Photo: Muslim man in Canada gives his footwear to shoeless commuter and walks home barefoot

A Muslim man presented his shoes to a shoeless fellow bus passenger before getting off the bus and walking home barefoot himself.

Prior to receiving the gift, the shoeless passenger was sat on the bus with only plastic hairnets to cover his feet.

The 'random act of kindness' took place on the 341 bus route in Toronto, Canada, and was witnessed by an off-duty bus driver who took photos of the incident, which were later posted on Facebook.

"It made my heart melt," Surjit Singh Virk told QMI Agency. "He just took his shoes and socks off and said, 'You can take these, don't worry about me — I live close by and can walk."

Singh Virk added that the recipient was “shocked” by the gift and afterwards exclaimed, “What a nice guy... Did that really happen?”

The man was on his way home from a nearby mosque when he made his kind intervention. He asked not to be identified for his generous deed because the Islamic faith teaches that charitable acts should be anonymous.

Speaking to QMI Agency, the 27-year-old Muslim said: “I felt bad for the guy. He was wearing plastic hairnets on his feet. I was only about a two-minute walk from home, so I thought I could give him my shoes.”

A spokesman from the local mosque, Mufti Aasim Rashid, said that the act was an example of sadaqah, a virtuous deed in Islam.

“Whenever we do a good deed, even if it's to help someone out, the Islamic teachings maintain this should remain only for the pleasure of God,” he said. “It's nice to see people practising the teachings...it looks like he's really benefited.”

Pictures of the incident have been liked almost 2,000 times on Facebook. Commenting on the social network site, Ayesha Chowdhury wrote: "This is what true Islam really is. Mercy towards all humanity regardless of race, colour, status, or religion!"