Question: Is it permissible to perform salat on a prayer rug (sajjada or musallah) on which there is writing in Islamic letters or a picture of the Ka’ba or of a mosque?
ANSWER
It is makruh tahrimi to spread on the floor a prayer rug on which there is some writing, or even one letter, written in Islamic letters, for it is insulting to spread it on the floor for any purpose whatsoever. And it is disbelief (kufr) to spread it in order to insult it. It is not permissible to lay on the floor prayer rugs that have pictures of the Ka’ba or a mosque or writing on it. (Hadiqa, 2/633)
[By the pictures of living things, we mean the pictures of animals or people throughout this article.]
It is not permissible to spread on the floor a prayer rug on which there is a picture of the Ka’ba or a mosque or a piece of writing written in Islamic letters [because it is an act of insult]. However, the ruling regarding a blanket on which there is a picture of a living thing (a person or an animal) is not the same. Hadrat Ibn Hajar-i Makki states: “It is not permissible to use pictures of living things on respected articles, but it is permissible to use them on disrespected things.” When a blanket is spread on the ground, it means disrespecting and insulting the image. There is nothing wrong with performing salat on such a blanket if the picture is not on the place where sajda is made. If the pictures of living things are put or hung somewhere above the level of the navel, it is makruh to perform salat there. If the pictures are at a place on which one stands or sits, the salat will not be makruh. If they are behind the person performing salat and above the level of the navel, then it will be makruh tanzihi. (Radd-ul-mukhtar)
In conclusion, if a prayer rug on which there is a picture of a living thing is spread on the floor to perform salat on it, the salat will not be makruh because it means belittling the picture. Similarly, it is not permissible to lay on the floor things on which there is a picture of the Ka’ba or a mosque because it is an act of belittling the picture. (Se’adet-i Ebediyye)
Question: Is it makruh to perform salat on a prayer rug on which there is the picture of a minaret?
ANSWER
It is not makruh.
Question: Is it makruh to perform salat on a blanket or carpet on which there is the picture of a lion or a deer?
ANSWER
If the picture is not under the foot of the person performing salat, on the place where he is sitting, or on the place where he is making sajda, then it is not makruh to perform salat on such a blanket or prayer rug. As the picture is on the floor, it means insulting it. However, if it is on the place where he is making sajda, where he is standing, or where he is sitting, it is considered as if the picture were on the body, which renders salat makruh. For this reason, one must not perform salat in clothes on which there is a picture [of a living thing]. (Zawajir)
Question: Does a person fall into disbelief if he does not believe that it is makruh to spread on the floor a prayer rug on which there is the picture of the Ka’ba or a mosque?
ANSWER
No, he does not. It is makruh to spread such a prayer rug on the floor, but people do not lay it for the purpose of insulting it, Secondly, they do not know of this ruling. It does not cause disbelief as they do not know of this ruling.
Question: When a prayer rug wears out, is it appropriate to spread it on a place where people step?
ANSWER
It is not appropriate; it will be an act of disrespect.
Question: Is it permissible not to remove a prayer rug after salat?
ANSWER
It is permissible, but it is better to remove it so that it may not get dirty.
Question: Is it makruh to step on the part of a prayer rug where sajda is made?
ANSWER
It is not makruh, but it goes against Islamic manners called adab.
Question: Is it permissible to perform salat on a prayer rug with hand embroidery on it? Today there are carpets having a lot of decoration, which attract attention. Is it makruh to perform salat on such a carpet? There are a lot of ornaments placed on the wall of qibla at home. Is it permissible to perform salat in this direction?
ANSWER
It is makruh to perform salat on a prayer rug that distracts one’s attention from salat, such as a prayer rug with embroidery. The prayer rug should be plain. Alternatively, one can perform salat on the reverse side of the prayer rug with embroidery.
Patterned carpets in some mosques affect one’s khushu negatively. For this reason, plain carpets should be used in mosques.
Last but not least, we should not hang Qur’anic verses, hadith-i sharifs, or calligraphic panels on the wall of the qibla at home or in a mosque.
Question: It is written in Endless Bliss: “It is not makruh to perform salat on prayer rugs or mats having pictures of living things on the parts other than where prostration is made, since laying them on the floor means belittling them.” Can it be inferred from this that it is permissible to perform salat on a prayer rug with a picture of the Ka’ba or a mosque on it?
ANSWER
Laying a picture on the floor means belittling it. As spreading on the floor a prayer rug with a picture of the Ka’ba or a mosque on it means belittling it, it is not permissible to perform salat on it.
Question: It is written in Se’adet-i Ebediyye: “It is not permissible to use those prayer rugs on which there is embroidery that distracts one’s attention.” Today there are extremely fancy carpets in mosques. Is it not makruh to perform salat on such fancy carpets?
ANSWER
If the decorations on carpets distract one’s attention just the embroidery on prayer rugs do, one’s salat becomes makruh. Similarly, it is makruh to perform salat toward a mirror or one’s reflection in a window because it diverts attention from salat. If one’s image is not reflected in the mirror or if one does not look at one’s image in the mirror, one’s salat will not be makruh. The criterion is whether it distracts attention or not. Our Master the Prophet performed salat in a garment with patterns on it. Then he realized that these patterns distracted him, so he took off his garment and gave it to someone. Therefore, one should not perform salat in clothes with writing or pictures on them.
Question: Cross-stitch embroidery executed on aida cloth is in a cross shape. People liken it to a cross, which is used as a symbol of Christianity. Is it permissible to perform salat on a prayer rug with cross-stitch embroidery on it?
ANSWER
Yes, it is permissible.
Question: Is it necessary to have respect for the pictures of tombs (turba) and of the graves of the awliya’?
ANSWER
Yes, we should have respect for them, too.
Question: It is written in Endless Bliss, “It is not makruh to perform namaz [salat] on prayer rugs or mats possessing pictures of living things on the parts other than where prostration is made.” However, it is said in the following paragraph, “If the picture is under the foot of the person performing namaz, on the place where he is sitting, or on his body, it is makruh.” What is the difference between these two statements?
ANSWER
According to the first statement, when a prayer rug with the picture of a living thing on it is spread on the floor, it means belittling the picture, and it is not makruh if sajda is made on its part where there is no picture. According to the second statement, it is not the person performing salat who laid the cloth on the floor. It was laid on the floor by someone else to value it. The ruling regarding this picture on the floor is similar to the ruling regarding the picture on the clothes. For this reason, it is makruh. Pictures are drawn on clothes out of a feeling of valuing them.
Question: Can I lay on the floor a sheet of newspaper on which there are pictures and perform salat on it?
ANSWER
You can if the picture is not on its part where sajda is made. When a cloth with a picture on it is spread on the floor, it means belittling the picture. That is, it is an insult to step on it. If the picture is not on the part where sajda is made, then it is permissible to perform salat on such a cloth. (Radd-ul-mukhtar)
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