Is it permissible to wear a belt made of leather during prayer?

The gist of the answer: A leather belt made from an animal slaughtered according to Islamic law (dhabiha) is pure by consensus. If the belt is made from the hide of a dead animal whose meat is permissible to eat, it becomes pure through tanning, according to the preponderant opinion. However, if it is made from the hide of an animal whose meat is not permissible to eat, such as that which is forbidden to consume or predatory animals, then there is a difference of opinion among scholars regarding its purification through tanning. The preponderant opinion is that only the hide of an animal whose slaughter is permissible (i.e., meat-eating animals) becomes pure. If the type of animal is unknown, the default is purity, and it is permissible to use it unless its impurity becomes evident.