Ruling on Laying Carpet in the Mosque
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
Ruling on Laying Carpet in the Mosque
We have heard a fatwa from you regarding carpet that it is not permissible to lay it in the mosque.
The Shaykh: The felt?The questioner: Carpet: A sponge placed under the mosque rug.
The Shaykh: I say: May Allah bless you, and the brothers,And among us, if Allah wills, all of us: How many sayings are attributed to me! And this is a calamity, I do not know if the man who, when he loves something, says: It will not be accepted from me unless I say: So-and-so said it, or so-and-so said it? Or what? This is never permissible.
And I say to you in this place,And to everyone who heard this statement of mine: If you hear from me something you find objectionable, refer it back to me. I may be mistaken, and Allah may guide me through your hands. Perhaps something was transmitted from me in error, and I will clarify that it is an error. Or perhaps it is correct, and I will clarify that it is correct.
So I say: I do not say that the sponge is forbidden;But I say: It should not come to pass that we reach this level of luxury. Then, if the sponge is soft, and you place your forehead on it merely without pressing down on it, this does not suffice you in prostration. The scholars have mentioned this in their books.They said: If a person prostrates on loose wool or on cotton, and limits himself to touching the forehead for this only, without pressing on it, then his prostration is not valid. And this is the truth, and the evidence for that is the hadith of Anas ibn Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) who said: (We used to pray with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in intense heat. If one of us could not place his forehead firmly on the ground, he would spread his garment and prostrate on it) .
And in His saying: (Place his forehead firmly) is evidence that firm placement is necessary.
This is the answer: that I do not like for our luxury to reach this level. And if the Companions in the time of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) used to pray on pebbles -Meaning: Gravel - and as you heard the hadith of Anas, if he could not place his forehead firmly on the ground, he would spread his garment and prostrate on it. How can our luxury reach the point where we make our mosques like sleeping mats?! As for it being forbidden, I cannot say: That it is forbidden. And that is because it is not permissible for anyone to say that something is forbidden except with an explicit text. Know that our imams (may Allah have mercy on them), such as Imam Ahmad and others, do not say something is forbidden except in the thing for which there is an explicit text that it is forbidden. Even if there are indications pointing to its prohibition, he cannot say so.Rather, in his answers, he often said: I do not like that, or I dislike that, or this is not befitting, or leave this, or avoid this.And sometimes he is referred back to and it is said to him: Is it forbidden?So he says: I do not know. Do such-and-such. So prohibition is a very difficult matter.
Now, questions come to us,So we say: Do not do this.Then the questioner comes to you and says: Is this forbidden?So we say: Do not do it. And does a person avoid a thing only if it is forbidden?! So the important thing is: I did not say that the sponge in the mosque is forbidden. And what is said about me is a lie. But you will hear strange things. The obligation upon you, if you hear such things, is to call me and ask me. Praise be to Allah, telephones exist, cars exist, and everything, praise be to Allah, exists.
The questioner: And this, Shaykh?The Shaykh: This is not a big deal, but the one who hears does not see! Specify.
The questioner: A reference to the carpet.
The Shaykh: There is nothing wrong with the rug.
We have heard a fatwa from you regarding carpet that it is not permissible to lay it in the mosque.
The Shaykh: The felt?The questioner: Carpet: A sponge placed under the mosque rug.
The Shaykh: I say: May Allah bless you, and the brothers,And among us, if Allah wills, all of us: How many sayings are attributed to me! And this is a calamity, I do not know if the man who, when he loves something, says: It will not be accepted from me unless I say: So-and-so said it, or so-and-so said it? Or what? This is never permissible.
And I say to you in this place,And to everyone who heard this statement of mine: If you hear from me something you find objectionable, refer it back to me. I may be mistaken, and Allah may guide me through your hands. Perhaps something was transmitted from me in error, and I will clarify that it is an error. Or perhaps it is correct, and I will clarify that it is correct.
So I say: I do not say that the sponge is forbidden;But I say: It should not come to pass that we reach this level of luxury. Then, if the sponge is soft, and you place your forehead on it merely without pressing down on it, this does not suffice you in prostration. The scholars have mentioned this in their books.They said: If a person prostrates on loose wool or on cotton, and limits himself to touching the forehead for this only, without pressing on it, then his prostration is not valid. And this is the truth, and the evidence for that is the hadith of Anas ibn Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) who said: (We used to pray with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in intense heat. If one of us could not place his forehead firmly on the ground, he would spread his garment and prostrate on it) .
And in His saying: (Place his forehead firmly) is evidence that firm placement is necessary.
This is the answer: that I do not like for our luxury to reach this level. And if the Companions in the time of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) used to pray on pebbles -Meaning: Gravel - and as you heard the hadith of Anas, if he could not place his forehead firmly on the ground, he would spread his garment and prostrate on it. How can our luxury reach the point where we make our mosques like sleeping mats?! As for it being forbidden, I cannot say: That it is forbidden. And that is because it is not permissible for anyone to say that something is forbidden except with an explicit text. Know that our imams (may Allah have mercy on them), such as Imam Ahmad and others, do not say something is forbidden except in the thing for which there is an explicit text that it is forbidden. Even if there are indications pointing to its prohibition, he cannot say so.Rather, in his answers, he often said: I do not like that, or I dislike that, or this is not befitting, or leave this, or avoid this.And sometimes he is referred back to and it is said to him: Is it forbidden?So he says: I do not know. Do such-and-such. So prohibition is a very difficult matter.
Now, questions come to us,So we say: Do not do this.Then the questioner comes to you and says: Is this forbidden?So we say: Do not do it. And does a person avoid a thing only if it is forbidden?! So the important thing is: I did not say that the sponge in the mosque is forbidden. And what is said about me is a lie. But you will hear strange things. The obligation upon you, if you hear such things, is to call me and ask me. Praise be to Allah, telephones exist, cars exist, and everything, praise be to Allah, exists.
The questioner: And this, Shaykh?The Shaykh: This is not a big deal, but the one who hears does not see! Specify.
The questioner: A reference to the carpet.
The Shaykh: There is nothing wrong with the rug.