Question:

Dears Assalam o alaikum, I want to know that during Umrah it is necessary to open the upfront bone of foot i.e. to wear a sleeper that is open on the top.

Fatwa:

All perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah, and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger, may Allah exalt his mention as well as that of his family and all his companions.

It is confirmed that the Prophet prohibited us from wearing form fitting clothes or shoes [while in the state of Ihraam], and the scholars established that if the shoes cover the toes or the heel, then they are form fitting shoes even if they do not cover the upper part of the foot.

Ibn Hajar extensively elaborated on this matter and then said: “To conclude, it is absolutely permissible to wear shoes that expose both the heel and the toes, as in this case they are exactly like the slippers. However, it is not permissible to wear shoes which cover either the toes, or the heel, unless one cannot find the other type of shoes which expose the toes and the heel. In case a person wears what is forbidden for a necessity and then finds what is permissible to wear, then he is obliged to immediately take them off [the shoes that are forbidden to wear] otherwise he is sinful and he is obliged to offer a sacrifice."

Allah Knows best.

Fatwa answered by: The Fatwa Center at Islamweb