All muslims today hope to be praying exactly as the Prophet (s) used to do by repeating his every move, action and speech. One aspect of the prayer where we find a lot of differences among the schools of Islam would be the place of prostration. Some Muslims allow the prostration on carpets while others argue it's impermissible. We shall briefly demonstrate the views of the Prophet & his companions on this matter.
Ibn al-Qayyim stated in his Ighathat al-Ahfan, pg. 218:
وكذلك ترى أحدهم لا يصلى إلا على سجادة، ولم يصل رسول الله عليه السلام على سجادة قط ولا كانت السجادة تفرش بين يديه، بل كان يصلى على الأرض، وربما سجد فى الطين، وكان يصلى على الحصير، فيصلى على ما اتفق بسطه، فإن لم يكن ثمة شىء صلى على الأرض
We see many people praying on carpets, but the Prophet saws never prayed on a carpet, nor did he ever put carpets on the floor to pray on them. Rather he used to prostrate on the earth, he also prostrated on mud and he also prostrated on Hasir (Mat made from Palm Fibers). He used to prostrate on these and if he didn't have it then he just prostrated on the earth.
Ibn al-Qayyim highlights to us that the Prophet (s) used to pray on natural ground, not on just anything. This is a view that is undoubted and demonstrated by hadiths such as Jami` at-Tirmidhi 381 and Mustadrak al-Hakim, vol 1, pg 404:
حَدَّثَنَا أَحْمَدُ بْنُ مَنِيعٍ، حَدَّثَنَا عَبَّادُ بْنُ الْعَوَّامِ، أَخْبَرَنَا مَيْمُونٌ أَبُو حَمْزَةَ، عَنْ أَبِي صَالِحٍ، مَوْلَى طَلْحَةَ عَنْ أُمِّ سَلَمَةَ، قَالَتْ رَأَى النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم غُلاَمًا لَنَا يُقَالُ لَهُ أَفْلَحُ إِذَا سَجَدَ نَفَخَ فَقَالَ : يَا أَفْلَحُ تَرِّبْ وَجْهَكَ
Ahmad bin Munii from Abad bin Al-Awam from Maymun from Abi Salih from Umm Salamah who narrated: "The Prophet (S) saw a boy of ours - called Aflah - blowing when he prostrated. So he said: 'O Aflah! Put your face in the dirt.'"
The Prophet (s) is here informing his companions that he should prostrate onto natural ground and not just anything he likes. This thus leads many Shi'a scholars to believe there is a necessity for us to prostrate on the natural ground per the Sunnah of Rasulullah (s). Following this evidence, is it fair to criticise the Shi'a as having an absurd view on prayer rules? Moreover, the companions of the Prophet (s) followed this very same reasoning, and interpreted his actions to mean that prostration onto natural ground is actually obligotry.
For example, Abdullah b. Mas'oud is recorded in Tihfat al-Awdhi, vol. 2, pg. 296:
عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ مَسْعُودٍ فَرَوَى الطَّبَرَانِيُّ عَنْهُ أَنَّهُ كَانَ لَا يُصَلِّي وَلَا يَسْجُدُ إِلَّا عَلَى الْأَرْضِ وَعَنْ إِبْرَاهِيمَ النَّخَعِيِّ أَنَّهُ كَانَ يُصَلِّي عَلَ الْحَصِيرِ وَيَسْجُدُ عَلَى الْأَرْضِ
It is narrated by Tabarani that Abdullah b. Masud used to only prostrate on the earth and from Ibrahim al-Nakhi that he used to pray on hasir (i.e. a prayer mat made from palm fibers) and prostrate on the earth.
Another example is Jabir b. Abdullah al-Ansari (ra) who is recorded in Sunan an-Nasa'i 1081:
Jabir b. 'Abdullah said: "We used to pray Zuhr with the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and I would take a handful of pebbles in my hand to cool them down, then I would pass them from one hand to the other, and when I prostrated I would put them down to lay my forehead on them."
The Tabi'in likewise followed in pursuit in such views such as the Sunni Mujadid - Umar b. Abdul Aziz - as well as Urwa b. Zubayr as narrated in Tihfat al-Ahwdhi, vol. 2, pg 294:
روِيَ عَنْ عُمَرَ بْنِ عَبْدِ الْعَزِيزِ أَنَّهُ كَانَ يُؤْتَى بِتُرَابٍ فَيُوضَعُ عَلَى الْخُمْرَةِ فَيَسْجُدُ عَلَيْهِ (...)وقد روى بن أَبِي شَيْبَةَ عَنْ عُرْوَةَ بْنِ الزُّبَيْ أَنَّهُ كَانَ يَكْرَهُ الصَّلَاةَ عَلَى شَيْءٍ دُونَ الْأَرْضِ
Umar b. Abdul-Aziz used to grab a handful of dirt and place it on a khumra (small mat made from palm fibers) and prostrate on it (...) It is narrated in Musannaf b. Abi Shaybah that Urwa b. Zubair used to hate prostrating on anything other then the earth.
Imam Malik used to also frown upon prostrating on anything other than natural ground; Minhaj al-Sunnah, vol. 4, pg. 151:
وَكَذَلِكَ قَالَ مَالِكٌ: إِنَّ السُّجُودَ يُكْرَهُ عَلَى غَيْرِ جِنْسِ الْأَرْضِ، وَالرَّافِضَةُ يَمْنَعُونَ مِنَ السُّجُودِ عَلَى غَيْرِ الْأَرْضِ
Similarly Malik said that: Prostrating on anything that doesn't come from the earth is disliked (makruh) and the Rawafidh do not permit the prostration on other then the earth.
Comentarii