Narrated Abdullah al-Muharibi: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: When a man stands with the intention of saying prayer, or if any of you says prayer, he should not spit before him, nor at his right side; but he should do so at his left side, if there is a place for it; or he should spit under his left foot and then rub it off.
Hadith Referenceسنن ابي داود / كتاب الصلاة / 478
Hadith Gradingالألبانی:صحيح | زبیر علی زئی:إسناده صحيح
Hadith Takhrij« سنن الترمذی/الجمعة 49 (571)، سنن النسائی/المساجد 33 (727)، سنن ابن ماجہ/إقامة الصلاة 61 (1021)، (تحفة الأشراف: 4987)، وقد أخرجہ: مسند احمد (6/396) (صحیح) »
´It was narrated that Tariq bin ‘Abdullah Al-Muharibi said:` “The Prophet (ﷺ) said: ‘When you perform prayer, do not spit in front of you or to your right, but spit to your left or beneath your feet.’”
Maulana Ataullah Sajid
Benefits and Issues:
➊ Spitting in front during prayer is contrary to proper etiquette. The Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) expressed strong displeasure regarding this. See: (Sunan Ibn Majah, Al-Masajid wal-Jama'at, Chapter: Dislike of Spitting in the Mosque, Hadith: 761 to 764)
➋ The right side is also a direction of respect, so one should not spit in that direction either. If another worshipper is standing on the left side, then one should also avoid spitting in that direction; if there is no one there, then spitting is permissible.
➌ In the mosque, spitting to the left or under one’s foot is permissible in the case where the ground of the mosque is of such a type that it can absorb moisture; otherwise, it is not permissible to pollute the mosque. Especially when one is praying on a mat or carpet, it is not permissible under any circumstance to make it dirty. In such a case, a handkerchief should be used, as is clarified in the following hadith.
Source: Commentary on Sunan Ibn Mājah by Mawlānā ‘Atā’ullāh Sājid, Page: 1021