Chapter: Prayer on rooftops, on the pulpit, and on wood. Abu Abdullah said: Al-Hasan saw no harm in praying on a bridge or an arch,

The reciter: Imam al-Bukhari (may Allah have mercy on him) said in the chapters on prayer in clothing:
Chapter: Prayer on rooftops, on the pulpit, and on wood.
Abu Abdullah said: “Al-Hasan saw no harm in praying on a bridge or an arch, even if urine flows beneath it, above it, or in front of it, provided there is a barrier between them”. “Abu Hurayrah prayed on the roof of the mosque following the imam’s prayer”. “Ibn Umar prayed on the snow”. It was narrated to us...

The Shaykh : All of these are clear reports indicating that if a person does not touch impurity, his prayer is valid and not disliked, contrary to the view that it is disliked. If a person places his prayer mat on impure ground and prays, there is no harm, because what he touches is pure, and it is not disliked either, contrary to those who say it is disliked because they rely on the fact that he did not touch what prayer is not valid upon. Likewise, prayer on rooftops: this view is also the correct one. Some scholars held that prayer on rooftops, if there is a road or street beneath them, is not valid, but the correct view is that it is valid. Similarly, prayer on the pulpit: it is established from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that he prayed on the pulpit; when he wanted to prostrate, he would descend and prostrate on the ground. If the pulpit is wide enough to accommodate prostration, there is no need to descend. Wood is also valid for prayer upon, such as a wooden bed, provided it is not a swing. If it is a swing, prayer upon it is not valid. A swing is a piece of wood fastened in the middle to a nail or similar object, swinging to the right and left. They said prayer upon it is not valid because it is not stable. Anas ibn Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) said: This indicates that stability is necessary. If someone asks, “Is prayer valid on an airplane?” We say: Yes, without doubt, because it is stable. Although it is in the air, it is stable; a person can place his forehead on the floor of the airplane.
And Abu Abdullah said: “Al-Hasan saw no harm in praying on a bridge or an arch”, meaning bridges, “even if urine flows beneath it, above it, or in front of it, provided there is a barrier between them”, meaning if there is something between them that prevents direct contact with the impurity.
“Abu Hurayrah prayed on the roof of the mosque following the imam’s prayer”. This indicates that one who is in the mosque is not required to see the imam for his following to be valid, even if he does not see him, provided that following is possible by hearing the voice. Similarly, it is permissible to pray in a private room below, in the basement, while the imam is above, provided following is possible. However, what is outside the mosque: it is not valid to pray following the imam’s prayer, due to the difference in location. The purpose of congregation is gathering in place, time, and actions. Therefore, a person is commanded to follow How can there be a congregation outside the mosque, or one person outside the mosque following an imam in the mosque? If we opened this door, someone would say, “We pray on the radio, following the prayer of al-Masjid al-Haram or al-Masjid al-Nabawi, because we can follow. And if it is on television, we can follow and watch.” Then, if we command him to pray with the congregation, he would say, “I am praying with an imam who has a larger congregation than you, in a better place than yours. Today I pray the night prayer with him, and tomorrow I pray the Friday prayer with him. There is no need for your mosques.” Yes, and the strange thing is that a man... he wrote a treatise on this! A treatise titled: *Al-Iqna' bi Sahhat al-Salah Khalaf al-Midha'*, meaning “Conviction of the Validity of Prayer Behind the Radio.” This was before televisions came. He mentioned evidence, including our hadith that the brother Samih discussed. He said: “The angels pray in the sky with an imam on earth”. So he analogized the unseen world... he analogized the visible world to the unseen world. This is an analogy with a difference. If this door were opened to people, every lazy person could delay and say, “I am praying now.” In some countries, and praise be to Allah, in our country, we ask Allah to maintain this for us, they do not broadcast the prayer from the minaret, but in other countries, you find them establishing the prayer in congregation.