❖ Proper Etiquettes and Prohibitions Related to Salah in Islam ❖
By: Imran Ayyub Lahori
✿ Use of a Prayer Mat (Muṣalla) for Salah
It is authentically reported from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, as narrated by Maymūnah (RA):
كان رسول الله يصلى على الخمرة
(Bukhārī 379, 333; Muslim 513; Abū Dāwūd 656; Ibn Mājah 958; Nasā’ī 2/57; Aḥmad 6/330; Dārimī 1/319; Ibn Khuzaymah 1007; Bayhaqī 2/421)
"The Messenger of Allah ﷺ used to pray on a woven mat (khumrah)."
The majority (jumhūr) of scholars agree with this position.
[Nayl al-Awṭār 1/620]
✿ Praying with Shoes and Socks
✔ Permissible with Clear Evidences:
① Anas (RA) was asked by Abū Salamah (RA):
أكان النبي صلى في نعليه؟
(Bukhārī 386, 5850; Muslim 555; Tirmidhī 440; Nasā’ī 2/74; Aḥmad 3/100; Ibn Khuzaymah 1010)
"Did the Prophet ﷺ pray in his shoes?" He replied: "Yes."
② Shaddād ibn Aws (RA) narrated that the Prophet ﷺ said:
خالفوا اليهود فإنهم لا يصلون فى نعالهم ولا خفافهم
(Saḥīḥ Abū Dāwūd 607; Abū Dāwūd 652; Ḥākim 1/260; Bayhaqī 2/432)
"Oppose the Jews, for they do not pray in their shoes or leather socks."
A narration in Saḥīḥ Ibn Ḥibbān states:
خالفوا اليهود والنصارى…
"Oppose the Jews and the Christians..."
③ Abū Saʿīd al-Khudrī (RA) narrated that the Prophet ﷺ said:
"When one of you comes to the masjid, he should inspect his shoes. If he finds any filth on them, he should rub them on the ground, then he may pray in them."
(Saḥīḥ Abū Dāwūd 605; Aḥmad 3/20; Abū Dāwūd 650; Dārimī 1/320; Abū Yaʿlā 1194; Ibn Khuzaymah 1017)
④ It is also proven from a narration that:
"The Prophet ﷺ removed his shoes during prayer; seeing this, the Companions also removed theirs..."
(Saḥīḥ Abū Dāwūd 605; Irwāʾ al-Ghalīl 284)
- Imām Shawkānī: Praying with shoes is recommended.
[Nayl al-Awṭār 1/625] - Ibn Ḥajar: It is recommended due to the intention of differing from the Jews.
[Tuḥfat al-Aḥwadhī 2/444] - Ibn Daqīq al-ʿĪd: It is not recommended, rather it is a permitted concession.
[Ibid.]
✿ Intellect and Maturity: Conditions for the Obligation of Prayer
ʿĀʾishah (RA) narrated that the Prophet ﷺ said:
عن النائم حتى يستيقظ و عن الصبى حتى يحتلم وعن المجنون حتى يعقل
(Saḥīḥ Abū Dāwūd 3698; Abū Dāwūd 4398; Nasā’ī 3432; Ibn Mājah 2041)
"There is no sin upon the sleeping person until he wakes up, nor upon a child until he reaches puberty, nor upon a madman until he becomes sane."
- Shawkānī: This matter has consensus.
[Al-Sayl al-Jarrār 1/100]
✿ Facing Graves While Praying
It is explicitly prohibited in several aḥādīth:
① Abū Marthad al-Ghanawī (RA) narrated that the Prophet ﷺ said:
لا تصلوا إلى القبور ولا تجلسوا عليها
(Muslim 972; Abū Dāwūd 3229; Tirmidhī 1050; Nasā’ī 760; Ibn Khuzaymah 793; Bayhaqī 2/435)
"Do not pray facing the graves and do not sit on them."
② Jundub (RA) narrated that the Prophet ﷺ said:
لا تتخذو القبور مساجد فإني أنهاكم عن ذلك
(Muslim 532; Abū ʿAwānah 1/401)
"Do not take graves as masjids. I strictly forbid you from that."
✿ Prohibition of Praying in Bathhouses
Abū Saʿīd al-Khudrī (RA) narrated that the Prophet ﷺ said:
الأرض كلها مسجد إلا المقبرة والحمام
(Saḥīḥ: Irwāʾ al-Ghalīl 1/320; Saḥīḥ Abū Dāwūd 507; Aḥmad 2/83; Tirmidhī 317; Ibn Mājah 745; Bayhaqī 2/435; Ḥākim 1/251; Ibn Khuzaymah 791)
"The entire earth is a place of prostration except for graveyards and bathhouses."
- Ibn Ḥazm: It is absolutely impermissible to pray in a bathhouse.
- Majority (Jumhūr): If the place is clean, prayer is valid but discouraged.
- Shawkānī endorsed Ibn Ḥazm’s position.
[Nayl al-Awṭār 1/929]
✿ Praying in Animal Enclosures
✔ Permissible in Sheep Pens; Prohibited in Camel Pens
Abū Hurayrah (RA) narrated that the Prophet ﷺ said:
صلوا فى مرابض الغنم ولا تصلوا فى أعطان الابل
(Saḥīḥ: Tirmidhī 285; Ibn Mājah 768; Aḥmad 2/451; Ibn Khuzaymah 795; Bayhaqī 2/449)
"Pray in sheep enclosures but do not pray in camel enclosures."
Also narrated by al-Barāʾ ibn ʿĀzib (RA):
(Saḥīḥ Abū Dāwūd 169; Aḥmad 4/288)
- Aḥmad, Ibn Ḥazm, and Shawkānī: All endorse this position.
- Majority (Jumhūr): If there is no impurity, then the prohibition is disliked; if there is impurity, then it is prohibited.
[Nayl al-Awṭār 1/635–636] - Preferred View: The first opinion is closer to the textual evidence.
✿ Praying on Usurped (Ghaṣbī) Land
Absolutely impermissible.
- Imām Shawkānī also favors this view.
[Al-Sayl al-Jarrār 1/168]
✿ Praying in Trousers (Pants)
- Al-Albānī (RA): Two major issues arise:
① Resemblance to disbelievers
② Inadequate covering of the private area, especially during sujūd
[Al-Qawl al-Mubīn fī Akhṭāʾ al-Muṣallīn, p. 20] - Ibn Bāz (RA): If the pants are loose and there is a shirt that covers the area between navel and knees and hangs below mid-calf or ankles, the prayer is valid and more appropriate.
[Fatāwā of Shaykh Ibn Bāz 1/69] - Saudi Permanent Committee issued a similar ruling.
[Fatāwā al-Lajnah al-Dāʾimah No. 2003]
✿ Praying in Sheer or Transparent Clothing
- Ibn Bāz (RA): If the garment is see-through and does not conceal the body adequately, prayer is not valid—unless worn with a proper undergarment that fully covers the body between navel and knees (for men), and the entire body (for women).
[Al-Fatāwā al-Islāmiyyah 1/253; Ibn Bāz’s Fatāwā Translated 1/57; Majallat al-Daʿwah Issue 886]
✿ Conclusion
These guidelines emphasize the sanctity, discipline, and etiquette of Salah in Islam. From the purity of garments to the location of prayer, each aspect reflects obedience to the Sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ. Upholding these etiquettes ensures not only the validity but also the spiritual elevation of our prayers.
