❖ Removing Pebbles from the Place of Prostration During Salah ❖
Written by: Imran Ayyub Lahori
It is narrated from Hazrat Abu Dharr (رضي الله عنه) that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
إذا قام أحدكم في الصلاة فلا يمسح الحصى فإن الرحمة تواجهه
“When one of you stands in prayer, he should not remove the pebbles (from the place of prostration), for indeed, mercy is facing him.”
According to the narration in Musnad Ahmad, an additional phrase is reported:
واحدة أودع
“If it is absolutely necessary to remove (the pebbles), then do so once and leave them.”
[Da‘īf: Da‘īf Abū Dāwūd: 201, Kitāb al-Ṣalāh: Bāb fī Masḥ al-Ḥaṣā fī al-Ṣalāh; Abū Dāwūd: 945; Tirmidhī: 379; Ibn Mājah: 1027; Nasā’ī: 3/6; Ibn Khuzaymah: 2/59; Ibn Ḥibbān: 2273; Dārimī: 1/322; Bayhaqī: 2/284]
✦ Shaykh Hāzim ‘Alī Qāḍī and Ḥāfiẓ Ibn Ḥajar (رحمهما الله) have declared this narration authentic in their respective works, including Ta‘līq ‘alā Sabil al-Salām (1/341).
✔ Even if there is some weakness in the chain of this narration, it is still acceptable as evidence, because its supporting reports exist in the Ṣaḥīḥayn:
[Bukhārī: 1207; Muslim: 546]
❖ The Hadith clearly instructs against removing pebbles or dust from the place of sajdah (prostration) during prayer.
✔ The reasoning is that the mercy of Allah is directly before the worshipper during salah, and such actions break concentration and reflect a lack of humility.
✔ If absolutely necessary, only one movement to remove the obstruction is permissible.
✔ Unnecessarily adjusting or removing pebbles, dust, or particles from the place of prostration during salah is discouraged, as it disrupts the sanctity and focus of the prayer.
✔ One should refrain from such actions unless there is a pressing need, and even then, it should be done only once, as per prophetic guidance.
Written by: Imran Ayyub Lahori
✦ Hadith Regarding the Prohibition
It is narrated from Hazrat Abu Dharr (رضي الله عنه) that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
إذا قام أحدكم في الصلاة فلا يمسح الحصى فإن الرحمة تواجهه
“When one of you stands in prayer, he should not remove the pebbles (from the place of prostration), for indeed, mercy is facing him.”
According to the narration in Musnad Ahmad, an additional phrase is reported:
واحدة أودع
“If it is absolutely necessary to remove (the pebbles), then do so once and leave them.”
[Da‘īf: Da‘īf Abū Dāwūd: 201, Kitāb al-Ṣalāh: Bāb fī Masḥ al-Ḥaṣā fī al-Ṣalāh; Abū Dāwūd: 945; Tirmidhī: 379; Ibn Mājah: 1027; Nasā’ī: 3/6; Ibn Khuzaymah: 2/59; Ibn Ḥibbān: 2273; Dārimī: 1/322; Bayhaqī: 2/284]✦ Shaykh Hāzim ‘Alī Qāḍī and Ḥāfiẓ Ibn Ḥajar (رحمهما الله) have declared this narration authentic in their respective works, including Ta‘līq ‘alā Sabil al-Salām (1/341).
✔ Even if there is some weakness in the chain of this narration, it is still acceptable as evidence, because its supporting reports exist in the Ṣaḥīḥayn:
[Bukhārī: 1207; Muslim: 546]✦ Explanation
❖ The Hadith clearly instructs against removing pebbles or dust from the place of sajdah (prostration) during prayer.
✔ The reasoning is that the mercy of Allah is directly before the worshipper during salah, and such actions break concentration and reflect a lack of humility.
✔ If absolutely necessary, only one movement to remove the obstruction is permissible.
✦ Conclusion
✔ Unnecessarily adjusting or removing pebbles, dust, or particles from the place of prostration during salah is discouraged, as it disrupts the sanctity and focus of the prayer.
✔ One should refrain from such actions unless there is a pressing need, and even then, it should be done only once, as per prophetic guidance.
