Q: Ya Imaam, ya shiek! I am sorry but I used to go to nooor. I got my shoe stoelen three times. I started going to madina and got my shoes stoelen there 2 times. I came to khateeja and lord behold I got my shoe stolen. They just vans. i know.  but i am not happy about going to work without shoes. My nonmuslim coworkers asked me today, hey, did you always sacrifice you shoes? Can you pelase tell members to be openeyed…. Can I take away someelses shoes or the shoes that are left behind in mosque? i need to go to work and shoe shopping. btw thanks for finishing of time. that five minutes is important to me.  but hate to lose it on shoe fishing

A: If a shoe mix up has occurred between people, and you are certain that you are indeed wearing someone else’s shoes, the following steps should be taken:

1)      Walk around the musjid to try and spot the person that mistakenly took your shoes. Honest mistakes do happen.

2)      If you cannot spot the person, place a note on the notice board that a shoe mix-up has occurred and that you would like to give the original owner his/her shoe back. (This may seem insignificant to some of you, but there are some folks that must wear shoes that are expensive for whatever reason and this is important to them.)

3)      If the original owner cannot be found, estimate the value of the shoe you are wearing (the mixed up pair) and give its current market value to a poor person. After all, it is not your shoes! Merely due to someone else taking your shoe, one cannot take away some else’s shoe and consider it there’s.

It appears that you have lost a lot of shoes. I also have noticed that certain brands are more prone to theft than others. Merely keep a simple non-branded shoe in your car.  When you come to prayers, wear the simple one.

Allah Certainly Knows Best.