Sujood (Prostration) on earth.

[Hameed Azar]

Assalamu alaikum (wrwb). So,here i have a question. *We are made from clay and we go back to earth. *Sujood on earth symbolises our ultimate submission to the creator. #1) Are there any narrations in any hadith books that say Prophet (sawaw) prostrated on other than earth or khumra? #2) Why are we ok with prostrating on cloth? Or just about any materials? Why is earth or khumra not used? 3) Isn't it bidah to carry around a cloth prayer mat or any mat for prayer? 4) If the third point is not bidah,why shias carrying around clay earth is? #5) Here for knowledge,not wild debates. JazakAllah.

 

[keiv]

I can only speak on #2 and even that is based on what I THINK. I was always under the impression that people used rugs or cloth to pray on to prevent praying on rough or dirty surfaces. Also, I don't think there is anything that specifically speaks against praying on a rug or cloth unless it has some kind of decoration on it which depicts living objects and what not.

 

[greenhill]

Welcome to the forum.

Adding or subtracting from the sunnah would be bidah, but things for comfort or conveniences are not necessarily that. Having prayer mats, air conditioning in new masjids, loud speakers, running water, flush toilets, hot water, even in that case driving to masjid was not done during the prophet's time etc etc,

If you try to complicate things, they will get complicated, (not that I am saying you are), but I always go back to a narration I read about someone asking the holy prophet (pbuh) regarding the Hajj. The prophet said that everyone in their lifetime must perform the Hajj (if able). A person asked if it was to be performed every year and the prophet (pbuh) ignored him until the question was asked for the third time. The the prophet said words to the effect of -

"I am answering this only because you asked 3 times. But before I do, let it be known that it is people like you that cause spilt. What if I said "yes", then wouldn't it be a burden to all? Why don't you just accept what I said. If you have performed the Hajj, you have performed the Hajj!"

Meaning it does not say every year, every other year but merely in their lifetime, if able, a muslim must perform the Hajj.

Likewise prostration, it matters not if we put cloth or mat, etc but what matters is that we have to prostrate.


Wishing you a good stay.


eace:

 

[Hameed Azar]

Well,prostration matters. But we know the earth has been made a place for prostration. Its evidently clear from this hadith . Jabir bin Abdullah narrates that the Messenger of Allah

(May Allah’s peace be upon him and his progeny) said:

"The earth has been made a place of prostration for

me, and a place to perform Tayammum. Thus, my

followers can pray wherever (in any lawful place)

they like, when the time of prayer is due."

[Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 1.429]
So it talks about tayamum right after prayer,so tayamum is done with earth and not with a prayer mat. Sujopd is something that is the ultimate submission,wouldn't it be better to be on earth,itself? I mean why carry around a prayer mat? When you can carry around a piece of clay or khumra? (i know,i sound Shia but i am NOT). Just looking for logical reasoning.

 

[ardianto]

An Islamic teacher in Indonesia issued a controversial fatwa, "Salah in Masjidil Haram and Masjid Nabawi nowadays is not valid since the surface of these masjid are not soil". He also issued another ridiculous fatwa, "If Muslims were sailing on ship, then when the salah time come, the ship must landed on nearest harbor. So they could perform salah on soil before continue their sea journey".

This is what would happen if someone interpret earth just as soil. Of course this is wrong because earth in that hadith refer to place where human live, no matter what is the surface.

Are Muslims allowed to use prayer mat?.There are few hadith that mention Rasulullah performed salah on mat. This is why perform salah on prayer mat is permissible.

About clay that carried by Shia. That is not usual clay, but clay from Karbala. So they always feel close with Karbala, their holly land.

 

[azc]

Rug or mat is used to keep our clothes protected from dirt.Shias' clay symbolizes the clay of karbala, I think

 

[Insaanah]

:wasalam:

Narrated Anas bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him):

(48) Sahih al Muslim
Chapter: It is permissible to offer voluntary prayers in congregation, and to pray on hasir (palm-fiber mats), khumrah (small mats), cloth, and other pure things

Anas b. Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) was the best among people in character. On occasions, the time of prayer would come while he was in our house. He would then order to spread the mat lying under him. That was dusted and then water was sprinkled over it. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) then led the prayer and we stood behind him, and that mat was made of the leaves of date-palm.
Sahih Muslim 659
http://www.sunnah.com/muslim/5/336

Praying on rugs is permissible in principle. Al-Bukhaari (379) and Muslim (513) narrated that Maymoonah (may Allaah be pleased with her) said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to pray on a khumrah.

A khumrah is a small mat made of palm leaves that is big enough for the face, on which a worshipper may prostrate to protect himself from the heat or coldness of the ground.

Al-Khattaabi favoured the view that the khumrah may be bigger than that, and he quoted as evidence the report narrated by Abu Dawood (5247) from Ibn ‘Abbaas, who said: A mouse came and started dragging the wick of the lamp and threw it in front of the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), on the khumrah on which he was sitting, and it burned an area the size of a dirham… This hadeeth was classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh Abi Dawood, 4369.

It says in ‘Awn al-Ma’bood: This clearly shows that the word khumrah may apply to a large mat. This was also stated in al-Nihaayah.

See Fath al-Baari, 333.

Al-Shawkaani said:

This hadeeth indicates that there is nothing wrong with praying on a mat, regardless of whether it is made of rags, palm leaves or anything else, whether it is small or big, like a mat or carpet, because it is proven that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) prayed on mats, carpets and animal pelts. [...]

Source: https://islamqa.info/en/27000