The principle is that attending to the act of worship itself is better than attending to its location; is it permissible for the one praying to avoid places that contain designs?
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The questioner : The principle is that attending to the act of worship itself is better than attending to its location.
The Shaykh : What?
The questioner : Attending to the act of worship itself is better than attending to its location.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : Does this mean that one should intend to go to mosques that have no adornment in order to pray in them?
The Shaykh : People differ; some people are distracted by everything, so if they go to pray in places with designs, they get distracted. For those, we say, pray in another place. And some people do not care about this at all; even if the designs are under them and in front of them when they bow, and under their foreheads when they prostrate, you find they do not mind this thing and do not play with it. So every situation has its own ruling. Yes?
The questioner : ...
The Shaykh : This comes back to benefit and advantage. If there is benefit and advantage in leaving them, and it stops people’s tongues, then let him leave them. And I think we have finished the explanation?
The student: Yes.
The Shaykh : What?
The questioner : Attending to the act of worship itself is better than attending to its location.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : Does this mean that one should intend to go to mosques that have no adornment in order to pray in them?
The Shaykh : People differ; some people are distracted by everything, so if they go to pray in places with designs, they get distracted. For those, we say, pray in another place. And some people do not care about this at all; even if the designs are under them and in front of them when they bow, and under their foreheads when they prostrate, you find they do not mind this thing and do not play with it. So every situation has its own ruling. Yes?
The questioner : ...
The Shaykh : This comes back to benefit and advantage. If there is benefit and advantage in leaving them, and it stops people’s tongues, then let him leave them. And I think we have finished the explanation?
The student: Yes.