Performing Salaah on a printed Musallah
Question
I would like to enquire regarding Musallahs on which names are printed on them? Is it permissible to use it if you have one and are you allowed to gift it to someone? We understand that this excludes names which have Allah’s names in it, for example, “Abdullah” etc.
Answer
A Musallah with writing on it distracts the Musalli during Salaah. It is for the very same reason that the jurists have written that it is Makrooh to hang a painting or picture in the front of a Masjid. A person performing Salaah should be completely engrossed in Salaah and in the remembrance of Allah Ta’ala, thus one should use a plain Musallah (that is free of writing) to perform Salaah. Similarly, Musallahs that are free of writing should be gifted to others.
References (Arabic / Urdu sources)
(وَلَا بَأْسَ بِنَقْشِهِ خَلَا مِحْرَابَهُ) فَإِنَّهُ يُكْرَهُ لِأَنَّهُ يُلْهِي الْمُصَلِّي. وَيُكْرَه التَّكَلُّفُ بِدَقَائِقِ النُّقُوشِ وَنَحْوِهَا خُصُوصًا فِي جِدَارِ الْقِبْلَةِ قَالَهُ الْحَلَبِيُّ. وَفِي حَظْرِ الْمُجْتَبَى: وَقِيلَ يُكْرَهُ فِي الْمِحْرَابِ دُونَ السَّقْفِ وَالْمُؤَخَّرِ انْتَهَى. وَظَاهِرُهُ أَنَّ الْمُرَادَ بِالْمِحْرَابِ جِدَارُ الْقِبْلَةِ فَلْيُحْفَظْ (رد المحتار ص658 ج1)
- Answered by
- Mufti Mohammed Desai
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