MOSQUE ARCHITECTURE (NO.7): A STUDY ON THE DEBUNKING OF THE ART HISTORICISM AND SELF-IMPOSED MYTH OF A PRAYER RUG OF HAVING A SPIRITUAL SIGNIFICANCE WHICH RELATES TO HAVING DECORATIVE ELEMENTS SUCH THAT DEPICT OF A MIHRAB ARCH WITH A LAMP, KA’ABAH, ETC.

The detailed aspects of the plight ensued from Art Historicism were not included in the scope of the first book. So, I am going to make a few series on this blog to elaborate more on this.

In this discourse we are going to raise relatively, a basic issue. We first start with something small and easy to understand, but as we go on with future postings, we will gradually, going to raise bigger issues about Historicism, for instance, does Islamic Architecture promoted by Historicism reflect Islamic faith?  And also other issues such as combating the calamity of climate change and in observing the entrusted duty of Allah’s vicegerent to salvage the planet earth from environmental crisis; to refrain from committing numerous corruptions and disorders on land and in the sea. And of course the present big issue is battling the human ‘self-inflicted’ novel Covid-19 plague or scourge.

Albeit, today’s starting issue about the prayer rug may sound insignificant, but it’s pivotal in revealing what is one’s state of mind; could it be a loss of focus in life or being deprived of concentration in solah, which is a fatal fallout of the present ummah, that would lead to bigger eventualities.

This is what has been revealed about the ‘spiritual significance in Islamic arts and architecture’, via Historicism, concerning the prayer rug design, that one might have taken it for granted, as a related example of the ‘spiritual significance’, which would be the designer of prayer rugs have in mind, completely based only on assumptions:

“There is usually an arch drawn on it. This arch is designed to represent the mihrab in the mosque, which designates the direction of Mecca, which should direct oneself during the prayer. If inside this there is a lamp, then you have a niche within which there is a lamp, and that’s a direct reference to verse An-Nur, the verse of light in the Quran. This is what it means by spiritual significance. That is a significance in a form of that indicates the meaning of the verse in the Quran and the Sunnah. It indicates about Allah and the Messenger (pbuh) or about paradise and our world.” 

Even Encyclopaedia Britannica would have been swayed by the historicism’s divergence by giving inaccurate characteristics of the prayer rug such as:

• “Prayer rugs are characterised by the prayer niche, or mihrab, an arch-shaped design at one end of the carpet. The mihrab, which probably derives from the prayer niche in mosques, must point toward Mecca while the rug is in use.
  

• Mihrabs may appear in a variety of forms. Those on the prayer rugs of Anatolia, where the greatest number of these rugs have been made, are usually pointed and often have a step motif along their sides. Mihrabs on Persian rugs, however, are characterised curvilinear and elegant, while those of Caucasian and Turkmen rugs are invariably rectilinear. Some prayer rugs have two or three mihrabs side by side and are known as “brothers’ rugs.” Ṣaffs, or large prayer rugs used simultaneously by a large number of people, are subdivided into many small compartments, each of which has a mihrab.
  

• Prayer rugs are often decorated with religious symbols that serve the worshipper as aids to memory. Lamps, for example, recall the lamps of mosques, and the comb and water pitcher are reminders that the Muslim is required to wash his hands and comb his beard before prayer. Often Caucasian rugs also show stylised hands on both sides of the mihrab to indicate where the hands are placed during prayer.“ End quote.
  

It seems that these made up stories have become a universal perception about a prayer rug, obsessed and showing  a passionate attachment to decorations. They all have taken it for granted.

That is considered to be a myth, whether the prayer rug is used at home or in the mosque. So, now lets study the reasons that debunk the myth:

• “He (the Prophet pbuh) did not have pictures of the Ka’bah, other masjids, coloured designs, Allah’s Names, etc. on the mat he used occasionally, unlike that of the “prayer rug” fanatics. Instead, he would keep such visual distractions away from his prayer area, as he returned a garment that had markings on it for one that did not in order not to be distracted in his prayer.” [Ref: Call to Tawheed, Ruling on prayer rugs]
  

• Al-Bukhaari (379) and Muslim (513) narrated that Maymoonah (May Allah be pleased with her) said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) used to pray on a khumrah. (A khumrah is a mat made of palm leaves).
  

But there may be some reasons why it is not permissible to pray on carpets and similar things:

• If the carpet contains images of animate beings; in which case it is haraam to keep them and the images must be blotted out. See question no. 12422. 
  

• If the carpet has decorations and patterns that attract the attention of the worshipper and distract him from his prayer; praying on such carpets is makrooh.
  

The Standing Committee (Islam Q&A) said: With regard to pictures of inanimate objects such as mountains, rivers, lakes, plants, trees, houses and so on, so long as there are no images of living beings in or around them, these are permissible, but praying on them is makrooh because they distract the worshipper and detract from his proper focus and humility (khushoo’) in prayer, but his prayer is still valid. 

Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah, 6/180

[Ref: Praying on rugs - Islam Question & Answer]

 CONCLUSION

If the Sunnah teaches us to keep the prayer rug plain, then just follow it, and reserve the talent in the art works somewhere else. If one can’t even put an effort to follow a simple Sunnah practice, how he is going to fight his bigger enemies.? How is going to stand for Palestine. 

It’s a makrooh or detestable. But, even it’s only regarded as makrooh, the serious threats as what are reminded by the deen are a cause of concern to the ummah.

It is important to have concentration in prayer because Allah may reject one’s prayer if he does not perform it with the presence of one’s mind. Try to reflect on this verse, “So woe to the praying ones, who are unmindful of their prayers.” (Suratul Ma’un, Verse 4 and 5). 

This is only one simple example, the prayer rug. There are countless other bigger examples to ponder. This issue may seem petty to some people, but it isn’t, as it’s the starting point of losing concentration and focus among ummah! There are only two choices, the plain and the cluttered. Check it out in your house or in the neighbourhood mosque, which type has been opted for.