every fatwa with proofs from books of fiqh, has been unable to show any proof for this wrong fatwa and has left the space for a proof blank. Ibni Abidin says at the end of the makruhs of namaz: "It is better to perform namaz with na'ls or mests than to be bare-footed. Furthermore, you will have disagreed with Jews. A hadith ash-Sharif declares: 'Perform namaz with na'ls on lest you be like Jews.' Rasulullah and the Sahaba would perform namaz with na'ls which they wore outdoors. Their na'ls were clean, and the floor of Masjid an-Nabi was covered with sand. They would not enter the Masjid with dirty na'ls." When your shoes are smeared with najasat, you must not enter a mosque with them on. You can carry out the sunnat by wearing socks. And a person whose socks are najs or who does not have any socks to wear should perform namaz with a loose robe that hangs down to his heels. Also, it is written in the books Halabi, Bariqa and Hadiqa that there are numerous blessings in the namaz that is performed with covered feet.
It is not permissible to perform namaz with bare head and feet, to make the sajda on a higher place, or to force those who are under your command to perform namaz in this manner by saying, "Non-Muslims pray with bare head and feet in churches. As they do, we must pray in a civilized manner." It is makruh to be like disbelievers during worships. And he who disapproves of the manners ordered by Islam becomes a disbeliever.]
