Walking Barefoot Sunnat – Grounding / Earthing
Occasionally Walking barefoot
“A man from the companions of Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) traveled to Fadalah ibn ‘Ubayd (radiyallahu ‘anhu) when he was in Egypt. After a brief conversation he asked him ‘Why do I not see any shoes on you?’
Fadalah replied: Nabi (sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) would command us to go barefoot sometimes.”
Imam Abu Dawud and Imam Ahmad (rahimahumallah) have recorded this Hadith. ‘Allamah ‘Iraqi (rahimahullah) has declared the chain authentic (jayyid).
(Sunan Abi Dawud, Hadith: 4157, Musnad Ahmad, vol. 6 pg. 22. Al Mughni ‘An Hamlil Asfar, Hadith: 4042)
Mulla ‘Ali Al Qari (rahimahullah) cites three reasons as to why Nabi (sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) ordered us to walk barefoot occasionally :
- To create humility within a person
- To break one’s ego
- To become accustomed to it as sometimes a person will be forced to walk barefoot
(Mirqat, vol. 8 pg. 291, Hadith: 4449)
What is Earthing or Grounding?
In short, earthing or grounding is putting the body in direct and uninterrupted contact with the earth. This means that skin needs to touch soil, sand, water, or a conductive surface that is in contact with the earth.
When you walk barefoot on the earth your body picks up free ions from earth’s surface that act as antioxidants in your system.
An eight-week grounding study was done that showed improved sleep and decreased stress levels when participants practiced grounding daily. These are just a few of the benefits of grounding:
Benefits of Grounding
- Decreased Inflammation
- Less Anxiety
- Improved Cortisol levels (stress hormone)
- More Energy
- Faster wound healing
- Enhanced Sleep
Why Grounding Works
Our bodies have an electrical conductivity to them. Earth acts as a large battery to balance out and recharge our bodies, thus working as an extremely powerful antioxidant. In today’s society, the majority of our shoes have rubber soles. If you remember back to your childhood science class rubber acts as an insulator, preventing your body from receiving the free electrons from the earth.
Having direct skin contact to the earth produces a healing effect down to the cellular level.
How to Practice Grounding (Earthing)
Grounding is actually quite simple; it just takes bare skin, the earth and time.
To practice grounding you contact the earth with your body (your feet, legs, hands, etc.) – this creates an electrical connection to the ground.
To receive the most benefits from grounding, stay connected to the earth for a minimum of 20 minutes. This allows for a sufficient electron transfer.
In other words, any time you’re outside playing with your kids, going for a walk, doing yard work or having a picnic – slip off your socks and shoes and put your bare feet on the ground.
