❖ Ruling on Praying and Prostrating on Cotton Mattresses or Thick Carpets
Source: Fatāwā Muhammadiyyah, Vol. 1, p. 387
Question by a Resident of Sialkot
❀ Question
Nowadays, some mosques are furnished with cotton-filled mattresses or thick carpets. Is it permissible to prostrate and perform prayers on such surfaces?
✔ Answer
Al-ḥamdu lillāh, waṣ-ṣalātu wa as-salāmu ʿalā Rasūlillāh. Ammā baʿd:
Praying on cotton mattresses is not the most preferable option; however, it is permissible. Below are some reasons supporting this ruling:
➊ Practice of the Noble Prophet ﷺ
◈ It is authentically reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ prayed on cotton mats, beds, and mats made of palm leaves.
◈ These reports are found in Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī under the chapters:
Bāb aṣ-Ṣalāh ʿalā al-ḥaṣīr, Bāb aṣ-Ṣalāh ʿalā al-khumrah, Bāb aṣ-Ṣalāh ʿalā al-firāsh (Vol. 1, p. 55).
✿ Ḥadīth of Anas (رضي الله عنه)
عَنْ أَنَسِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ، أَنَّ جَدَّتَهُ مُلَيْكَةَ دَعَتْ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ لِطَعَامٍ … فَقَامَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ، وَصَفَفْتُ وَاليَتِيمَ وَرَاءَهُ، وَالعَجُوزُ مِنْ وَرَائِنَا، فَصَلَّى لَنَا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ رَكْعَتَيْنِ، ثُمَّ انْصَرَفَ.
(Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, Vol. 1, p. 55)
Anas (رضي الله عنه) narrates that the Prophet ﷺ led them in prayer on a mat.
✿ Commentary of Imām Nawawī (رحمه الله)
فِيهِ جَوَازُ الصَّلَاةِ عَلَى الْحَصِيرِ وَسَائِرِ مَا تُنْبِتُهُ الْأَرْضُ …
(Sharḥ Nawawī ʿala Muslim, Vol. 1, p. 234)
This establishes that it is permissible to pray on anything that grows from the earth.
Conclusion:
Since mattresses are made of cotton and cloth, both of which are products of the earth, praying on them is permissible.
➋ Ḥadīth of ʿĀ’ishah (رضي الله عنها)
عَن عبداللہ بن شداد عَن میمونة قالت کان النبیﷺ یصلی علی الخمرة
(Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, Vol. 1, p. 55)
Ibn Ḥajar explains that “Khumrah” refers to a small mat made of palm leaves, used to protect from heat or cold.
(Tuḥfah al-Aḥwadhī, Vol. 1, p. 272; Fatḥ al-Bārī, Vol. 1, p. 324)
The same reasoning applies today regarding carpets or mattresses in mosques—they serve as protection from heat or cold.
➌ Practice of the Companions (رضي الله عنهم)
Although some Companions such as ʿAbdullāh ibn Masʿūd (رضي الله عنه), Ibrāhīm al-Nakhaʿī, and Imām Aswad regarded praying on soft mats (ṭanāfis) as undesirable, others allowed prostration on garments, turbans, and caps.
✿ Ḥadīth of Anas (رضي الله عنه)
كُنَّا نُصَلِّي مَعَ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ، فَيَضَعُ أَحَدُنَا طَرَفَ الثَّوْبِ مِنْ شِدَّة الحَرِّ فِي مَكَانِ السُّجُودِ
(Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, Vol. 1, p. 56)
Ibn Ḥajar says that this is permissible, though direct prostration on the ground is superior.
(Fatḥ al-Bārī, Vol. 1, p. 414 / New Edition: p. 650)
✿ Statement of Abū al-Dardā’ (رضي الله عنه)
أُبَالِی لَوْ صَلَّیْتُ عَلَی خَمْسِ طَنَافِسَ
(Nayl al-Awṭār, Vol. 2, p. 144)
Similarly, it is also confirmed from Ibn ʿAbbās (رضي الله عنه) that he prayed on ṭanāfis (soft mats).
Imām al-Shawkānī states:
وَإِلَى جَوَازِ الصَّلَاةِ عَلَى الطَّنَافِسِ ذَهَبَ جُمْهُورُ الْعُلَمَاءِ
(Nayl al-Awṭār, Vol. 1, p. 144)
The majority of scholars and jurists permit praying on soft mats.
➍ Clarifying the Ḥadīth of Umm Salamah (رضي الله عنها)
As found in Jāmiʿ al-Tirmidhī:
فَقَالَ يَا أَفْلَحُ تَرِبَ وَجْهُكَ
(Tuḥfah al-Aḥwadhī, Vol. 1, p. 297)
◈ The narrators of this ḥadīth are weak, as noted by the scholars of ḥadīth.
◈ Additionally, this statement merely emphasized pressing the forehead firmly to the ground, not removing everything to prostrate on bare soil.
(Nayl al-Awṭār, Vol. 2, p. 144)
➎ Summary of the Ruling
◈ Out of humility and submission, it is more virtuous to prostrate directly on the ground.
◈ However, praying and prostrating on light cotton mattresses or thick carpets is permissible, especially when used to protect from cold or heat, or for general comfort.
