SECTION ON PRAYERS · 24 – PLACES WHERE IT IS NOT PERMISSIBLE TO OFFER PRAYERS
Abu Zarr (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated:
The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings upon him) said, “To me, the earth was made pure and a place of prostration [mosque].”
EXPLANATION
In a place where water is not found, soil takes its place [for purification], and *tayammum* is performed with it.
It is permissible to perform acts of worship on every part of the earth’s surface; prayer may be offered. These two attributes are gifts bestowed upon the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings upon him) and his community.
EXPLANATION
*Tahur*: An overstatement noun, from the weight *mafʿul*, signifying “purifier.”
From Abu Salih Ghifari, may Allah be pleased with him:
During a journey, Ali ibn Abi Talib, may Allah be pleased with him, passed through Babylon. The mu'adhdhin came to inform him that the time for the afternoon prayer had arrived. However, as Ali departed from Babylon, he ordered the mu’adhdhin to pronounce the call (adhan) and performed the prayer. Upon finishing the prayer, he said: “My beloved (the Prophet Muhammad), peace and blessings be upon him, forbade me from praying in a graveyard. He also forbade me from praying in the land of Babylon, saying, ‘For it has been afflicted with cursing.’”
COMMENTARY
Babylon: A place within the lands of Iraq, near Kufa, known for trials (fitna) such as magic and sorcery. The calamities that befell Ali ibn Abi Talib, may Allah be pleased with him, also originated from there.
In reality, after all parts of the earth were declared a place of prostration (secadeh), Ali’s prohibition from praying in Babylon indicates that it is a place of trial and that the trial destined for him will come from there. Alternatively, it could be a prohibition against settling in Babylon.
Al-Hattabi: No scholar has stated that prayer is forbidden in Babylon. They say at most, it would be a prohibition against establishing a base (karargah) there.
From Abu Salih al-Ghiffari, from Ali, may Allah be pleased with him: It was narrated with the same meaning as the narration of Sulayman ibn Dawud, except that instead of “(when they separated),” he said “(when they exited).”
Abu Sa’id (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated:
The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings upon him) said, “Prayer may be performed on every ground, except in bathhouses and graves.” [330]
**Explanation:**
Performing prayer upon a grave or in a bathhouse is disliked. However, if there is a clean area designated for prayer, it may be performed there.
According to Imam Malik: Performing prayer in a graveyard is not disliked.
According to Imam al-Shafi’i: Prayer is permissible only if the place is clean; otherwise, it is not permissible. If there is a clean place, it is permissible.
The reason for prohibiting prayer in graves is not solely due to impurity, but also to prevent people who pray in graves from resembling those who worship ancestors, and to avert the notion that the grave itself is being worshipped.
Bathhouses are places where dirty water flows. Since a spot free from contact with dirty water cannot be found in them, prayer has been prohibited in bathhouses. However, there is no objection to performing prayer on a clean mat in the undressing rooms of bathhouses.