From the magnificent book ?Silsilah al-Ahaadeeth as-Saheehah wa shai min fiqhihaa was fawaaidihaa? by the Noble Imaam, the Mujaddid, the Mujaahid, the Muhaddith Abu Abdur Rahmaan Muhammad Naasir ud-Deen al-Albaanee (rahimahullaah).
The Prohibition of walking with only one shoe
Hadeeth No. 349, Page 685
quote:
?Verily Shaytaan walks with only one shoe.?
Reported by at-Tahaawee in ?Mushkil ul-Aathaar? (2/142) ar-Rabee bin Sulaymaan al-Muraadee reported to us, Ibn Wahab reported to us from al-Layth bin Saad, from Jafar bin Rabee?ah from Abdur Rahmaan al-A?raj from Abu Hurayrah, that the Messenger of Allaah said, ??the hadeeth??
I say the chain is saheeh. All its narrators are trustworthy and the narrators of the two Shaikhs, except ar-Rabee bin Sulaymaan al-Muraadee and he is trustworthy.
And the hadeeth is in the two saheehs and other than them is by way of Abu Zinaad from al-A?raj with the wording, ?Let not one of you walk with one shoe, let him either wear both or take both off.? And it is supported by the hadeeth of Jaabir in marfoo form with the wording, ?Do not walk with only one shoe on.? Reported by Muslim (6/154) and Ahmad (3/322) and other than them.
I say: So the hadeeth regarding the prohibition of walking with one shoe on, is saheeh and well known, however I have given the takhreej of this hadeeth of at-Tahaawee to explain the reason for the prohibition.?
The Shaikh, may Allaah grant him Firdaws, then discusses the different reasons some of the Salaf have given for this prohibition. The Shaikh then mentions that which is correct from all these saying is that which has been mentioned by Ibn ul-Arabee, that (the reason is that) it is the walking of Shaytaan.
ابو العرباض
Abid Zargar