What is the ruling on laying sponges in mosques?
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The questioner : Shaykh, we heard a fatwa from you that placing felt in the mosque is not permissible.
The Shaykh : What?
The questioner : Placing felt in the mosque.
The Shaykh : The felt?
The questioner : Felt: sponge
The Shaykh : The felt
The questioner : It is placed under the mosque carpet.
The Shaykh : Yes, yes, I say: May Allah reward you, and the brothers, and us all, if Allah wills: How many sayings are attributed to me, and this is a trial. I do not know if this man who loves something, when he loves something, says: It is not acceptable to me unless so-and-so said it, or so-and-so said it? Yes, and this is absolutely not permissible.
And I say to you in this place, and to everyone who hears my words: If you hear from me something you find objectionable, come back to me. I may be wrong, and Allah may guide me through your hands, or they may have misquoted me, and I will clarify the error, or it may be 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 be that we reach the level of this 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 mentioned this in their books, saying: If a person prostrates on fluffed wool or on cotton, and limits himself to touching the forehead for this only, without pressing down on it, then it is not valid for him to prostrate. And this is the truth. The evidence for that is the hadith of Anas ibn Malik (may Allah be pleased with him), who said:Sahih Muslim 620.
And in his saying:, what is the evidence for? That it is necessary to press firmly, did you understand? This is the answer: I do not like for our luxury to reach this level. And if in the time of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) they used to pray on pebbles and gravel, and as you heard the hadith of Anas, if one could not place his forehead 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 carpets? As for whether it is forbidden, I cannot say that it is forbidden, because it is not permissible for anyone to say that something is forbidden except with a text. Do you not know that our imams (may Allah have mercy on them), like Imam Ahmad and others, do not say "forbidden" except for a thing for which a text has come stating that it is forbidden, even if the evidence indicates its prohibition, he cannot. Imam Ahmad in his answers often says: I do not like that, I dislike that, this is not befitting, leave this, avoid this. Yes, and sometimes he is asked if it is forbidden, and he says: I do not know, do such and such. Prohibition is a difficult thing, very difficult.
Now questions come to us, we say: Do not do this, then he asks youThe questioner : Is it forbidden? We say: Do not do it, it is not forbidden, meaning that one does not avoid a thing unless it is forbidden? Yes, so the important thing is: I did not say that it is forbidden, this statement about me is a lie. But you will hear strange things. The obligation upon you is to call me and ask. Praise be to Allah, the telephone exists, and cars exist, and everything, praise be to Allah, exists. Yes
The questioner : And this, Shaykh?
The Shaykh : No, no, this is nothing, but this is what the one who hears does not see! Specify.
The questioner : A reference to the carpet.
The Shaykh : The carpet, there is nothing wrong with it.
The questioner : ...
The Shaykh : No, no, it is not suitable, we do not allow ... the turn because it is ...
The Shaykh : What?
The questioner : Placing felt in the mosque.
The Shaykh : The felt?
The questioner : Felt: sponge
The Shaykh : The felt
The questioner : It is placed under the mosque carpet.
The Shaykh : Yes, yes, I say: May Allah reward you, and the brothers, and us all, if Allah wills: How many sayings are attributed to me, and this is a trial. I do not know if this man who loves something, when he loves something, says: It is not acceptable to me unless so-and-so said it, or so-and-so said it? Yes, and this is absolutely not permissible.
And I say to you in this place, and to everyone who hears my words: If you hear from me something you find objectionable, come back to me. I may be wrong, and Allah may guide me through your hands, or they may have misquoted me, and I will clarify the error, or it may be 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 be that we reach the level of this 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 mentioned this in their books, saying: If a person prostrates on fluffed wool or on cotton, and limits himself to touching the forehead for this only, without pressing down on it, then it is not valid for him to prostrate. And this is the truth. The evidence for that is the hadith of Anas ibn Malik (may Allah be pleased with him), who said:
We used to say (the noonprayer) with the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) in the intense heat, but when someone amongst us found it hard to place his forehead on the ground, he spread his cloth and prostrated on it.
كنا نصلي مع النبي صلى الله عليه وعلى آله وسلم في شدة الحر، فإذا لم يستطع أحدنا أن يُمَكِّن جبهته من الأرض بسط ثوبه فسجد عليهAnd in his saying:
place his forehead firmly
يُمَكِّن جبهتهNow questions come to us, we say: Do not do this, then he asks youThe questioner : Is it forbidden? We say: Do not do it, it is not forbidden, meaning that one does not avoid a thing unless it is forbidden? Yes, so the important thing is: I did not say that it is forbidden, this statement about me is a lie. But you will hear strange things. The obligation upon you is to call me and ask. Praise be to Allah, the telephone exists, and cars exist, and everything, praise be to Allah, exists. Yes
The questioner : And this, Shaykh?
The Shaykh : No, no, this is nothing, but this is what the one who hears does not see! Specify.
The questioner : A reference to the carpet.
The Shaykh : The carpet, there is nothing wrong with it.
The questioner : ...
The Shaykh : No, no, it is not suitable, we do not allow ... the turn because it is ...