Ahmed Shareef

My home was located not far from Thoiba Mosque. So, I always went there for prayers, though not all. This morning I had the first prayer on New Year and I saw something new afterwards. When I was leaving the mosque it was this pair of home-made slippers that caught my attention. At first I thought it was some kind of security the guy has put on and then I came to wonder how the man would walk as there was no straps in it. Even if he was carrying the straps in his pocket there must be a place to attach those to the slippers.

A closer look discovered the slippers were screwed down on the piece of wood, both the slippers on one piece. He must have been carrying not only the strips but a screw driver as well. He would not be able to unscrew those four in each without a screw driver. The screws didn’t look freshly driven into and some were a bit rusty as well. So, I thought it must have been something else.

Each slipper had a cross mark on, which some people do to identify the slipper and to warn others not to take it. But this was no ordinary slippers.

At last, I came to conclude that it was a sign telling not to keep the slippers on the stairs.